Which statement best describes formal balance versus informal balance?

• A. Formal balance is symmetry; informal balance uses asymmetrical arrangement to achieve equilibrium.
• B. Balance is visual weight only.
• C. Formal balance is achieved through texture; informal balance uses color.
• D. Balance involves only shape size.

Answer: (A)

Balance in a composition is about distributing visual weight so the work feels stable. Formal balance uses symmetry, with elements mirrored across a central axis. Informal balance, or asymmetrical balance, achieves equilibrium by arranging unlike elements so their visual weights balance across the composition, often using differences in size, value, color, and texture to create balance. This matches the statement: symmetry for formal balance and an asymmetrical arrangement for informal balance. Other choices are incomplete because balance isn’t defined by texture or color alone, nor by shape size alone, and it isn’t about visual weight in a single sense but how elements are arranged to feel stable.