Geometry in design

When we look at an object, a building or a piece of art, we know immediately if we like it aesthetically or not. This will depend on what the forms transmit to us, as well as the harmony and balance between the elements that make up what we contemplate. Geometry in design is basic. It has been present in any technical or artistic discipline since ancient times and today its application is still unquestionable.

Geometry is a classical discipline of mathematics that deals with the study of figures in a plane or space and provides information about the lengths, areas and volumes of these figures. Although its practical application has to do with calculations and equations, geometry is also found in nature. The human being only intervenes as a mere observer of the perfection and beauty of his natural environment, which he then tries to replicate in his designs, creations or constructions.

I am of the opinion that it is possible to develop an art based mostly on mathematical thinking – Max Bill

Geometric biology

The etymological origin of the word “geometry” comes from Greek and can be translated as “measure of the earth”, a definition that inevitably evokes the organic; the natural environment. It is enough to look around us to realize that geometric figures are everywhere in nature. We find them spontaneously in the form of fractals whose basic structure is repeated over and over again in an irregular manner. They are reproduced at different scales, so no two trees of the same species will ever be exactly alike; neither the fur of two zebras nor two snowflakes can ever be identical.

Geometry in design has its most remote beginning in the observation of the natural environment. Mankind has always delighted in the whimsical forms of nature and has studied its patterns since antiquity. This visual relationship with the elements has enhanced human beings’ capacity for reflection and curiosity, conditioning their perception of beauty and developing their artistic sensibility by interpreting reality and applying geometric properties to their creations.

From the sketch to the tangible

In design, for an idea captured on paper (or on the screen) to materialize in reality, there must be an internal path based on technique. Imagination can be limited, but knowledge and geometry have the capacity to liberate ideas.

Some projects that in their ideal conception are excellent, may fail in their practical execution if the designer (of any artistic discipline, such as architecture, sculpture or industrial design, for example) does not correctly understand the geometric composition of what he is developing. Handling classical principles such as the golden ratio or the Fibonacci sequence will help to organize the elements in a coherent, orderly and, above all, realistic way.

Although the study of geometry does not address aspects such as the cultural context in which a piece of furniture, a building or a painting is developed, it does raise awareness of the role that symmetry and visual balance play in artistic elements and in the design itself. On the other hand, the computer software technology currently in use allows creators to visualize complex forms that go beyond our accumulated experience over centuries by creating novel forms. However, these will still be based on the mathematical concepts of geometry.

Geometry in the design of terracotta floors

When we at todobarro design our terracotta tiles, we do so based on geometric shapes and forms with which we create different patterns. At a decorative level, the result is striking, personal and hypnotic. The tessellations of our clay floors or walls are inspired by the geometry of the Nasrid mosaic, in the tradition of the material itself that we mold by hand and in the pavements of those old houses that we all keep in our memories. But we also take avant-garde design as a reference and we have young artists who shape new collections.

However, behind each design there is a previous geometric study in which designers and craftsmen take place. Calculations, areas, combinations, symmetry… are taken into account. In the process we also rely on technological tools such as renders, which allow us to digitally preview the result of the application of our tiles in a space before developing it physically.

Mathematics, forms that humans rescued from nature itself and sustainable, traditional and organic elements, such as clay and fire, converge in our project. Identity and authenticity have deep roots: ours come from far back in time, but they continue to be novel and adapt naturally to new times.