Typography is a form of design we see all the time, for example in magazines, newspapers, leaflets, posters, websites and television programmes. Balance helps attract readers. It also helps to make the meaning clearer (in an unbalanced design, readers might ignore some parts of the page and miss important information).
In symmetrical design objects on either side of the design are very similar. In asymmetrical designs visual balance may be created by the density, colour, shape or position of objects (their visual ‘weight’).
One of the most interesting book designers in Wales is Olwen Fowler. Look at the pages from her designs for The Tradition: A New History of Welsh Art 1400-1990 by Peter Lord to see how you think they are balanced.