DESIGN AND COMPOSITION
FOUN 102
EXPLORING VISUAL BALANCE AND SHAPES
12 compositions were created with black and white paper cutouts, aiming for figure-ground ambiguity. Each is a combination of symmetry or asymmetry and a different classification of shape: curvilinear, rectilinear, and composite.
Composite symmetry
Composite asymmetry
Curvilinear symmetry
Curvilinear asymmetry
Rectilinear symmetry
Rectilinear asymmetry
TILE DESIGN WITH GRID
A grid was used to create a tile design that incorporates curvilinear and rectilinear lines and shapes. The tiles are rotated and flipped, allowing for creation of implied lines that move across the entire piece and guiding the eye. Value is also displayed in the progressions below the piece, with color and shading.
GOLDEN RATIO
The Golden Ratio was used to create a logarithmic spiral and use different materials to create tactile texture. The materials used here include: ripped paper, Q-tips, stuffing, toothpicks, hot glue, string, foam, straws, netting, and shoelace.
PICTORIAL SPACE
Simulated textures were used to depict foreground, middle ground, and background. An additional abstract shape was used for the subject in the foreground. The golden ratio was used for spatial relationships. Taking atmospheric perspective into consideration, the highest value became the background while the lowest became the subject.
COMPOSITION
A composition was created to represent a student of a different major, taking elements of design into consideration.
Sketches were made to look at different types of compositions: central, linear, radial, and cluster (not pictured). The centralized composition on the right was selected to refine further.
solution
An interview was conducted to make informed decisions about the composition. It revealed that the interviewee was an architect from Kuwait and that they are heavily influenced by their family, culture, and community. Because of their strong ties to their family, emphasis is placed on the center object representing the importance of their childhood and family. The spatial organization is symmetrical and centralized for this reason.
Kuwaiti textiles inspired the geometric, rectilinear shapes surrounding the core. Emphasis is placed on the center using value, texture, size, and position. The subordinate shapes act as a guide to the center; the curvilinear shapes and horizontal lines point toward the center while the triangles surround it. The center diamond is the largest shape with the most texture to highlight the centralized composition.
The pattern in the triangles around the central diamond shape keeps the eye in the center of the composition. Because of the similar size and shape of each triangle, the sense of community is indicated. The static rectilinear shapes appear sturdy and grounded to accentuate the importance of structure in architecture.
The value drawing shows a light source casting shadows from the top right corner of the piece. Since the interviewee’s major is architecture, it hints at three-dimensional space, because architects need to be aware of the practicality and limits of three-dimensional spaces. The value drawing consequently looks like a bird’s eye view of a city or neighborhood.
CUBE
A cube was created from a mold, considering shape, mass, depth, line, movement, and totality of form. The mold was created through a subtractive process; every protrusion in the mold would become a hollow in the cube. It is also important to look at the cube as a whole: how adjacent and opposite faces interact and connect.
FINAL PROJECT
The concept of this project was to create an abstract story with a primary and secondary theme following the structure of ORDER > CHAOS > NEW ORDER. For this example, the primary theme is the Life Cycle and the secondary is Evolution. The color scheme varies from warm to cool to warm again. Notable spatial organizations used are radial and centralized, and pictorial space is used consistently in the beginning and end. Timing and pacing speed up and slow down to give patterns of movement.
