brettworks

“To create a dynamic, balanced composition in either 2D or 3D, make a strong initial design decision that is dynamic and unbalanced; then follow it with a secondary dynamic move that counterpoints the first move. Think of a counterpoint as a sort of aesthetic rebuttal: it is similar to but not quite the same as an opposite, as an infinite number of counterpoints can theoretically be made to a given move. A single, large swirl, for example, can be counterpointed by several small squares because ‘several’ opposes ‘single’ and ‘small’ opposes ‘large.’ But that same swirl can also be counterpointed by choppy zigzag, by an emphatically regular grid, by a series of floating circles, and so on, because each countering move has qualities that are in some way opposite the qualities of the swirl.”

Matthew Frederick, “Moves and counterpoints”
in 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School (2007)