Lines and Shapes: Their Emotion and Meaning

Lines and Shapes: Their Emotion and Meaning

A very important aspect to your logo, design or art work is the subject of lines and shapes, what they mean and more importantly, what emotions they evoke.

There are definite emotions that colours and the flow of lines can create, but as a whole your design must be able to stand alone and be understood. It is also essential not to get too immersed in the strict application of all the rules of design. At the end of the day you want a product that communicates a clear message, even if that message is uniformity in that it never changes in terms of design (branding).

Let's get started. Because we read from left to right, there is an automatic assumption that motion is left to right. That is at least true in the realm of print and web design.

Here's an example:

The first image expresses a decreasing or contracting where as the the second image expresses increasing or expanding.

Other directions like up and down can also create a profound effect on motion. While left to right is the motion of the eye when reading, other directions, up and down, have their own assumed meaning. Usually when something is going up it immediately implies that something is successful and happy whereas a downward direction tends to the opposite.

Using these directions in conjunction with left to right motion can enhance it's meaning and evoke different emotions and create new meaning.

Example:

Where the first image expresses a rising, successful, optimistic and happy tone, the other is falling, pessimistic, defeated and depressed.

We also assign meaning to something because we associate it with something familiar to us in everyday life.

Example:

The first image represents growth and development where as the other image conveys structure, plan and logic.

Thickness of lines can also determine mood. For instance, thicker lines can represent something bold or strong but it can also be used to show anger or aggression. Thinner lines can express softness. Thick and thin lines can also be used in conjunction with one another to convey completely new emotions. For example, a thick line becoming sharply thinner could be used to put across speed or, as in the first example above, a decreasing in emphasis or pressure. All of this is also very useful when choosing a font for your website or promotional piece.

Lines that are “off-center” can also be a problem. This can create an unsteady or unstable feeling and they can generally throw people off.

You will notice that most corporations have logos that are clean cut and simple. Because these logos are designed in this way they give a strong and structured emotional tone.

Here are some simple lines that you can incorporate into your design to enhance it's emotional meaning:

It is also valuable to know that a design, technically correct or not, is something that defines your business or product. Some might be greatly influenced by the effort that is put into choosing the best colour or creating the appropriate shape that expresses the correct image of what you are doing, but in the end, another may just look at the design merely as the symbol that represents the business or product he is interacting with.

I hope this information was helpful. Please feel free to leave your comments below and visit my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/PurpleShoeDesign

 More information on mood lines can be found in the Art Book written by L. Ron Hubbard.