Contrast

I’ve always loved contrast. As a keen amateur photographer, I look for opportunities to take photos of really contrasting objects or places.

Contrast is the difference between two points in your design; for example, it could be the background and the main focal point, one being light and the other dark. Contrast helps draw the viewer’s eyes to the exact point you want them at. It is light and dark, bold and thin, big and small, and soft and hard. Don’t overdo the contrast, though; the subtle contrasting points need to fit in with the rest of your design and flow so that it all works together.

Color

Color is the most common contrasting point of a design. For example, this one is a basic black-and-white magazine cover. The contrast of just using two colors is big, but it works well with the overall design:

Figure 7.1 – Black and white magazine cover

If you want to use different colors, keep your color palette...