Do you only think of circles, rectangles and triangles when you think of shape? True these are the basic shapes that almost everything is made up of, but there’s so much more!

What is a Shape?

Shapes convey meaning, aid in creating direction and can be used quite effectively for drawing attention to a particular section of the design. There are three basic categories to put shapes into: geometric, natural and abstract.

Geometric shapes are what you probably thought of when you read “Shape:” circles, rectangles, octagons, etc. Geometric shapes are also considered pure form, the absolute basic underlying visual representation of an object.
Natural shapes are organic shapes, which are often irregular, as opposed to shapes that are more mechanical in nature, like geometric shapes. These are things that can be found in nature, like a blade of grass, or they can be man-made, like a dab of paint.

Abstract shapes are the essence of an organic shape, some would more specifically call these forms, which are the essential defining parts of an object – mass and proportion. Many times logos are made out of abstract shapes.

Basic Shape Connotations

Curved shapes, like circles, are soft, care-free, feminine, whole, enveloping and everlasting. What are you reminded of when you look at a circle? Peace, as in Yin and Yang, playfulness, like a child’s ball, commitment, like a wedding ring.

Often when you want to highlight a certain aspect of a layout, you can create a circle around it. Logos are a great example, like this StressWELL logo by David Airey. In his design, the circle also serves to create a feeling of wholeness and serenity. You can also see how David used the abstract shape of a seahorse to add to the look and feel of the design.

Rectangles and squares are solid, reliable, masculine, and predictable. They are familiar and safe to use because so much of what we interact with daily is in the shape of a rectangle: your computer monitor, pads of paper, books, desks, even the way text is set within these items is generally in a rectangular form. We are very familiar with these pieces of everyday life. But then again, they are part of every day life; they can be boring and monotonous. Then there’s always that pesky box we put our minds into…

What reactions are solicited by using rectangles? Trust, order, security (many financial institutions use rectangles for their logos, H&R Block, for example). What other connotations do rectangle have?

How to use Shape

The element of shape can be used:

• as a texture
• to define a space



• to separate something from other elements
• to set a mood, as we talked about above

Remember, shape can also be implied!

How else have you use shape?

What other meanings can it have?

How will you apply what you’ve learned about shape in your next design?

You can read more about the elements of design in the Real World Example series:

• line
• shape
• space
• scale
• texture
• value
• color