“The universe cannot be read until we learn the language in which it is written. It is written in mathematics, and the letters are triangles, circles and other geometrical figures, without which it is humanly impossible to understand a single word.”
– Galileo Galilei
Looking at the history of human kind, we did not invent geometric shapes but rather adopted them through nature. All cultures contained knowledge of geometric shapes and understood their basic shapes and functions. This has ultimately allowed us to mark time and space through language, mathematics and technology through five basic shapes such as a circle, triangle, square, cross and a swirl. Each shape has basic functions that unifies its own purpose with form, an example of this would be a triangle as it sits securely while pointing itself upward or a four sided shape that shows absolute stability.
This contextual knowledge is vital to know why we use geometry in design as humans would rather decode simple designs than sophisticated ones. These basic shapes communicate fundamental qualities and provide the building blocks of nature and the man-made world.
Looking at the circle in geometry it is known as the ‘mother of all shapes’ as it is atypical from any other shape that can be visualized. In geometry, the circle as a single point is encaged by an infinite number of points that join to create full circle.
In design, if a second shape, e.g. a circle is intertwined together it represents two opposites working together which can merge two primary but two different purposes together.
The triangle presents itself as very secure both on its side and combined with an upside down version of itself. It funnels itself from a solid base to a simple point. In design we can see this in use with triangular beam structures on both buildings and bridges to name a few. Another reason that it holds is that triangles are saw as inspiration beyond its current point, for example, a triangular mountain point is seen as an accomplishment rather than being at the base. We also find these examples on arrows that point to a specific direction or action. When incorporated into logo design it can show a similar effect of ‘looking beyond’ inspiration. An example of this would be the pyramid on an old dollar note which symbolises hope of a new century, security and exchanging the past for a bright future.
Although squares and rectangles being less common in nature, the four sided shapes shows security, solidness and stability. For example, bricks, city grids, parking stations, paper notes, tiles are commonly made from squares. For design, this is the same designers use this to show stability and attentiveness through the solid state of their design.
The spiral most commonly seen in nature can be seen as a visual representation of time and space. It is often intertwined with a 5 pointed star. In both design and nature this is often contributed to the golden ratio theory in which it scales itself proportionally while gliding to one portion of the star.
I enjoyed this read by Maggie MacNab as she included some great examples of it being used in nature, historically (human progression advancement & fundamental values) and in design. It showed me the universal support that abstract objects hold and made me aware of the depth and relevance that they contain. This gives me more knowledge as I create my own monogram & future designs.