Geometry and Design: Inspirations and Applications
Geometry is an age-old science, for some cultures even with mystical and sacred values.
What is now certain and proven is that geometry has very wide-ranging fields of influence: from physics to aesthetics, from industry to people’s psychology.
Geometry has also been used extensively in art and design for centuries: from Greek and Roman temples, churches and buildings of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, to contemporary design and interiors.
Circles, triangles, squares, ovals, rhombuses… every geometric shape can be used for different purposes!
Geometry is to the plastic arts what grammar is to the writer’s art.
Aesthetics
The main factor to be taken into account in the realisation of a project can only be the aesthetic one: a product can be perfectly suited to its function and meet every need, but all this would be in vain if the aesthetics were not of a high quality and the result would be an ugly product.
It is therefore of fundamental importance to be able to create a product that is first of all beautiful, in which lines and shapes contribute to creating a perfect aesthetic.
For our Popigai coffee table we decided to play with geometric shapes to create a delicate and elegant balance: the soft roundness of the top was combined with a faceted structure with more pronounced lines. The choice of material, marble, also plays a role in this context: lightness and materiality combine perfectly, creating harmonious contrasts.
Functionality
A second question to ask in the realisation of a project concerns the usefulness of the product you are going to create. What is the product for? What needs does it meet? How can we create a product that combines functionality and aesthetics?
Lamps have a very important function in the lighting of a house and it is therefore essential to have in mind, for each type of lamp, what the main characteristics should be and how to make it functional.
From the point of view of functionality, for example, wall lamps are often used in those rooms that are difficult to light in other ways: rooms with low ceilings, attics, corridors. With Igor we responded to a need, but at the same time we did not consider aesthetics to be less important: we played with geometric lines, combining the cone of the lampshades with the straight lines of the structure.
Psychology
It has now been proven by science that lines and shapes can have a very strong influence on people’s moods, making them relaxed or excited or agitated depending on what they are looking at.
According to several studies, rounded and soft shapes create a more relaxed and friendly mood in the observer. It is therefore important for product designers to take these aspects into account in order to achieve the desired result.
Our Cosmo armchair is a clear example of this. We decided to create an armchair with a semi-circular shape, different from most other armchairs, so as to amplify the sense of relaxation in the user: you sit down, perhaps with a good book in your hand, and our Cosmo armchair embraces you, cradling you.