Geometry of design

Often the designer did not understand the visual principles of geometric composition. These principles include an understanding of classical proportioning systems such as the golden section and root rectangles, as well as ratios and proportion, interrelationships of form, and regulating lines. This paper will seek to explain the principles of geometric composition. Aim of this paper is not to quantify aesthetics through geometry but rather to reveal visual relationships that have foundations in the essential qualities of life such as proportion and growth patterns as well as mathematics. The purpose is to come inside the design process and give visual coherence to design through visual structure. It is through this insight that artist or designer may find worth and value for their works. In the context of man-made environment and natural world there is a documented human cognitive preference for golden section proportions throughout recorded history. Documented evidence is found in the writing, art and architecture of ancient Greek. Later, Renaissance artists and architects also studied, documented and employed golden section proportions in remarkable works of sculpture, painting and buildings. In addition to man-made works, golden section can also be found in the natural world through human proportions and the growth patterns of many living plants, animal and insects. The German psychologist, Gustav Fechner, in the 19th century investigated the human behavior to the special aesthetics qualities of the golden section rectangle. Fechner’s curiosity was due to the documented evidence of a cross-cultural archetypal aesthetic preference for golden section. His experiments were repeated later in more scientific manner by Lalo in 1908 and still later by others, but the results were similar. The study will continue with the analysis of graphic design, illustration, architecture and industrial design, underlying how organizational principles of geometry gives to a creative work a sense of compositional cohesiveness and a visual sense of belongings.