Geometry and method in graphic design: from the Newtonian paradigm to General Systems, Chaos and Fractals Theories

Abstract

Throughout history there has been a symbiotic relationship between art, design and science, especially in common research areas such as the concepts of space, elements, order and method. From Newton to the present day, space has been considered in terms of the Newtonian universe – as infinite, stable and ordered. Graphic space is the depiction of a fragment of this universe, marked out by the frame, paper, or screen. Here, elements are organized according to the principles of visual perception, as an extrapolation of the laws of universal gravitation. Special emphasis is placed on the use of scientific method to analyze problems, and on the use of geometry to arrange elements in compositional space. The emergence of the General Systems, Chaos and Fractals Theories has marked a change in the scientific paradigm, and this can provide graphic design and art with a new theoretical and methodological framework for analysis and creation, as well as an explanation of the disorderly behaviour of some of the elements involved. This means, however, that we have to accept that designs are dynamic, that they evolve and eventually die.