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Form

Author: Sophia

what's covered
In this lesson, you’ll learn about the form element and why it's important in the visual design process. Specifically, this lesson will cover:

Table of Contents

1. Defining Form

Form is a three-dimensional object that can be constructed by two or more shapes.

Take a look at the image below of a simple box.

Form

You take one shape, slap it onto another, and now you've created depth—the third dimension that differentiates form from shape.

Depth

If you take three shapes and put them all together, there's a better sense of that depth.

Three-Dimensional

The form above becomes three-dimensional, meaning that it has three coordinates: width, height, and depth.

When you have a three-dimensional form, you also create volume, which is the amount of three-dimensional space a form occupies.

Volume

Looking at the two boxes above, the box on the right has more volume than the smaller box on the left.

EXAMPLE

Imagine that you have two cups: a huge coffee mug and a tiny espresso cup. Clearly, one would hold more fluid than the other, so one occupies more volume than the other.

terms to know
Form
A three-dimensional object that can be constructed by two or more shapes.
Depth
The third dimension that differentiates form from shape.
Three-Dimensional
Having three coordinates: width, height, and depth.
Volume
The amount of three-dimensional space a form occupies.


2. Types of Form

When thinking about form, it's important to note that you can have different types: geometric form and organic form.

Geometric from is defined by its allegiance to mathematical construction.

Geometric Form

The basic shapes above (sphere, cube, and pyramid) are geometric forms. Typically, shapes with angular and hard edges are considered geometric.

EXAMPLE

You can see a lot of geometric forms in architecture, products like consumer electronics, and shipping containers.

Organic form, on the other hand, is defined by its simulation of natural substance. Instead of the hard edges of geometric forms, organic forms have irregular, complex, curvy, and varied contours, much like you see in nature with hills and mountains or in the details of faces and hands.

Organic Form

terms to know
Geometric Form
Form defined by its allegiance to mathematical construction.
Organic Form
Form defined by its simulation of natural substance.

summary
In this lesson, you learned to define form as a three-dimensional object. You also learned about the different types of form: geometric form and organic form. Geometric forms are defined by their mathematical construction of hard or angular edges, while organic forms simulate natural substances with varied contours.

Keep up the learning and have a great day!

Source: THIS WORK IS ADAPTED FROM SOPHIA AUTHOR MARIO E. HERNANDEZ

Terms to Know
Depth

The third dimension that differentiates form from shape.

Form

A three-dimensional object that can be constructed by two or more shapes.

Geometric Form

Form defined by its allegiance to mathematical construction.

Organic Form

Form defined by its simulation of natural substance.

Three-Dimensional

Having three coordinates: width, height, and depth.

Volume

The amount of three-dimensional space a form occupies.