Point / Line / Plane
Reading: Graphic Design: The New Basics
Point
A point can “penetrate like a bullet, pierce like a nail or pucker like a kiss”.
This reading talks of the point in all its many forms. I have listed every way in which they are mentioned, in a list form below. The point can create patterns, signify an ending within type and develop a design.
Marks a position in space
A pair of x, y coordinates
A visible mark
A dot
A full stop
A point can express its own identity
A series of points form a line
A mass of points make a texture, shape or plane
Tiny points create shades of grey
In typography, the point is a definitive end of the line
The point is a sign of closure
They can be used a visual element within photography
Points can be destructive
Line
Alike, Point, the Line chapter allows the reader to understand many different forms and elements of a line as a design element. I have, again, listed every way in which they are mentioned in this reading.
An infinite series of points
A line has breadth but no depth
A connection between two points
A path of a moving point
A positive mark or a negative gap
An edge of an object
Where two planes meet
Lines exist in many weights
Lines are drawn with a pen, pencil, brush, mouse or digital code
They can be straight or curved, continuous or broken
When a line reaches a certain thickness it becomes a plane
Lines multiply to describe volumes, planes and textures
A graph is a rising and falling line that describes change over time
In typographic layouts, lines are implied as well as literally drawn
Characters group into lines of text
Columns are positioned in blocks that are flush left, flush right and justified
Lines express order
Lines turn and multiply to describe planes
Lines describe structure and edges
Lines express emotion
Vector-based software uses a closed line to define a shape
Lines can be used as a visual element in photography
Plane
A plane is defined in many ways, in accordance to design and visual element. Below is a list of ways planes are described within the reading.
A flat surface extending in height and width
The path of a moving line; it is a line with breadth
A line closes to become a shape, a bounded plane
A plane can be parallel to the picture surface, or can reduce the space
Ceilings, walls, floors and windows are physical planes
A plane can be solid or perforated, opaque or transparent, textured or smooth
A field of text is a plane built from lines and points of type
A typographic plane can be dense or open, hard or soft
A plane letter can be described with lines or with fields of colour to describe spatial planes