- All composition and layout contains lines and shapes.
There may be a singular form or hundreds.
The concept, tone, and designer's vision
will determine which type of shape
creates the best visual solution.
Shape and line are tools that not only communicate concept,
a designer uses these forms to create a dynamic,
bold, quiet, elegant, or raw composition.
And shape is a representation of an object,
person, or place.
Or it's geometric, using a square,
circle, triangle, or more complex geometry.
It can be abstract with organic forms.
Or a shape can be verbal using typography.
Each of these is a tool employed
to communicate a message.
Representational shapes can be a fast and easy reading,
such as this silhouette of a rooster for a logo icon.
These are clear and allow the viewer
to understand the image quickly and without confusion.
A more obscure shape may take longer
for the viewer to recognize,
such as a stylized wedge of Swiss cheese.
While this is not as easy to read,
the viewer will spend more time determining what it is.
This helps the viewer remember what he or she saw.
The simplest geometric shapes are a circle,
square, and triangle.
You can combine them to create an image
or use to direct the viewer around the page of the screen.
These simple shapes make us comfortable.
More complex shapes, such as an octagon or ellipse,
ask the viewer to think a little harder.
A designer using only one geometric shape
exclusively on a project tends to create
a solution that is harmonious.
Abstract shapes, such as an amoeba or free-form shape,
feel more organic, relating to the natural world.
They have a sense of life and feel modern and engaging.
These forms became popular after World War II
as a response to the hard forms of weapons and destruction.
That's why there are kidney-shaped coffee tables
and amoeba forms on an advertisement.
And finally, typographic shapes.
Rather than thinking of typography
as a difficult form to master,
consider that typography is a picture of a word.
It is a word made with shapes.
The shape you use determines whether it is neutral or scary,
fancy or literate.
This might help when it's time to choose a typeface.
What's the tone?
How should the audience react?
Shapes and line are not the concept or communication.
They are the tools you use to convey the idea.
Most good concepts will work
with all of these types of shapes.
I like to determine a concept,
then play with it using each of these,
a representational shape, geometric,
abstract, and typographic.
From these studies, one solution will seem more interesting
and dynamic than the others.
Of course, some of the others are dog ugly,
but you won't know until you try it.