Page 48 - Designing Ways 262

SHAPES

Shapes

by Stienie Greyling

What are the seven shapes?
A heptagon is a seven-sided polygon.
The word heptagon comes from two
words: ‘hepta’, meaning seven and ‘gon’
meaning sides.

What are the uses of shapes?
Shapes can play important roles
in the creation of drawings and
paintings. Shape can help to create
complex drawings and paintings, affect
composition and contribute to the
balance within a work. Shape can also be
defined as a two-dimensional area that
is defined by a change in value or some
form of contrast.

How are shapes used in real life? parallelograms to cubes) are different
The best use of geometry in daily life is from the organic shapes that can come
the construction of buildings, dams, rivers, from natural objects like plants and
roads, temples, etc. For ages geometry has animal species.
been exceptionally used to make temples A cushion cover with a quatrefoil motif
that hold the heritage of a country. would be an example of a non-geometric
pattern, whereas a triangle-printed cover
What are the three basic geometric would pass with flying geometric colours.
shapes of design? When one looks at geometric design
The three basic shapes are a square, a images, it is easy to home in on textile
triangle and a circle. All other shapes are prints rather than the form of key pieces
derived from these. Organic shapes, for of furniture and accessories in the room
the most part are circular in nature. and their innate geometry. Side tables,
Geometric shapes and patterns (formed mirrors, rugs, cushions and even tissue
of a series of geometric shapes) are boxes are typically represented as a
everywhere. They can be two-dimensional strong-sided squares or cubes in stature.
or three. They can be angular or they can Coffee tables can be circular, or elongated
be smooth as an arc. circles in lozenge-shaped forms, and are
The regular and irregular shapes a huge trend right now, and suit central
one learnt about at school (from pieces of furniture like footstools.

48 Issue 262 • dw