“Point, line, and plane are the building blocks of design.” (Ellen Lupton & Jennifer Cole Phillips, Graphic Design: The New Basics (2008) Princeton: Architectural Press.)
Why does this statement matter and how does it help the creative process to understand what the authors mean? The second part of the quote helps us with the answer: “From these elements, designers create images, icons, textures, patterns, diagrams, animations, and typographic systems.”
If we can see a design, a photograph or an illustration as a series of lines, points and planes, we can understand better what we are looking at. Sometimes we are so close to a design that we lose the ability to look at it objectively. Taking a step back and looking at it in a more “abstract” way means that we may see the design in a different light. For example, I have sometimes struggled with the choice of typeface or lettering and it is useful to look at a letter not as part of a set that we learn as children but as a series of lines assembled in a given way. Each line, no matter how small, will give a different look to the letter and this is why the choice of typeface matters.
Composition
If we look at an image or a design as lines and planes converging and moving away and we forget for a moment the subject of the artwork, we are more likely to see if the composition works.
Alignments
The right alignments can bring harmony to a piece. Alignments are often invisible lines. As mentioned in the essay, “in typographic layouts, lines are implied as well as literally drawn“.
3-dimensional aspect
Understanding planes is useful to know where to apply contrast and highlight the 3-dimensional aspect of a piece. In his book about drawing heads and hands, Andrew Loomis explains how the face is constituted of different planes (Loomis, A. (2011). Drawing the head and hands. London Titan Books). His explanations are very useful to understand how to add depth when drawing heads.
Seeing a design as a series of points helps to apply contrast. As mentioned in the essay, “printing processes have employed dots and lines to depict light, shadow, and volume“. Mark making is a way to illustrate highlights and shadows with dots and lines.
Perspective
Looking at lines in a composition (drawn or invisible) helps us to analyse the perspective of a scene. “Linear perspective simulates optical distortions” and helps us to convey depth and distance.
Creativity
There is an example in the essay that is particularly interesting (page 44). Designers were asked to observe their surroundings and generate images. One of them (Jen Evans) chose to draw geometric shapes to recreate the space he observed. Understanding how these three elements interact (points, lines and planes) means that it becomes possible to deconstruct a design and push it further. It is interesting to look at the work of Johannes Itten and notice how the lines and geometric shapes are apparent in his work and help to create abstract and less abstract shapes.
Catherine Roux Degree in Illustration 