Primary Elements

The building blocks of art are known as the primary elements. These elements are point, line, plane and volume.

A point is a dot that lacks any form of dimensions that indicates a position in a space. In any type of design “a point” is simple but not as basic as you may think it is. It can really draw all the attention to itself and become a show stopper. It can create a focal point where the eyes directly goes to ignoring everything around it if one is not careful. The point is the beginning or building block of all the other primary elements.

Bellow is an example of a dot used in the building environment.

Designed By: Fimar Mobili

The second primary element is line, and lets be honest lines are every where that it is almost imposable to escape them. Surely you have heard the saying “if you step on a crack you break your mother’s back,” well that crack is a line. Lines connect two or more points or they just go on forever. Lines don’t have to be straight the can come in all weird shapes like the notorious crack that may or may have not broken your mothers back. Lines however, lack depth, but come in various lengths and widths. Not all lines are literal most times they are implied.

Bellow is an example of a line used in the building environment.

Fancy Design Contemporary Home Styles By: B&B Italia

The third element is plane. A plane is when several lines join together to form some sort of shape. Walls are a good example of planes that we see in our everyday lives. Some planes are literal while others may just be implied. A series of planes may be used in order to make an area look interesting or to add some variation. 

Bellow is an example of a plane used in the building environment.

CUBE By: SAKO Architects

The forth element is volume. Volume is the amount of space that a substance or object occupies enclosed by some closed boundary. Cube are one of the most common used examples for volume.

Bellow is an example of volume used in the building environment.

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