You may not have heard of John Thomas Smith’s tome, Remarks on Rural Scenery. But then, neither may have Smith’s late 18th century contempories. (The French-speaking ones were probably too busy devouring Marquis de Sade’s Juliette in 1797, the year Smith published his Remarks.)
Yet the influence of Smith’s book can be seen in virutally any magazine, TV programme or ad campaign. The reason? On page 35 of the latest re-print, Smith set out The Rule of Thirds – a remarkably simple visual hack that, once remembered, can instantly improve the composition of the photographs, illustration or other artwork that you may use on your company blog.
The rule: imagine that the frame you are working with is divided by two vertical lines and two horizontal lines, making a 3×3 grid of equally sized rectangles. Then align your subject so that it sits on these lines and their intersection points.
It’s that simple. Not convinced? Watch this video for an explanation:
See?
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