The image used is by Pequeño Capitan on Behance. It is from their project called MÉXICO REAL. For this post, I am specifically focusing on the graphic titled Río Negro. The only changes made were draw-overs to show what I was explaining.
REVERSE ENGINEER POST
MÉXICO REAL / RíO NEGRO
PEQUEÑO CAPITAN
CONTRAST
Immediately, when you first look at this graphic, the first thing you notice is the contrast. The jaguar's head is a bright yellow, laid on top of a black background with green leaves and red flowers surrounding it. The greens and reds are not as vibrant as the yellow, however. The leaves are also in front of the jaguar head, giving the graphic depth as well. I believe that this adds to the contrast, because although the head is behind the leaves, it is still standing out from them.
BALANCE
The jaguar head is centered in the graphic. There are leaves surrounding the head, one section flowing from the bottom right to the top left, and another section flowing from the top left to the bottom right. There are flowers scattered behind the jaguar's head but they seem to be in line with another flower, almost like they are across a symmetrical line. All these elements create balance and flow to the graphic. It is very pleasing to look at because of this.
MOVEMENT
As said before, the leaves go from the bottom right to the top left, then from the top left to the bottom right. To me, they seem as if they are broken into two different sections, but looking at them as a whole, they look like a wreath surrounding the jaguar. But something else you notice when viewing them this way is that they flow around the jaguar's head. They seem to have a steady flow around the head from the bottom of the graphic all the way back around. This adds to the depth of the image, but also actually gives an illusion of movement, like you can almost see this jaguar moving in a jungle in Río Negro.
Photos from left to right: contrast, balance, movement
