This project focuses on the use of point, line, and plane in their most basic forms, and how that can be translated to create 2-D forms while thoughtfully applying the elements and principles of design.
Research
Shapes are the fundamental component of all art and design and so it is imperative that a good understanding of them is established early on. To begin this project we started at an elementary level by constructing basic squares, triangles, and circles in order to create stencils for our later exercises. It also gave us a chance to explore our compasses and snap off blades and improve our skills involved in using them effectively. We discussed the importance of elements and principles and how ultimately these would be the guides to the final project.
Exercises
Making Shapes From Shapes
The goal of this exercise was to explore the ways new forms can come out of pre-existing ones by overlapping, removing parts, and combining geometric and curvilinear shapes. Ultimately, I really enjoyed playing around with this concept and ended up with some great outcomes. This exercise also introduced me to the importance of trace paper. Of course the concept of trace paper is self explanatory, but using it as a way to create multiple iterations out of only one form I had merged from several shapes, was helpful. It took a little while for me to understand the intention of this exercise and properly execute it. As you can see in my first few trials, I wasn’t using the unique overlapping to its fullest potential and was coming up with what could be considered boring shapes where the outlines of the original shapes were a bit too obvious and basic. As I figured out the endless options I had even amongst just one iteration, my new shapes finally began to form with a more intentional purpose.
Adobe Illustrator Exploration
We played around with Adobe Illustrator on the ipad by designing a couple prompted objects like a moon or the letter “H” in order to get the hang of the functions within the program, especially the shape builder tool. Following this we were instructed to create an intentional group logo. The result wasn’t amazing but we worked with our quickly brainstormed ideas and newly learned skills in a small amount of time and the result was not too bad for a first trial. This was definitely a really fun part of the exercise and was a great practice in collaboration with others.
Next, we began to employ lines and points in addition to our new shapes in order to work with the use of design principles. We picked a principle and then tried to portray it using the three elements of our shape, line, and point in both static and dynamic formats.
Iterations
When coming up with the final iterations of this project, it was important to keep in mind that sometimes to achieve the principle I was attempting to portray, less is more. I started off with a few compositions but none of them were fitting the mold I wanted them to. I really wanted to display a combination of movement and contrast. That being said, my final two compositions were accomplishing this most to my eye. The removal of shapes using shape builder in Adobe Illustrator was extremely easy and created the exact effect I was going for. I ultimately ended up choosing the bottom left iteration because I liked the way the shapes worked together as one whole piece to boast a feeling of alignment along with the contrast the negative space automatically provides. It also has a balanced combination of straight lines and curves making it visually interesting.
Production
I began by cutting out the 8×8″ squares in both black and white. This took several attempts in order to ensure proper 90 degree angles, straight edges, and of course the correct measurements. Although tedious, this step could not be overlooked as it is the base of the entire rest of the composition and if cut incorrectly, it could throw off the intention of the design. Following that up, I began to decide how I was going to go about scaling my digital design to the paper version without error. I decided to do a combination of two things. First I drew a grid onto a square of card stock in the coordinating opposite color than the background I was working with. This allowed me to turn the grid on my Adobe version and manually place the points at the same location on my paper. I also selected each shape to get the specific measurements and used these as another confirmation of accuracy. After cutting everything out using my snap off blade, I pieced everything together and glued them to the background. I found some error in this step with excess glue staining the paper and how I pasted the shapes slightly crooked so I did another variation to clean up my craft. It came out much cleaner and final looking.
Final
The shape grammar project was helpful in a variety of ways but I think what was instilled in us most was the value of precision and accuracy; two things that should be held to the highest level of importance as we continue to develop as designers. Over the course of producing several final versions, my craftsmanship improved each time until I was satisfied with the result. As I reflect on how the project went, I noticed that I learned a lot about the purpose of what seems to be an insignificant exercise. For instance I was at first lost as to why we were cutting out basic shapes, but as I began to create new forms out of pre-existing ones, the concept all seemed to make sense. Sometimes we need to come from the most basic level as a jump off point in order to decipher the most interesting ideas for a final result. I’d like to consider this project as a baseline for where I can start and hopefully see major improvement as we move forward with other assignments. I think I could be more open to not settling for the first design I come up with. I tried to avoid this with the shape grammar project but I know I could always do more. I am excited to have completed my first official project and cannot wait to see how I can continue to apply all that I learned in future projects and disciplines.
View the final project at Shape Grammar: Final