Design LOVE Math
Math is a crucial part of our daily lifestyles, whether it is a simple calculation for our monthly budget or revealing the mystery of black holes. It has a surprising role — we are surrounded by it & more interestingly It helped great artists and creators for decades to make mesmerizing artworks.
After being a part of a creative field for many years now, I’ve learned a very crucial lesson. I’ve found 5 major similarities between math and designing which helps me to create a design in a more approachable manner.
So let’s break it down and learn about it :
1.Symmetry :
Humans’ brains just love symmetry. Symmetrical designs look perfectly balanced and look harmonious visually. We have a natural ability to absorb visual information faster when it’s in symmetrical and arranged form i.e pie charts, bar graphs. So it is very crucial for designers to keep in mind symmetry while creating their next masterpiece.
In simple terms, it is an arrangement of elements in such a manner that looks and feels balanced at the end.
Math similarity:
As in basic schooling math equation, in which we tend to prove Left-hand side (LHS) = right-hand side (RHS), similarly in designing, we do the same balancing out visual weight and elements (shapes and objects) in such a way that they appear symmetrical and create a sense of balance.
Example: Mirror symmetry on the human body, Various Arrangement of petals around flowers
2. Proportion :
Is defined as relative sizes of objects as compared to each other, In design, varying in proportion leads to visual depth and creates a sense of connectivity. It can be achieved by arranging the elements together which are similar in character while maintaining major and minor areas that directed towards a sense of negative space.
Note: There is no right or wrong. It is just that it depends on practice, implementation, and coming up with new forms for every new style to create a more dynamic and interesting design that can have a lasting impression on the audience.
I can say that playing with Proportions is the key to your next big project. It is simple and fun to play with.
In simple terms, it is a practice to make things appear bigger or smaller compared to each other while maintaining an overall look.
Math similarity:
Relationship in sizes/proportion helps to know which object is near (as it seems bigger) and which one’s further (as it seems smaller). This not only helps to calculate its relative speed (like trains coming on track), it also helps in determining the direction of movements in 3d space.
Examples: Train on track, size of tennis ball vs football
3. Curves/Waves:
The trigonometry curve, I can bet we all saw at least once during our school time. It is in a giant waveform, having some ups and downs in regular intervals, which helps mathematicians to solve complex Trigonometric equations.
In design, we have similar things called a Rhythm. It suggests movement or action in a design. A visual tempo or beat wave can be counted as a wave, our brain picks out repeated elements like the same color or the same shape and finds it organized and pleasing.
In simplest terms, it is a regular repetition of elements in a certain manner that suggest the eyes of the viewer to look for information in an organized way and leads the viewer to the core message/fields we want to focus on at the end
Examples: Waves in oceans, batsman hitting the ball in a curve.
Ref article — link
4. Some General Rules:
Golden ratio, rule of thirds, you name it. They are some quite useful techniques which have helped artists/designers like us for decades. If you search on google, you will definitely find out that those famous personality paintings and the greatest inventions of all time have some sort of mathematical calculation hidden behind them. That’s the magic of these numbers which still works and had a great impact on our perceptions, let’s keep it in simpler term:
Golden Ratio: Art form in which we arrange things in 1:1.618.
Rule of third: A photography rule in which we tried to place our point of interest in any of the intersection points of the grid.
5. Setting up some ground rules :
Like in maths, we have certain defined characters like “Pi” having a fixed value of 3.14159, which help us to understand and to calculate the values of circles, spheres, etc. Without this basic pi value, the calculation for any sort of circle would be extremely difficult.
Likewise in design, setting up some basic design guidelines/rules before creating any masterpiece helps us save lots of time, perfect examples would be Design systems.
Design systems, These definitive guidelines have a set of interconnected patterns, libraries, components, styles, etc. which helps us to set up and design the overall process in a smooth manner while maintaining overall look and quality.
End Note
Making effective designs is the ultimate role of every designer/artist, which tells visual stories on its own. But behind every great story, there is great planning and required setup. The key points here are proper instructions and a clear guideline. Of course, there are some techniques to enhance the visuals and to make things look more appealing but remember rules are meant to be broken. It’s the choice of an individual’s perception to carry out things and application like in maths. There are many approaches to solve a complex equation, however, the ultimate aim is to solve the problem in the best way for you, as William Paul Thurston quoted.
“Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations, or algorithms: it is about understanding.”