Gymnasts make amazing shapes and balances. Let us see what shapes your body can make!
Body shapes
long and thin like a pencil
wide like a star
curled like a ball
twisted like a corkscrew
Levels and pathways
Make your shapes at a high level (on tiptoe), a middle level (kneeling or bending) and a low level (on the floor). Move along a straight, curved or zigzag pathway.
Balances
Can you balance on 4 body parts (two hands, two feet)? On 3? On 2? On 1? Hold still for 3 seconds. Then transfer your weight by rocking, rolling, stepping or sliding into a new balance.
The stork stand
Stand tall on one leg.
Place the other foot against the inside of your standing knee.
Hands on hips. Look at one spot in front of you.
Hold for 10 seconds! Then try the other leg.
The side roll (pencil roll)
Lie on your back on a mat, body long and straight like a pencil.
Stretch your arms above your head, legs together.
Keep your body stiff and roll sideways onto your tummy, then onto your back.
Roll in a straight line to the end of the mat.
⚠️ Warm up first, use a clear space with no furniture or hard edges, and have a grown-up nearby. Rolls must be done on a mat or soft grass.
TRY ITMove and balance
Choose a game.
Let’s practise
Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.
1. Name three body shapes.
Show answer
For example long and thin, wide, curled, twisted.
2. Name the three levels.
Show answer
High, middle, low.
3. Name three pathways.
Show answer
Straight, curved, zigzag.
4. How long should you hold the stork stand?
Show answer
10 seconds.
5. How does your body look in a side roll?
Show answer
Long, straight and stiff like a pencil.
Quick check
1. Can you balance on 3 body parts? Which ones?
Show answer
For example two hands and one foot.
2. Name one way to transfer weight.
Show answer
Rocking, rolling, stepping or sliding.
3. Why look at one spot in a balance?
Show answer
It helps you stay steady.
Words to know
Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?
shape · level · pathway · balance · transfer weight · stork stand · side roll
Try it at home
Practise the stork stand while brushing your teeth (hold the sink with one hand at first).
Make up a sequence: a shape, a roll, a balance. Show your family.
Walk a zigzag pathway across the yard.
For parents and teachers
After this lesson, your child should be able to:
make shapes at different levels and move along different pathways
balance on 1–4 body parts and transfer weight
perform the stork stand and side roll with good form
Warm up first, use a clear space with no furniture or hard edges, and have a grown-up nearby.
Visual design is the practice of arranging images, text, colour and space so that a screen is both attractive and easy to understand. It uses elements of visual design – the basic building blocks such as line, shape, direction, size, texture, colour and value – and principles of visual design – the rules for combining them, such as unity, Gestalt, space, balance, hierarchy, contrast, scale, dominance and similarity.
In Unit 1 we used many of these ideas for artwork in Colour Theory, Texture, Composition and Layout. Here we apply them to interactive screens: menus, HUDs, icons and game worlds that players must read quickly while they play.
The seven elements of visual design
Element
What it is
How games use it
Line
A mark joining two points; can be straight, curved, thick or thin.
Borders around panels, paths leading the eye to a door, speed lines.
Shape
A closed area: geometric (squares, circles) or organic (natural, irregular).
Arrows and diagonal compositions suggest where to go next.
Size
How big or small something is.
Big buttons for important actions; large enemies feel powerful.
Texture
How a surface looks or feels (rough, smooth, shiny).
Wood grain on a menu panel, rough rock that tells you a wall is climbable.
Colour
Hue, saturation and brightness.
Team colours, red for damage, gold for rewards (see the next post).
Value
How light or dark a colour is.
Bright important objects stand out from darker backgrounds.
The principles of visual design
Unity
Unity means all parts of a design look like they belong together: the same fonts, icon style, colour palette and corner shapes. A cartoon game with one realistic, photographic button breaks unity.
Gestalt
Gestalt (German for “whole form”) describes how our brains group separate parts into a whole. Key Gestalt principles are proximity (things close together belong together), similarity (things that look alike are related), closure (we complete missing parts of a shape), continuity (we follow smooth lines and curves) and figure–ground (we separate an object from its background).
Figure 1 – Gestalt reification: our brains “see” complete shapes – a triangle, a sphere and other forms – even though only parts are drawn. Image: Slehar at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.Figure 2 – An animated Kanizsa triangle. As the parts move, your brain keeps seeing a white triangle that is not actually drawn – a powerful example of closure. Image: Sergejpinka, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
Space
Space (or white space / negative space) is the empty area around and between elements. Space gives the eye room to rest and makes grouped items clearer. Crowded HUDs are hard to read in the middle of the action.
Balance
Balance is the distribution of visual weight. Symmetrical balance (mirror image) feels calm and formal, which suits title screens. Asymmetrical balance (different items with equal weight) feels dynamic and modern.
Hierarchy
Hierarchy shows the order of importance. The player should notice the most important thing first (for example “Play”), the second most important next, and so on. Size, colour, value and position all create hierarchy.
Contrast
Contrast is the difference between elements – light and dark, big and small, warm and cool. High contrast makes text readable and makes collectables pop out of the background. Accessibility guidelines recommend strong contrast between text and its background.
Scale
Scale is the size of objects compared with each other and with the player. A tiny hero next to a huge castle creates a sense of adventure; giant text creates drama.
Dominance
Dominance is when one element clearly takes the lead as the focal point. Every screen should have one dominant element. If everything shouts for attention, nothing is noticed.
Similarity
Similarity means elements that share colour, shape or size are seen as a group. In games, all collectable items might share a glow, and all enemies might share a red outline, so players learn the rules at a glance.
The Nielsen Norman Group explains how Gestalt principles help people make sense of interfaces in this short video:
Example
Consider a level-select screen that shows 12 levels. A designer applies the principles like this:
Proximity and similarity: the 12 level buttons are the same round shape and sit together in a grid, so players understand they are all levels.
Contrast and value: unlocked levels are bright; locked levels are dark grey with a padlock.
Dominance and hierarchy: the next level to play is larger and gently pulses, so it is the first thing players see.
Space: there is plenty of room between the grid and the “Back” button, so no one taps the wrong thing.
Unity: the buttons use the same wooden texture and font as the rest of the game.
Exercise
Take a screenshot (or sketch) of a game menu. Label at least five of the seven elements of visual design on it.
Find examples of proximity, similarity and closure in a game, an app or a logo. Explain how each helps the viewer.
Redesign a cluttered screen: list what you would remove, group, enlarge or recolour, and name the principle behind each change.
Create a simple title screen wireframe that uses symmetrical balance, then a second version that uses asymmetrical balance. Which suits your game better, and why?
Syllabus link: This post is relevant to the CAPE® Animation and Game Design Syllabus, Unit 2: Interactive Design and Game Development, Module 1: Introduction to Interactive Design – Specific Objective 9 (“identify the basic elements of visual design”); Specific Objective 10 (“outline the principles for creating a visual design”).
Attributions to media used in this post:
Reification.jpg – Slehar at English Wikipedia – Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)
