Welcome to the next instalment in my series on Design How-To. (You can find the rest of the series here.) I trust you’ve been enjoying it so far! And I really hope it’s been helpful. This one’s on Shape.

 

A shape is an area defined by line, or by colour. Shapes can be angular, organic, geometric, bulbous, skeletal, gentle, and more.

 

Lindsay Lewis Jewelry – Cube Ring (brass, enamel paint)

 

The strong boxy shapes in this ring have been put together in a very scattered, organic way. Imagine the same group of box shapes stacked in a tight, orderly fashion – a grid – and think about how that changes the result. The seemingly random effect has been enhanced through the use of deeper and shallower boxes, to create darker and lighter areas.

 

Calamari Studio – Mehndi Peacock

 

What a fabulous drawing! The gorgeously sensual curve of the peacock’s neck and body give way to increasingly more vibrantly curved feathers and tail. The tail uses only a few basic types of shapes repeated throughout, but adds huge variety through the use of pattern, and the whole effect is one of profuse, flowing lusciousness.

 

Nancy & Burt – Teapot with hovering leaf

 

By defining a shape, you automatically define negative shape as well (i.e. the space around it), and here’s a great example. That gap that is made by the handle is a negative, and it is used here to balance the bulbous shape of the teapot very nicely. If the handle was much closer to the body, it would start to look cramped. The protruding bits – the spindly handle and spout, and the lid handle – all provide a nice contrast to the fat body of the pot. It’s got a great mix of layered shapes decorating the surface of the pot too. Overall, the shapes and colours work together to produce a sense of quirky fun – kind of a bit like Tweedle-Dee with his fat tummy and skinny legs.

 

Umb Designs – Ring with chalcedony & garnet

 

Sophisticated and casual, the settings complement the stones well in this ring. The chalcedony setting is big, asymmetric, rounded and soft like the stone with its milky translucency, whereas the garnet setting is finer, more controlled and geometric, to suit its faceted, bright clarity.

 

The JTO – Rabbit in the daisies

 

I love the unexpected shapes in this image. Rabbits as we know them are soft and round creatures, but this one is full of spiky fur. Those sharp angular shapes contrast with the bright, perfectly round eye,  to give a feeling of great alertness and imminent action. We can see he’s just about to jump. Lots of other contrasting shapes to love too – the soft round pink inner ear, the digital exactness of the flower shapes over spiky grass, and the curvy, gentle clouds, reminiscent of mid-century amoebic shapes. These odd combinations make us think twice about the age of this image. Even though we know it’s new, the distressed scratchy finish and ochre-muted colour make it feel retro, until we re-check those digital flowers.

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As always, I hope you’ve enjoyed this instalment in my series on Design Elements and Principles, and I hope it’s helped you with a little fresh perspective.

If you’ve ever got any questions about your own work, I would love to hear from you! And now, which Element to study next?? Oh! and I have a few Principles to talk about as well. Design ones of course! I have few of my own ;P