Tycho is an artist that uses geometric shapes a lot in the posters he produces to advertise his concerts. I like how some of the geometric shapes become almost realistic, even though they are all digital created. This is something I might consider using in my brochure.
There are some excellent examples of geometric shapes used in print, they again use the same techniques in previous posts, you will see these here;
Varg Eyewear use the techniques covered in geometric shapes post to promote their glasses and this allows for a fresh looking design that stands out from the crowd.
Outliners use geometric shapes to create a window to the image behind, it creates a simple, clean but interesting front cover, this is something I will consider when designing my printed design.
Since I am looking at art that uses shapes to manipulate the overall feel of the image, I thought it would be worth looking at examples of shapes within images and the effect they have. I found the following set of images, which are really interesting because the way they are edited create an effect that makes the viewer feel that the shapes are the most important piece of content in the image, even though in the previous posts the shapes are added to cause interest in the main image they have been added too!
The last of the three categories covers “Elbrouz-II”, which is again by Varsely is another interesting piece of work. This time it is much more complicated than the others and seems to follow no form or style, it simply places shapes all around the composition making it quite interesting. But with a bit of a more deeper look within this category, it has also, like the others been broken down. There seems to be images that uses the shapes to provide the most information about the image, and the shapes are there to provide context much like these images;
In another the shapes over the top of the original image have been used to simply distort the original form of the image which makes the image more complex and harder to understand. These are some great examples of this;
Next you notice in this final sub category, you will notice the shapes are the entire form of the image and they are completely made from the image filled shapes. This makes for some really complex but interesting visuals and you can see a few examples of this here;
“Vonal Zoeld” by Victor Visarely is another image that seems to have influenced modern day design. In this image I am covering how the repetition of the shapes within the image gives the art an additional depth that it would not have had.
The best initial example of this in modern day use is the album cover of a Shlohmo track “camping”, they have literally printed the image out multiple times, torn it and laid it out correctly to create the desired effect. It works really well creates an album cover with a lot of depth and meaning.
This image uses the same image, this time digitally created and cropped to create a depth in the image that wouldn’t have been there without the circles. It is an interesting piece of art style that is becoming popular with current photographers.
This image is again where we start to edge into hipster triangle territory, by using a different image within the area, it gives you two perspectives of the same shot, it is an interesting way of showing perspectives and stays relative to Visarely’s original piece.
This image is similar to the last in the sense that it shows the viewer the same scene, this time though the image has simply been cropped and flipped, adding an interesting edge to the overall composure.
This is where things start to get muddled up, the same image has been used but also edited to allow the sky to appear through the corn on the top half. There is an adjustment of the colour filters in the image. After all that a thin triangle has been added on top to make the overall composure even more interesting.
From here on out the images get much more complicated but use the same techniques that I have just described in these images to make them more interesting. The more complex, the more interesting, but the simple images are just as eye catching, it just depends on the overall feel you are going for.
In this style of geometric shapes the addition and manipulation of lines present within the image create an interesting effect in the overall style and effect of the image, again relating back to “L’Arlequin” by Victor Vasarely.
This image is much like the one below, in the sense that there are lines added to the image to create a shape within it, an interesting perspective on something that doesn’t exist without the lines
The lines in this image are again different because they don’t distort the image in the way the previous image did, it simply adjusts the focus of the viewer and creates an image with more meaning.
We are now entering the realms of hipster triangle, and area of design where post op art merges with modern theories and photography. This design uses the original idea of using lines within the image to create a shape that did not exist previously, only this time the shape is the same image, only flipped and slightly zoomed.
This image is pretty good, it uses the idea of lines to create a shape but instead of distorting the image, it uses modern day “filtering” by overlapping an opaque red triangle on top.
This is also another very interesting image, it uses the concept of using lines and shapes to add a new element to the image, though this time the triangle has been added in the editing stage to look like it is around the girls head, therefore making it look like it was there when the image was taken.
