Want to Create Powerful Images? Use the Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds

Your website needs impactful visuals, and you’re unsure how to accomplish that? Use the Rule of Thirds.

Have you noticed that most powerful images are slightly off-center? This is intentional because it draws our eyes in. To achieve that, photographers, artists and designers apply the Rule of Thirds.

John Thomas Smith, an engraver in the late 18th century, coined this term as he explained the power of dividing paintings into grids to maximize their effect on the viewer. The Rule of Thirds has been a universal concept for artists and designers ever since.

Here’s how you apply the Rule of Thirds to your images:

1. Place an imaginary 3 x 3 grid on your photo or visual element: two vertical and two horizontal lines, equally spaced, forming nine boxes with four focal points (where the lines cross).
2. Move your image and position the most vital part you want to highlight on one of the focal points. When cropping an image of a person or an animal, for example, place your subject’s eyes (or a person’s smile) on one of these points.