Geometry and graphic design

The importance of geometry in the analysis and configuration process of the architecture, as well as in the field of industrial or mechanical design, is frequently reminded, recognizing in it an indisputable value in the spatial and figurative reasoning to design and draw architectural or industrial products, even in the age of computers. Less investigated is instead the role of this discipline in the field of graphic design, in which the image is the essence of communication, and the boundaries between image and language assume symbiotic and ambivalent relationships. In this sense, the graphic sign often becomes, itself, an èkphrasis, or the narration of contents even as far away from the form. So, in creating an image that must become part of a multi-directional communication, able to drag the eye beyond the usual spaces of experience, it is of the utmost importance the knowledge of the projection’s rules that guide, in different ways, all methods of descriptive geometry. In fact, to translate an image into communication it must be designed, organized and controlled, coordinating, in a wise and safe way, the communication and representation tools. And, in this process, the geometry’s role is certainly substantial. This paper, on the basis of the teaching and research experience specifically oriented to graphic design, intends to highlight the deep connections between the structuring of the graphic image (lettering, corporate image, brand image, product image etc.) and geometry investigating on significant examples of modern graphic design.