The Elements of Design: Rediscovering Colors, Textures, Forms, and Shapes [Paperback]

Loan Oei (Author), Cecile de Kegel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2002

The bark of a plane tree in Paris; a detail of a cotton towel in Japan; sunset in the Egyptian desert; soil in the Yosemite National Park, California; a tiled floor in Bangkok; a wall in Ferrara; an iron cart wheel in Antwerp...colours, textures, forms and shapes are the basis of this unique sourcebook that reveals the elements common to all design and literally teaches us how to see. Hauntingly beautiful and deeply instructive, it surveys our whole environment, natural and manmade, and shows us how it can be defined in terms of basic elements: variable arrangements of dots; lines that are straight, curving, bending or crossing; planes such as rectangles, squares, lozenges, triangles and circles. All these are represented in this book, with telling juxtapositions, in a wide range of materials and techniques, in one sense timeless and universal, in another datable and culturally conditioned. Ever-recurring design elements, they take us to the heart of the creative process: a creative transformation that may involve inspiration or imitation, representation or limitation. Destined to become a cult book for artists, designers and craftspeople of all kinds, as well as being an important educational tool, this amazing volume is a startling reminder of how the search for something new is a voyage of rediscovery into past and present forms.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Stunning. . . inspirational. . . . An amazing treat for the eyes. . . . A beautiful and varied book. -- Bookwatch, June 2002

This visual feast is a delight to peruse. -- Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot, Fall 2002

About the Author

Loan Oei, based in Amsterdam, is an exhibitions curator. She also writes and lectures on textiles. Cecile De Kegel, based in Antwerp, is a graduate in textile design. She teaches weaving and is a passionate photographer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson (May 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500283397
• ISBN-13: 978-0500283394
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,131,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Useless, February 11, 2004

By 

Joseph Boone (Irvine, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Elements of Design: Rediscovering Colors, Textures, Forms, and Shapes (Paperback)

This is not a book that will teach you much of anything. Not about design, or the elements of design, or how various design elements might be used either separately or in conjunction to evoke feelings or images.

The book is broken into sections, one for each design element such as color, texture, etc. The first page of each section is a very general description of that design element. This is then followed by 15 pages or so of full-page pictures highlighting that design element. Looking at 15 pages of colorful objects or highly textured objects may be mildly interesting but it isn't terribly informative or useful.

This book may be marginally adequate if you just want to flip through the pictures looking for inspiration. But the pictures are largely mediocre and too few to really exhaust the topics at hand so it isn't even terribly useful as inspiration. No matter what your needs or purpose you would do well to pass on this book and look for something better.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing treat for the eyes, June 5, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Elements of Design: Rediscovering Colors, Textures, Forms, and Shapes (Paperback)

The Elements Of Design: Rediscovering Colors, Textures, Forms And Shapes is a joint-project by Amsterdam exhibitions curator Loan Oei and Antwerp based Decile De Kegel, a graduate in textile design and weaving expert. The heart of Elements Of Design lies not in words, for it contains precious few of those, but rather in the stunning, full-color, full-page photographs that fill it cover to cover. Each photograph presents a different, majestic juxtaposition of colors, shapes, patterns, and fascinating medleys in this inspirational book created specifically to motivate artists and designers everywhere. An amazing treat for the eyes and especially recommended for personal and professional fabric-based art and needlecraft reference collections, The Elements Of Design is a beautiful and varied book sure to open one's eyes to brand new possibilities for artistic creation.