Design Nomenclature / Composition
Tension
Also called visual tension
- Composition
- 2D & 3D
The felt pull between two elements, or between an element and the frame, produced by near-misses: an almost-alignment, an almost-touch, a form pressed close to an edge. Tension is a resource rather than a fault, but it must be deliberate — an accidental near-miss reads as error, not energy.
Not to be confused with
- BalanceThe distribution of visual weight about an axis or a centre so that no part of the field seems to fall. It is judged, not measured. Bilateral balance works across an axis, radial balance around a point, asymmetrical balance by trading a small dense element against a large quiet one.
- AlignmentThe sharing of an edge or an axis by elements not otherwise connected. Alignment creates an implied line the eye follows and structure it can trust, and it is binary: elements align or they do not. Near-alignment is the most common and most visible error in layout.