Line and Shape

Principles of Design

Line - Line and the Principles of Design surround us.

Line In terms of art, line can be described as a moving dot. Line is perhaps the most basic element
of drawing.

IIIII - Vertical lines represent order or control

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Diagonal lines (oblique)- action or movement

Curved lines - chaos or freedom more natural

__ - Horizontal lines- calm or placid but also orderly

Shape - Like line, shapes have different characteristics. One

characteristic is the hardness or softness of its edges.

Hard edged shapes are clearly distinguished from each other and give a sense of
order, clarity, and strength.
Squares and rectangles are stable. They have right angles and represent
order, mathematics, rationality, and formality.

Triangles can be stable when sitting on their base or unstable when not. They
represent tension, action, and aggression. Triangles have energy and power
and their stable/unstable dynamic can suggest either conflict or steady
strength. They are balanced and can be a symbol for law, science, and religion.

Soft edged shapes have a tendency to blend with each other or the ground. They
convey a sense of fluidity, ambiguity, flexibility, and tend to feel lighter in
weight.
Circles have no beginning or end. They represent the eternal whole and in every
culture are an archetypal form representing the sun, the earth, the moon, the
universe, and other celestial objects between. They suggest wellroundedness and completeness.

Spirals are expressions of creativity. They are often found in the natural growth
pattern of many organisms and suggest the process of growth and evolution.
Spirals convey ideas of fertility, birth, death, expansion, and transformation.
They are cycles of time, life, and the seasons and are a common shape in
religious and mystical symbolism.