[Tutorial] Focal Point / Proper Use of Colors / Color Wheel

[.Xhae]

Hello, I've been here for a long time and I've seen a lot of "GFXers" make tags that just puts any effects, it messes up the color. There are some that puts too much effects and the render/focal point becomes meaningless.

What is Focal point?

Focal points are also elements or areas of dominance, just not to the same degree as your one dominant element, which could be defined as your most dominant focal point. Focal points are areas of interest, emphasis or difference within a composition that capture and hold the viewer’s attention.The focal points in your design should stand out but should be noticed after the element with the most dominance.

source:
Render Selection:
A sig should have some action in it to make it appealing for the eye and to make the flow. Don't go for a static image but one that sends out some dynamics, we want something to be happening in the sig. Don't pick a render that has clothes or stuff hanging out all over the place because that will cover too much of the sig and won't go nice with the vectors and C4D's and might disrupt the flow. Marvel and anime renders tend to go well with this. You would also always want to use high quality renders for your sig. Don't go for low quality renders. Here are some examples

Composition:The rule of thirds states that an image can be divided into nine equal parts so dividing it horizontally and vertically in 3 parts as shown below. The intersections, where the lines cross are power points. These can be used to align points of interes to your focal point being the most importang. Aligning your focal point to one of the intersections will create more energy and interest in the artpiece making it more appealing. It's best to align other object close to intersections but not exactly on them as they would give competition for the focal point and your eyes would be swithing between them when watching and it's important your eyes can find rest in your artpiece when looking at the focal point. This way your piece will be more appealing to keep looking at.

Flow:
You would want your signature to flow. Meaning that when looking at any part of the sig your eyes are being drawn to your focal point in a smooth way. The objects and whatever you use should guide your eyes in a natural motion to your focal point where your eyes get rest and are able to stay focused at without getting your eyes tired. See as indicated below.

Now let's talk about colors, In the visual arts, color theory is a body of practical guidance to color mixing and the visual effects of a specific color combination.

Relationships between colorsThere are a couple of relationships between colors which will define good color combinations. Choosing the right colors is essentially for making an appealing tag. An easy tool to use when searching for good color combinations is the color wheel shown below. You will also see the different color relationships that define good color combinations.



More examples:














That's all for now I will make sigs using all these types of color schemes to show examples. To learn more about colors I suggest you watch this video:

All credits are posted, the images with the gray background are taken from my presentation (powerpoint)

Complementary Signature:

[LuminusProd]

Very good explained

[PKen]

Thanks for sharing this, I am actually gonna use this today