The visual preference for odd number of stimuli in a photograph was convincingly presented by the photographer Ted Forbes in his didactic video.

When transferred to another visual medium such as collage, the creative process is quite different than photography of existing subject.

In the feature image, reprised below, I show my first attempt at creating a three parts collage, to be followed with similar ones varying in geometric pattern and colour combination, but all based on Forbes’ “Rule of odds.”

First try using similar vertical shapes of differing colours on black background

First attempt at embedding one element in another

First attempt a shape differentiation on narrowing in black background

Exploring the drawing power of centrality

Testing the “rule of odds” by introducing a shadow background as fourth element

End image

Here is a reprise of first try with an attempt to bring in the background as a shadow version of the central element