Design: two-dimensional and three-dimensional / decorative and applied design
Domain 7 - Design: two-dimensional and three-dimensional, decorative and applied. This section tests design thinking: a motif developed for a purpose, a controlled repeat, balanced space and craftsmanship. A design is judged as a composition, not as a picture of an object.
Core rules
- Source to motif: observe a natural or geometric source, then simplify, stylise and repeat it. A motif should be recognisable but not a literal copy.
- Two-dimensional design: work within the given shape - square, circle, rectangle or border. Plan centre, corners, border and field; use symmetry or a balanced asymmetry. Repeats include simple repeat, alternate repeat, counterchange and all-over pattern.
- Space filling: avoid empty holes and crowded patches; let motifs breathe and keep consistent margins. Flat opaque colour is normal; limit the palette to three or four colours.
- Three-dimensional/applied design: design for a real object such as a pot, box, textile or lamp. Consider form, material, function, scale and how the pattern wraps around a curved surface. A flat drawing of a 3D object must still show its volume.
Worked example
A square cushion-cover design with a lotus motif. Divide the square into a centre field, four corners and a border. Place a stylised lotus in the centre, use a half-lotus in each corner, and connect them with a repeating creeper border. Counterchange dark and light in alternate petals to create rhythm. Limit the palette to indigo, ochre and white. Reasoning: unity comes from repeating the petal curve; balance comes from equal corner weights; the border contains the design without crowding it.
Traps
Copying a flower literally; filling every gap; unequal margins; motifs that ignore the boundary; too many colours; decorative detail that destroys the form of a 3D object; a 2D design with no focal point; weak, sketchy painting instead of flat, crisp shapes.