References;
http://designspiration.net/image/4369476098664/
http://designersof.com/post/2509769310/dyslexxia-diseno-digital
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/in_a_dream/7045408143/in/faves-jus10helmick/)
http://weheartit.com/entry/66657356
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3441/3791064834_f6bca556f4.jpg)
http://ffffound.com/image/b96ecdbf7841e80654a48a793a28b26f374e8486
https://www.etsy.com/listing/98829809/between-the-two-deaths-11-and-a-half-x?ref=shop_home_active_17
https://www.behance.net/gallery/Varg-Eyewear-Advertisements/6833089
(https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/87186942760646322/)
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/56979658@N06/5271500237/sizes/l/in/photostream/)
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/taissido_/8905369622/)
https://www.behance.net/gallery/SORRY-COLOUR/5461629
http://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/articles/inspiring-artwork-combining-geometry-photography
https://www.behance.net/gallery/13341255/When-a-dream-dies
http://blog.iso50.com/28107/outliers-upcoming-film-premiere/
Geometric shapes have had a huge presence in art, print and web design, they are hugely successful because they add an element of interest to things that were not previously as interesting. More recently there has been an evident uprising of the use of triangular shapes within design, these are called hipster triangles based on an alternative style of design. This is what I will be covering in this blog post which i started by a book entitled “Visarely” written by Gaston Diehl based upon the influence artist Victor Vasarely had on op art.
This style of design often represents something that is not present when talking the image, and alternative way of looking at the image, a different focus within the image. For example take the image below, an otherwise simple red and yellow checkered pattern but with the simple changing of a few lines there appears to be a jester character mid character, this image titled “L’Arlequin” is from 1935 created by the artist Victor Vasarely.
This image titled “Vonal Zoeld” dates back to 1968, again created by the artist Victor Visarely. Can see how the arrangement of the shapes creates a depth within the image that would have not otherwise existed. I have noted this because this is something that is common within the modern day geometric shapes in design.
The final image from Vasarely is this one titled “Elbrouz-II” which dates back to 1956. I have picked this image because it includes many geometric shapes which overlap to create a completely different image to what it would have been without the shapes. This is the busiest out of the three but has lead to an interesting end result.
Having looked into this style of design I have found that geometrics can be broken down into these three different categories. Firstly, the addition of lines creates a slightly different, more interesting composition by slightly changing the shape of the original image, just like the first example I have shown. The second uses shapes within the original shape to zoom in a particular area of the image, giving a feel of having more depth than it would have been otherwise, this is just like my second example. Finally, the last style is with the addition of lots of variations of size and shape within the image and a subtle colour difference, just like the third example. I will now go on to show examples of this in modern day art. I must note that the categories I have stipulated are not necessarily correct, they simply allow me to organise a somewhat dis-jointed part of art that follows no particular flow or purpose other than to make the image bit more interesting with a little more depth. This has also allowed me to break down the research down into bite sized chunks.
