Comparing an asymmetric layout with moments
When someone says one side of an asymmetric layout feels heavy, backing that up is awkward. This page builds a comparison figure the way a lever does. Enter the area of each element and its distance from the center line, and area times distance becomes its moment; the left totals and right totals are summed separately, with the difference and the difference as a share of the larger side. Element names may contain spaces as long as the four fields on each line are separated by commas.
The formula is moment = area times distance, printed with the results together with the number of elements summed. Work out area as width times height yourself, and measure distance horizontally from the center of the element to the center line of the layout. Totals are rounded to whole numbers and the share shows one decimal. If every element sits on one side, or every distance is zero, a separate note says so. As of October 2026 there is no recognized formula that puts a number on visual weight.
That is why the page never says a layout is balanced or unbalanced. Color density, contrast, type weight, surrounding space and where a subject sits inside an image all affect perceived weight and none of them enter the calculation. This is a plain comparison built from area and distance, so use it to measure two versions the same way and compare them against each other.
Frequently Asked Questions
None that is recognized. This page uses area times distance as a plain comparison figure and ignores color, contrast and texture, which all affect how heavy something looks.
There is no such threshold either. The page reports numbers instead of verdicts, so measuring several versions the same way and comparing them is the practical approach.
Multiply the width by the height of the element and enter it in square pixels. For circles or irregular shapes, use the area of the box that wraps them.