Asymmetry

Symmetry is based in mathematical laws that govern nature. Our intuitive recognition of symmetry carries over to compositional design in all cultural artwork, whether magical, religious, or decorative. Almost all living things, from plants to animals, display some form of symmetry.

But there are always exceptions to the rule. In animals, one of the few nonsymmetric creatures is the sponge (Figure 8.22). It is one of the most primitive of all animals with a simple perforated structure that uses water to pump oxygen and nutrients in and waste out. There is no discernible symmetry in this creature—it is asymmetric. Asymmetry is key to the formation of life because anomalies create a tension that encourages evolving toward balance.

When something is asymmetric, it lacks balance or evenness. This can be an indication of something undesirable, such as a defect, but it can also be used as an effective way to bring attention to something, or even to release an expectation of how something should be. More common in fine art than commercial communications, asymmetry is useful as an underlying principle for messages that are left unanswered, that agitate, or that remain open to the viewer’s interpretation. Imagine a bonsai tree. It is a meditation just to look at one. It is asymmetric and yet pleasing, even without visual balance. Rather than containing and directing a visual pattern of the eye, it suggests where the eye might wander. By its nature of not embodying symmetri....