Section 5 · Visual Language

Line, Shape, and Mark

Definition

The primitives of visual construction — line as a path with direction and weight, shape as an enclosed area, mark as an expressive gesture that may be either.

Why it matters

Nearly every complex composition reduces to relationships between these three. Working with a restricted set is the fastest way to learn what each one actually does.

Example

A composition built entirely from one repeated line weight, varied only by angle and spacing.