References;
http://designspiration.net/image/4369476098664/
http://designersof.com/post/2509769310/dyslexxia-diseno-digital
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/in_a_dream/7045408143/in/faves-jus10helmick/)
http://weheartit.com/entry/66657356
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3441/3791064834_f6bca556f4.jpg)
http://ffffound.com/image/b96ecdbf7841e80654a48a793a28b26f374e8486
https://www.etsy.com/listing/98829809/between-the-two-deaths-11-and-a-half-x?ref=shop_home_active_17
https://www.behance.net/gallery/Varg-Eyewear-Advertisements/6833089
https://www.behance.net/gallery/GEO/5022843?utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Net%20Project%20Comment
(https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/87186942760646322/)
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/56979658@N06/5271500237/sizes/l/in/photostream/)
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/taissido_/8905369622/)
https://www.behance.net/gallery/SORRY-COLOUR/5461629
http://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/articles/inspiring-artwork-combining-geometry-photography
https://www.behance.net/gallery/13341255/When-a-dream-dies
Rise Design Studio
http://blog.iso50.com/28107/outliers-upcoming-film-premiere/
Polygons have also had a firm hold within design. By creating a digital version of an object or person using polygons, you can create a much edgier shape to capture the attention of the viewer. I thought this would be relevant to include in my brochure so here is my research. My research began with reading a book entitled “Visarely” written by Gaston Diehl based upon the influence artist Victor Vasarely had on op art. I was able to find early examples dating right back to 1958 of polygons being used to create interesting visuals you can see a few of them here;
Bert Simons is a modern day artist that has created 3D models of human faces made from polygons, using smaller polygons you can create much more detailed pieces of work. You can see examples of this below;
Josh Brill creates some brilliant images that replicate animals by using shapes. They are not entirely polygons but proof too be a very good example that by using sharp lines and flat colours you can make some very interesting visuals. You can see these here;
Going one step further this design are these pieces of artwork made entirely from polygons and create and even more intense feel for the works created. Linn Maria Jensen has done an excellent job with these;
Finally there are countless image manipulations of the human face which always work really well because they give the image an unusual feel that can sometimes change the sense the image is perceived. You can see examples of this that have been created by Filip Peraić here;
So how does this all fit in with web design? Well since the start of the web, many forms of art have been ported across in their own way to make a page stand out from the crowd, these then form design trends that get used regularly by web designers, here I will show you examples of polygons in web design.
References:
http://www.bertsimons.nl/portfolio/
http://www.lumadessa.com/about/
https://www.behance.net/gallery/Animal-Alphabet/12169985
http://despreneur.com/20-examples-of-polygon-website-design/
http://www.youthedesigner.com/inspiration/30-impressive-samples-of-cubism-in-graphic-design/
http://peraic.com/
http://airesecintra.arq.br
http://hotdot.pro/en/#
http://builtbybuffalo.com
http://sendmetosouthpole.com
http://us.tryvertty.com/
Understanding layout of content is going to be a vital part of my brochure so that I am able to present the web trends in a readable, fashionable way. Using a mixture of images, text and white space creates an interesting layout on paper. It is understanding to balance these elements that creates a visually appealing brochure. I have found that if you are to have text, to make it understandable, the best layout is to use columns of two or three. You can see quite a few examples of this method used below;
Some printed material focus their efforts more upon the typography than the other aspects of the design, this creates a different feel to the printed material, you can see some examples of this here;
This example is excellent because it also shows the method of cutout text to reveal an image through the text.
Another important thing I noticed in print is the shapes used to add additional interest in the subject is the addition of shapes and lines around a person or object. I think this allows the reader to instantly recognise what is at the centre of attention. You can see some great examples of this here;
References;
http://inspirationhut.net/inspiration/42-excellent-examples-of-magazine-layout-design-for-your-inspiration/
http://indulgy.com/post/pEfMtH34d1/layout-dansk-magazine
https://www.behance.net/gallery/Magazine-Feature-Magazine/9812813
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/marindsgn/3894231417/in/photostream)
http://www.amandamocci.com/#1906059/THE-UNIVERSE-POSTERS/
http://www.aisleone.net/2012/design/typographic-revolt/
http://www.opus-design.jp/press/item_539.html
http://www.magspreads.net/2013/07/fashion-look-book-layout-design.html
http://milesmind.tumblr.com/post/44590898712
Shapes in Print & Web Design
Shapes are very prominent within web and print design. They work so well because they occur in nature, in our every day lives all around us, making them easy to manipulate to create interesting visuals.
