Understanding the Design Elements Floral Design Understanding the Design Elements

Interest Approach Take a look at the examples of floral designs on your desk. Compare and contrast these arrangements with your neighbor. Look at the shape, color, texture and size. Try to visualize the same arrangements in a different color or size. Would the arrangements have the same visual effect? Why or why not?

Student Objectives 1. List and describe the major forms (or shapes) used in floral design. 2. Explain how space and depth enhance floral design. 3. Describe the importance of texture in floral design. 4. Explain how color influences floral work.

Vocabulary Advancing color Analogous Color wheel Complimentary Depth Design elements Filler flowers Form Form flowers Free form Geometric Line Line materials Mass flowers Monochromatic Naturalistic Polychromatic Primary colors

Vocabulary Cont. Receding colors Secondary colors Shape Space Tertiary colors Texture

What Are the Major Forms or Shapes Used in Floral Design? Floral arrangements are composed of flowers, greenery and containers The physical characteristics that the designer uses to create the arrangements are called design elements Form and shape are the first two design elements

Form refers to the 3-dimensional outline of the arrangement Shape is the 2-dimensional term for form The common forms used in floral design are: geometric, naturalistic and free form Geometric shapes are most often circles or triangles Can be varied into ovals, fans, crescents, right triangles, isosceles triangles and asymmetrical triangles Naturalistic designs mirror the natural plant growth; Include groupings of plant material, using branches to symbolize trees and shorter flowers the undergrowth

All forms of arrangement are created through the use of lines Free form arrangements are more contemporary; Very creative and do not have any particular design rules All forms of arrangement are created through the use of lines Line is the visual movement between two points in an arrangement Placement creates shape and expresses emotions Can be created through the use of line material Line materials (like snapdragon, liatris and scotch broom) are used to create definite vertical, horizontal, diagonal or curvilinear lines

Design Forms Courtesy of Delmar Publishing

The remainder of the arrangement is created through the combination of form, mass and filler flowers Form flowers are those with distinctive shapes Ex. Orchids, lilies Mass flowers are round, solid flowers Ex. Mums, carnations, roses Filler flowers are light, airy flowers that fill in the space between other flowers Ex. Baby’s breath, sea foam statice Have the students look at examples of floral arrangements and decide what form each arrangement follows. See if they can pick out the types of flowers used as form, mass and filler flowers.

How Do Space and Depth Enhance Floral Design? The areas in the design that have no flowers are just as important as the flowers themselves Areas devoid of flowers are called space It is important for designers to leave space in their arrangements Space increases the apparent size of a design by adding space and depth to the design

Depth gives the arrangement more of a three dimensional form than just a shape Achieved by tucking flowers in further so they are partially hidden; and dangling flowers upward or to the side Space makes the arrangement appear to be larger even though no more materials are used; Occurs if the flowers are placed away from each other Helps to save money by creating a larger, more expensive-looking design Adds more interest in the design

How Is Texture Important in Floral Design? Floral designers can create visually attractive arrangements by combining plant material with different textures Texture is the design element that refers to the surface quality of the plant material Plant material can be rough, smooth, leathery, velvety, satiny or hairy It can also have visual texture - fine, airy, lacy, delicate, bold or coarse By varying textures in a design, it will attract attention and hold the viewer’s interest

Looking at the pictures to the right, describe the textures of each of the flowers Courtesy of Delmar Publishing

How Does Color Influence Floral Work? Color is probably the most obvious design element An arrangement can lose its appeal if the colors are not striking Color contributes to people’s feelings They have also influenced occasions or events For example, red symbolizes love; Orange symbolizes Halloween

Colors and Emotions/occasions

The color wheel is made up of primary, secondary and tertiary colors Primary = red, blue, yellow Secondary = orange, green, violet Two primary colors combined Tertiary = one primary combined with one secondary color Names are always hyphenated For example blue-green, orange-red There are six color schemes that designers can use to create beautiful arrangements Created by the combination of one or more colors

Color Schemes Have students separate floral arrangement pictures into the various color schemes to reinforce the concepts.

Monochromatic Analogous Complimentary Triadic ex. Blue & orange Courtesy of Delmar Publishing

Polychromatic Split-Complimentary Courtesy of Delmar Publishing

Advancing colors move towards the viewer No matter what color scheme is used, remember they are viewed differently depending on what colors they are combined with Advancing colors move towards the viewer For example yellow, red and orange Receding colors disappear into the background For example violet, blue and green Mention to the students examples of where this is important to keep in mind. For example, you would not want to use all purple and blue flowers on a church altar. The people in the back would not be able to see them.

Summary List the twelve design forms. How is a geometric form different from a naturalistic one? Describe the difference between form, mass and filler flowers. Give an example of each. How can depth and space enhance a design? What is texture? Why should you vary the texture in an arrangement? Name the three primary and secondary colors.

Summary Cont. How do you create a tertiary color? Using the color wheel, give an example of each of the color schemes. What are advancing colors? Receding colors?