Basic design Elements

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN ELEMENTS

• POINT, LINE, PLANE AND VOLUME
Introduction

 theory
of design composition-basic design is divided into
two major areas:
elements and principles
the vocabulary in design language & the grammar, or rules
Introduction

 provide the backbone for many communications

solutions.
 arethe foundation and vital tools that a designer
manipulates to create a strong solution to a given
problem
Basic elements of design 4

 Inorder to understand and appreciate design, you must

understand it’s language.
 primary elements of form
 in the order of their growth, first considered as a conceptual
element, then as a visual element in the vocabulary of
architectural design.
 Four groups of elements are distinguished:
 conceptual elements
 visual elements
 relational elements
 practical elements
Primary elements of form 5

 As conceptual elements, the point, line, plane,

and volume are not visible except to the
mind’s eye.
 these elements become form with
characteristics of substance/material, shape,
size, color, and texture.
Primary Elements 6

 Primary elements are not visible. They do not

actually exist but seem to be present.
1. Point
2. Line
3. Plane
4. volume
 1. Point 7

 A point indicates
position.
 it has no length, width,
or depth.
 is static, centralized,
and directionless
Point elements 8

 a point projected vertically into a

linear form, as a column, obelisk,
or tower.
Point elements 9

 point-generated forms  TWO POINTS

 Two points describe a line that connects them.
 Two points further suggest an axis perpendicular
to the line they describe and about which they are
symmetrical
2. Line 10

 As a point moves, its path

becomes a line.
 A line has length but no breadth.
 is capable of visually expressing
direction, movement, and
growth.
2. Line 11

 A line is a critical
element in the
formation of any
visual construction
Types of line 12

ACTUAL Vs IMPLIED,
 An implied line is created by
positioning a series of points
so that the eye tends
automatically to connect
them.
LINE DIRECTION

 Vertical: Goes up and down

 Feeling of dignity, strength,
poise, sophistication
LINE DIRECTION
 Diagonal: slanted
 Degree of slant determines the
visual effect
 Represents action, activity,
excitement, and movement
 Draws attention to where they
are used
LINE DIRECTION

 Horizontal: side to side

 Feeling of restfulness, stability and
gentleness
 Represents calm, peace, and
relaxation
LINEAR ELEMENTS 16

 Vertical linear elements, such as

columns, obelisks, and towers, have
been used throughout history to
commemorate significant events and
establish particular points in space.
LINEAR ELEMENTS 17

 Linear members that possess the

necessary material strength can
perform structural functions. In these
three examples, linear elements:
 express movement across space
 provide support for an overhead plane
 form a three-dimensional structural
frame for architectural space
LINEAR ELEMENTS 18
 A line can be an imagined element rather than a visible one in architecture.
Line
3. Plane 20

 Thepath of a line in motion in a direction other

than its intrinsic direction becomes a plane.
A plane has length and breadth, but no
thickness.
Plane 21

 It has position and

direction.
 Shape is the primary
identifying
characteristic of a
plane.
Plane 22

 In architectural design, we
manipulate three generic
types of planes:
 Overhead Plane
 Wall Plane
 Base Plane
PLANAR ELEMENTS 23
4. Volume 24

 The path of a plane in motion (in a direction other than its

intrinsic direction) becomes a volume.
 It has position in space and is bound by planes.
 In two-dimensional design, volume is illusory

Form is the primary identifying

characteristic of a volume.
Volume 25

 As the three-dimensional element in

the vocabulary of architectural
design, a volume can be either
 a solid—space displaced by mass—or
a void—space contained or enclosed
by planes.
VOLUMETRIC ELEMENTS 26

 Building forms that

stand as objects in
the landscape
VOLUMETRIC ELEMENTS 27

 Building forms that

serve as containers
can be read as
masses that define
volumes of space
1.0 Reading. Form Space and
Order. Francis D.K. Ching
1. Primary Elements
Visual Training & Sketching
Visual Training & Sketching
 Point element in Architecture
Visual Training & Sketching

 Linear element in Architecture

Visual Training & Sketching

 Plane element in Architecture

Visual Training & Sketching

 Volume element in architecture

Visual Training & Sketching

 Linear, Planar and Volume element in architecture

Project-1: Linear, Planar and Hybrid
VISUAL DESIGN Shape/Form
Color
ELEMENTS Texture
SHAPE
A shape is a visually perceived
area created either by an
enclosing line or by color or
value changes defining the outer
edge.
Shape is two-dimensional and
has height and width, but no
depth.
SHAPE
Shape refers to the characteristic outline of a
plane figure or the surface configuration of a
volumetric form.
It is the primary means by which we
recognize, identify, and categorize particular
figures and forms.
Our perception of shape depends on the
degree of visual contrast that exists along the
contour separating a figure from its ground
or between a form and its field.
 TYPES OF SHAPES
There are two general
categories that are use to
describe shapes.
Geometric and Free-
Form or Organic
Shapes
TYPES OF SHAPES
Geometric Shapes
Can be described using mathematical
terms
are very regular or precise
are more often found in man-made
things
squares, rectangles, triangles, circles,
oval, pentagons and so on.
TYPES OF SHAPES
Free-form or Organic Shapes
are difficult to describe using
definitions
are irregular or uneven
are more often found in nature
the shape of clouds, puddles, trees,
leaves, rocks…
TYPES OF SHAPES
Positive and Negative Shapes
shapes may be considered positive or
negative depending on how they are
used.
Positive shapes are usually those
which are the subject matter within a
work of art.
TYPES OF SHAPES
Positive and Negative Shapes
Negative shapes (or space) are
those in the background or around
the positive shapes.
PRIMARY SHAPES
Gestalt psychology affirms that the mind will simplify the visual environment in
order to understand it.
primary shapes: the circle, the triangle, and the square
PRIMARY SHAPES
Circle
A plane curve every point of which is equidistant
from a fixed point within the curve

