Survey

These are the results of the survey I conducted within the final practical crit. I did not get as many responses as I would have liked but the reactions to my work have proved interesting. In the survey, each category of images were either titled with "A", "B" or "C", to provide anonymity, and also numbered 1 to 3. The participants were then asked to mark in the corresponding column in response to two questions: "Which set of images have the most balanced compositions?" (out of each set) and, more specifically "Which individual image(s) have the most balanced composition(s)?"

A - Play 

B - Rules

C - Breaking the Rules

• Two thirds of participants marked in column B, meaning they think the category of images made using the manifesto of rules are most balanced. 
• The remaining third marked in column A ('Play') , and no one in column C ('Breaking The Rules"). 

• The most popular image, was B1 (featured below), which is balanced according to Arnheim's rule of homogeneity through the use of symmetry. 

What do these results mean for my practical research?

These results could support the argument that Arnheim's psychological theories are more effective in producing balanced composition than when purely working from creative intuition. It also supports the idea that symmetrical images represent a greater sense of balance than ones made up of counterbalancing forces. 

But are these results reliable?

• This has only been measured against my own sense of intuition - therefore it's a very narrow comparison from which to draw such a conclusion. 
• Can we trust the opinions of others to be fact - probably not because the way we appreciate artwork is always somewhat influenced by subjective taste. 
• Are these images complete reflections of compositional balance or even the theories outlined in the manifesto? They must to some extent be influenced by my own visual preferences.