Circles are one of the most common shapes in nature from the extraordinarily large like the cosmos and the planets right down to the inside of a flower and a blood cell. The earliest use of the circle is the wheel which revolutionised their current methods of transport. You can see an earlier post I have written about apple’s design influences where I speculated circles taking over design here (https://wordpress.com/post/75268733/185/). Since the web basically copies the styles and techniques used in print to present it’s information, I thought the best way to start would be to look at the origins of these shapes in print design. I have found endless amounts of examples of circles within print and you can see some great examples of these here;
There are also plenty examples of using circles in web design too, these are here;
Webey and Keauna are specially great because they combine the circles with hexagons, squares and hipster triangles, things that I am yet to cover but make up a lot of current web trends. Webber is also different because instead of scrolling down you scroll horizontally.
Squares are less common in nature are much more of a man made thing for building things of function and purpose, because squares have flat edges you find them in things that need to stand up, things tables and beds. This doesn’t stop it from being used in design even more than circles, mainly because they are much easier and simpler to create and design around, you can see some excellent examples of squares in print.
This is a creative example of a mixture of lines and squares combined;
This has again been transported into web design and you can see few examples of this here;
Next up are triangles, these are commonly seen in geometric graphics and hipster triangles but I will be doing an entirely different post on those, I am going to again look str triangles in print;
Here are some wonderful examples of triangles within web design;
Finally, I want to look at the use of hexagons within print and web design, you can see these here;
and finally, the examples of hexagons in web design.
Something I have learnt from my research is that shapes can be us to draw attention to or away from something. To cause an interest in a certain area or to frame some important text, never the less it causes some interesting design and this is something I will definitely use in my brochure design.
References;
http://www.hellowman.nl/tactile-translations
http://sarahchampion.typepad.com/thirtysomething/
http://www.downgraf.com/inspiration/15-creative-brochure-design-inspiration/
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/kloportfolios/8514693768/)
http://www.kahuna-webstudio.fr/
http://targetnuclearweapons.org.au/#/petition
http://webey.eu/contacts
http://www.alteregolabflor.it/
http://www.natashastefanenko.it/EN/site/index.php
http://domoa.tumblr.com/
https://www.behance.net/gallery/17054107/Fabrication
http://graphicriver.net/item/indie-flyer-poster-6/4030962?ref=vandelaydesign&ref=vandelaydesign&clickthrough_id=117752380&redirect_back=true
http://holistichealthnaturally.com/26-house-plants-that-detox-the-air-in-your-home-naturally/
http://lite.ly/
http://www.themesawards.com/website-designs-for-inspiration/
https://www.behance.net/gallery/16547981/Schoeffel-Website-App
https://www.behance.net/gallery/YELLOW-FRAME/6591959
https://onepagelove.com/barnyard
https://www.behance.net/gallery/15923651/Abstract-Architecture-Brochure
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/99792889/worth-limited-edition-art-print-mid?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share
http://www.designswan.com/archives/21-beautiful-and-creative-brochure-designs.html
http://www.awwwards.com/swissted-the-rock-posters-of-mike-joyce.html
http://www.lesproduitsdelepicerie.org/comete12-13.html
http://huaban.com/pins/35722337/
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/7a/6a/2b/7a6a2b290d322941dec668d07739c115.jpg)
https://dribbble.com/shots/447378-Portfolio-Design/attachments/27683
https://www.behance.net/gallery/Natura-Todo-Dia/5189017
https://www.behance.net/gallery/SONICOMED-WEB-DESIGN/5919805
http://designspiration.net/image/3261669370328/
https://www.behance.net/gallery/Scenes-in-Waveforms/4894267
http://randpophelvetica.tumblr.com/post/90546468603/a-new-poster-redesign-in-swiss-helvetica-style
http://designspiration.net/image/1729859328613/
http://graphicriver.net/item/modern-hexo-trifold/5811088?ref=damiamio
http://designersgotoheaven.com/post/330572261/futurism-an-odyssey-in-continuity-by-simon-c
https://dribbble.com/shots/1452793-Apidura-Initial-Concepts/attachments/215027
http://speckyboy.com/2013/05/02/50-sites-with-pastelwashed-out-color-schemes/
http://gorohov.name/
akbrodie.wordpress.com 