Triangle
A plane figure bounded by three sides and having three
angles

Square
A plane figure having four equal sides and four right
angles
CIRCLE
The circle is a centralized, introverted figure that is normally
stable and self-centering in its environment.
TRIANGLE
The triangle signifies stability.
SQUARE
The square represents the pure and the rational
FORM
Form: Visible aspect of an
object or figure.
Form as an element of design
is more than a shape that is
seen; it is a shape with definite
size, color and texture.
It is therefore the equivalent of
the summation of the
components that we call visual
element.
FORM
Types of Forms: depending on the nature of the shape, they can be
divided into:
Geometric and Organic Form: created from geometric
and organic shapes
Positive and Negative Form
COLOR
COLOR
Color is the attribute that most clearly distinguishes a form from
its environment.
It also affects the visual weight of a form.
 COLOR
is a property of light, not an object itself
Color comes from light - if it weren’t for light,
we would have no color.
Objects have no color of their own but merely
the ability to reflect certain wavelengths of light
as light changes, color will change
 COLOR MIXING
color mixing and usage are different depending on
color source, light or pigments and dyes
Rays of light are direct light, whereas the color of
paint is reflected light.
Color from light combines and forms new visual
sensations based on what is called the additive
system.
Pigments combine in the subtractive system
 COLOR PERCEPTION
Light
as light changes, the color we observe will
change.
What color is grass? Green? Grass may be
almost gray at dawn, yellow-green at noon,
and blue-black at midnight.
 COLOR PERCEPTION
Color and Its Surroundings
our perception of color changes according to
their surroundings.
Even in the same light, a color will appear
different depending on the colors that are
adjacent to it.
 PROPERTIES OF COLOR
HUE AND THE THREE DIMENSIONS
OF COLOR PERCEPTION
Hue simply refers to the name of the color. Red,
orange, green, and purple are hues.
 THE COLOR WHEEL
A Color Wheel is a tool used to
organize color.
The three primary colors are red,
yellow, and blue.
secondary colors are mixtures of the
two primaries
six tertiary colors are mixtures of a
primary
and an adjacent secondary
 COLOR IN THREE DIMENSIONS
Show the full dimension of perceived color
relationship
 Hue: The colors of the spectrum or color wheel
 Value: The relative lightness or darkness of a color
 Intensity (or chroma): the relative saturation of hue
perceived in a color
 HUE AND MOOD
Colors have different meanings to different cultures, and even two people within the same
culture
BLUE
YELLOW
GREEN ORANGE
PINK RED
VALUE
Value refers to the lightness or darkness of the hue.
Lighter values are achieved by adding white to a
color, and darker values result from adding black.
Adding white lightens the color and produces a tint,
or high-value color.
Adding black darkens the color and produces a
shade, or low-value color.
 VALUE
Color Interaction
It is well known that colors are
changed by their context.

Amounts and repetition are also

critical factors in color
interaction.
INTENSITY
sometimes called chroma, refers to the saturation of a color.
 COOL/WARM COLOR
Because of the learned association of color with
objects, we continue to relate colors to physical
sensations.
Hence, red and orange (fire) and yellow (sunlight)
become identified as warm colors.
Similarly, blue and sea-green colors (sky, water) evoke
coolness.
COLOR SCHEMES
Certain color schemes are thought of as color harmonies.
Color schemes are certain combinations of colors that create positive looks or
feelings.
a) Monochromatic
b) Analogous
c) Complementary
MONOCHROMATIC
using only one hue and its
value
Gunther Gerzso
Opposite
ANALOGOUS COLORS

• neighbors on the color wheel

ANALO
GOUS
COLOR
COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

 opposites on the
color wheel

 unsettling, hard to look at

- note: NOT COMPLIMENTARY

COMPLEMEN
TARY COLOR
SCHEME
Complementary
colors

Analagous
colors

BARNETT NEWMAN, DIONYSIUS, 1944, 67X49IN.

 Analagous
colors

MATISSE,
SEATED
RIFFIAN,
1912-13

Complementary
colors
TEXTURE
 TEXTURE
Texture is the tactile
quality of a surface,
Texture appeals to our
sense of touch.
 TACTILE TEXTURE
Actual and Implied
tactile and visual.
Architecture and sculpture have what is
called tactile texture—texture that can
actually be felt.
TACTILE TEXTURE
Implied Texture
 TACTILE TEXTURE
COLLAGE
Creating a design by pasting
down bits and pieces of
colored and textured papers,
cloth, or other materials is
called collage.
Using Found
Materials
 VISUAL TEXTURE
Visual texture is the impression of texture as purely
visual; it cannot be felt or enjoyed by touch. It is only
suggested to our eyes.
 VISUAL TEXTURE
“deceptive painting.”
The artist copies the exact visual color and value pattern of
each surface.
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