SHAPE {element of design}

an area that stands out from the space next to or around it due to a defined or implied boundary; shapes can be geometric or organic


-geometric shapes are shapes that are regular and often symmetrical, such as the square, circle, triangle, rectangle and oval.  Used in design they create a sense of order and structure.

Grant Wiggins

-organic shapes are typically irregular and asymmetrical, and often considered naturally-occurring.  Used in design they create a sense of uniqueness and variety.

Alex Katz

-the juxtaposition of geometric and organic shapes can add tension and interest to a composition

Fairfield Porter

-the use of many different kinds of shapes together in one composition can result in a sense of disorder, chaos and noise

Wassily Kandinsky

Stuart Davis

-the use of similar shapes suggests order, repetition and stability

Grady McFerrin

-complex objects and spaces can be broken down into simple shapes of color and value, making them more graphic and legible

David McCracken

     ...they can also be distorted, leading to an abstract version of the original

Pablo Picasso

     ...distorted geometric shapes often have a cartoonish, playful feel

Elizabeth Murray

-shape can play a role in bringing two disparate things together, such as text and image, through consistency

-the size (or scale) of shapes can affect how we read the space of the composition


     ...large shapes come forward, small shapes recede, and together this creates a sense of depth

Claude Monet

     ...while similar sized shapes tend to flatten the picture plane

Laylah Ali