It’s about emphasize, something we need for people to look at it, strong meaning. Facade of the building should be, at least, the first people to look at, giving strong attraction for them to pull in there. It is important for an architect to know how to control the attention of someone viewing their project. There are many things that make design noticeable. However in order to make a special notice, there are several requirements to be met. One of these requirements is a focal point. The focal point is the center of an attention. It means the most important element, at least, of an architectural device.

For example, if one were making a sculpture in the middle of a park, the sculpture would probably be the focal point. The key is how to make the objects easy or hard to notice. Focal points are very vital in order to make design’s identity interesting. If an architect doesn’t emphasize something in his work, it will be turned into nothing, something banal. In contradiction, some architect designs project with excessive emphasize, it is also a problem because it tries to capture visually but competing each other of the architectural element. There is a threat in over focused on design, imposing visions on people and not understanding how to maximize focal point. Without a focal point, people will lose interest in no time because he does not know what he should look and what he must look. It may sound simple but it’s important.

An architect should know how to control the attention of the people seeing his design. Somewhere within the design should be dominance, whatever it’s the facade, the roof, entrance hall, sculpture, etc. It describes a situation where something is more important or more noticeable than its surroundings. When there is dominance there must be subordination, lower in attention, something that gets less attention. The art of strengthen focal point is not the sole matter. The art of make non-focal point element is also hard effort. No single player here. How every supporting element combine together to ensure that the focal point in top perform, an architectural achievement we all dreaming today.

That’s why we need emphasis. There are three major methods for controlling emphasis, in art theory (but applicable in architecture. It’s an art too, right?): contrast, placement and isolation. The purpose of contrast is to develop maximum visibility. More contrast, more noticeable. Contrast is one of the major draws of the human eye. By manipulating it properly, it is the most perfect way to design a focal point. But don’t too much stand with contrast in design or else the rest of the element will receive less attention. Contrast can be achieved by:

• Color. One of the greatest possible contrasts is the difference between black and white, dark and bright. Color contrasts can be strong but usually not as strong as value contrasts. Bright colors are more attractive than dark colors. There is possibility for a great deal of selection in color and value, but also difficult to use properly. There is a simple trick we can do for the problem: “Complimentary colors=focal point”. Complimentary colors are colors that are on opposite ends of the color wheel.
• Scale. Bigger the object is always easier to be noticed. It is not always to be noticed first at all. The relationship between size and scale is a design principle to decide the proportion.
• Form. An uncommon form can catch attention but it is not as strong as contrast-scale-color. Remember Deconstruction architecture form is uncommon and catchy, but what makes it lookable is the monotone color.
• Other contrasts like direction and texture can also be considered.

The composition of the objects is in relation to the context and each other can influence emphasis. By creating ‘lines’ towards a focal point, we can drag human’s eye. Architecture and people are not the only things that can direct to a focal point. Almost anything is able to do it, from a pedestrian to the center of the park, a sharp extrusion on the certain angle of view. An object attached on the center of the site will often be considered as a focal point. Isolation is a kind of alternative. An element that rises apart from its surroundings will give strong notice. It doesn’t mean it must in priority to be showed. Where we put objects in the format and in relationship to other objects can strongly affect emphasis. If most of the elements in the site are grouped closely together, the group by itself is a focal point.