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Design Elements: Form and Space

By Zhenzhen Qi, on September 22nd, 2012

I am a math major without any design background. I often find things I make overwhelming in a haphazard way. By reading this book, I hope to understand the basic visual language design principle that will hopefully provide my work with a sense of visual stabilization and unity.

I also tried taking notes along the way, and hope it could serve as a quick and dirty guide for people who wish to express their ideas in a more visually mature manner.

 

*****Implied forces

five stratal forces govern an image area: x, y, diagonal axis + center of rectangle.
literal division along the five forces suggests unity.
division off of the five forces suggests movement and can provide visual stimulation.
size, shape, color, layering, transparency, overlapping in 2D dimension communicates 3D effect.
Tension is created when attracting forces are pulled in opposite direction.
*****Spatial order

When a point is placed in the center, the surrounding area is equally divided and is visually stable.
when a point is placed off center, it is visually dynamic and activates newly formed, proportional division of the space.
when an object is places along the tangent line of a circle it creates a deliberate interaction between the two.
Placing a number of points close in proximity implies a line and creates eye movements.
A regular curved arc pushes a straight line outward and pulls a point inward.
Irregular shapes among regular shapes placed along the five forces will serve as focal points of a composition.
keeping consistent visual scale of line and shape is a method of representing figures.
shape, layer, transparency creates 3D effects in 2D dimension.

 

*****volume

When shapes occupy positive volume, they also create negative volume around them.
small shapes placed close to each other is a technique of creating a new light, airy virtual volume.
changes in size, orientation communicates spacial volume.
layering and transparency produce the illusion of light and volume.
touching is as important as looking. depth and thickness creates volume as well.
packaging by nature is volumetric.
*****space attributes

space attributes are shape, color, texture and size.
The equilateral triangle, square, pentagon, hexagon, and octagon are regular polygons having equal sides and angels.
Regular polygons form tile tessellations consisting of two or more types of regular polygons.
balance geometric and organic shapes in a design.
symbols are deliberately constrained geometric shapes, intended to be legible in small or large format.

 

*****color
hue is the general family name of color
value = light/dark = tints/shades = with white/with black
saturation = brightness of color = bright/dull
saturation can be manipulated by adding neutral grey
hue can be manipulated by changing background color
color structure: primary, secondary, tertiary, analog, complimentary, split complimentary
any color harmonies can work well if the right hue, value and saturation are applied
When value and saturation are the same, no one color is more important than the other

*****Texture and size
texture can be created by varying the density of dots and lines
sequential variation of size provides eye movements and spatial depth – ie., the motion of waves
size creates illusion of weights
color creates illusion of size
*****perceptual structure
color is a powerful tool of grouping different sizes
a different shape among similar shapes creates a focal point for the eye
translation symmetry is a movement without rotating or reflecting – implies direction and distance
bilateral symmetry – same heights, weights, general proportions
dynamic symmetry – golden ratio, Fibonacci sequences, golden ratio, Le Modulor system, rule of thirds etc.

 

*****typography
shape, form consistency, legibility within a typeface
typography can be used as line and shape
directional up/down, horizontally left/right creates balance between the practical and poetic.

*****ordering system
all parts on 2D space must contributes to the development of the whole image

 

 

September 22nd, 2012 | Category: Uncategorized

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