Project Statement
This project was all about the abstraction of the simplest of shapes. I abstracted circles, squares, and triangles to create 12 compositions, six analogously and six digitally. Of these 12 compositions I chose one to scale up and create two 8×8″ compositions analogously and digitally only using black and white and inverting them for the second one. The goal was to find abstraction in the simplest of forms. After eliminating other compositions, I had finally decided which one I would use for the final product of this project. It used a combination of shapes and gave off a feeling of free-falling or tunnel vision. My final compositions consisted of circles, squares, and triangles, and what I think meets the goal is that none of these shapes are clearly there. Each shape was used to overlap other shapes to create complex forms from simple ones. In the end, I feel the combination of all of these forms meets the goal and is truly an abstraction of simple forms.
Process
View detailed project process at Shape Grammar: Process
Reflection
Shape Grammar is the first assignment we did that involved a final product in two different forms. Crafting and assembling one final product while digitally producing one at the same time. One is black and white, and the other composition has the colors inverted. Doing the shape grammar exercise was the first time I had really explored something as simple and circles and squares. Evidently, I quickly learned how quickly individual simple shapes can create complex compositions when put together. The iteration phase was very hard at first it took a lot of discussions with my professor to get the hang of creating multiple iterations and it improved as the year went on because at this point as a designer, I had never done that, and I only wanted to create one of two compositions I felt were confident. When in reality creating upwards of 50-60 would’ve led to a stronger final composition. I was learning what it was like to mass create iterations for the first time and I’d aim to not have it be an obstacle in the future. Nonetheless, I was proud of my final compositions for the Shape Grammar assignment which I felt led to a strong final product although my feelings did not fully come across in my work. In hindsight, I would have selected a new composition or manipulated the current one to help display the correct emotions or changed the emotions to better fit the composition.