Design Activities

Question

Complete the following activities.
Can You Change the Meaning of a Shape?
For this portfolio activity, you will experiment with the meaning of a particular shape and practice the first phase of the design process: the imaginative phase. In the imaginative phase, you simply play with ideas and come up with as many design solutions as you can. For this assignment, you will focus on the shape of a heart. A heart is a very common shape, and it is used for very specific purposes. Hearts are almost always used to symbolize love. The shape of a heart has such a strong, specific connotation; do you think you can change its meaning? There are three parts to this assignment:

brainstorming lists
heart images
summary paragraph
Brainstorming Lists
Before you start creating hearts, make a separate list for each item below:

What do you think a heart shape stands for?
What are the opposites of these meanings (what a heart doesn’t stand for)?
What objects, logos, ideas, or visuals in our everyday life are shaped like hearts?
What are the common colors of hearts?
Use word processing software, such as Microsoft Word, to create your brainstorming lists.

Heart Images
After you hand in your brainstorming lists, start working on your heart images. The answers to these questions will help to generate ideas for this part of this assignment. Create at least 20 versions of a heart shape. Each image must be different, but they must all be heart shaped. Think about what hearts mean, but also think about what hearts don’t mean. How can changing the color of a heart change its meaning? What about filling the heart with a certain pattern? Can that affect its meaning as well?

You can create your 20 heart shapes in different ways. Try these methods to complete your assignment:

Draw some hearts by hand. Look through magazines and other materials, cut out heart shapes, and use glue to paste these cutouts onto the heart shapes you created. Some examples would be animal prints, repeated shapes, and plants or other objects. Try to be as creative with your heart patterns as you can! Scan these documents using a scanner and save them as .jpeg files. Be sure to scan your images in at 150 dpi.
Use Inkscape or another graphic design software program to create various versions of hearts. Fill the hearts with different patterns, objects, or shapes. Be sure to create 8–10 heart shapes on each 8.5 in.-by-11 in. page. You should end up with several pages since you are designing a total of 20 heart shapes.
CA Logo Tip: For more information about customizing shapes in Inkscape, access Help → Tutorials → Inkscape: Shapes.
Down
Summary Paragraph
Once you’ve created your heart shapes, review them and answer the following questions in a summary paragraph:

Do you think any of them were successful in changing the meaning of a heart?
Which ones came close?
Even if none of your designs worked to change the meaning of a heart, did any of them cause you to think about hearts in a different way?
Using word processing software write 4–5 sentences and reflect on what you discovered during this activity.

You will submit this as part of your Lines and Shapes portfolio at the end of this lesson.

Now, to get some ideas for your heart project, look at the example below that uses different versions of a star shape. Explore the meaning of a star.

Select the link to examine an example portfolio item.

Mouse icon Example Portfolio

Select the link to access the Lines and Shapes Portfolio Rubric.

Mouse icon Lines and Shapes Portfolio Rubri

Answer 1

Brainstorming Lists

What do you think a heart shape stands for?

1. Love
2. Affection
3. Compassion
4. Passion
5. Care
6. Romance
7. Friendship
8. Warmth
9. Emotional connection
10. Kindness

What are the opposites of these meanings (what a heart doesn’t stand for)?

1. Hate
2. Indifference
3. Hostility
4. Anger
5. Apathy
6. Conflict
7. Coldness
8. Detachment
9. Neglect
10. Mistrust

What objects, logos, ideas, or visuals in our everyday life are shaped like hearts?

1. Valentine's Day cards
2. Cups or mugs with heart designs
3. Heart-shaped balloons
4. Jewelry (like heart pendants)
5. Logos of love-related brands
6. Heart-shaped candies
7. Art pieces or illustrations
8. Food (like heart-shaped cookies or cakes)
9. Heart-shaped pillows
10. Heart graphics in social media (e.g., “like” symbol)

What are the common colors of hearts?

1. Red
2. Pink
3. Purple
4. White
5. Gold
6. Black (used in different contexts)
7. Blue (occasionally)
8. Green (in some contexts)
9. Rainbow (to symbolize LGBTQ+ love)
10. Yellow (in some modern interpretations)

Heart Images

After completing the brainstorming lists, I'll create a variety of heart shapes using the suggested methods. Following the 20 different heart shapes will incorporate variations in color, texture, patterns, and even conceptual meanings that contrast with traditional interpretations.

1. Red Heart - Classic love symbol
2. Broken Heart - Represents heartbreak
3. Heart made of Thorns - Symbolizes pain in love
4. Black Heart - Signifies gloom or negativity
5. Rainbow Heart - Represents inclusivity and diversity
6. Heart with Fire - Represents passion or anger
7. Heart in Chains - Conveys feelings of entrapment
8. Heart made of Flowers - Symbolizes love and beauty
9. Heart with a Question Mark - Represents uncertainty in love
10. Heart filled with Stars - Suggests aspiration or dreams
11. Heart made of Mirrors - Represents self-love or reflection
12. Heart filled with Water - Suggests emotion and fluidity
13. Heart with a Skull - Represents rebellious love or danger
14. Gold Heart - Symbol of wealth and luxury in love
15. Heart with Lightning - Represents sudden intense feelings
16. Heart made of Leaves - Conveys environmental love and care
17. Heart filled with Musical Notes - Represents love for music
18. Heart shaped like a House - Represents love of home and family
19. Pixelated Heart - Suggests modern love in the digital age
20. Transparent Heart - Represents honesty and vulnerability

Summary Paragraph

Upon reviewing the heart shapes I created, I believe that some designs successfully altered the traditional meanings associated with hearts. For instance, the black heart effectively communicates negativity and emotional detachment, which directly contrasts with the usual warm connotation. The broken heart also came close, symbolizing lost love and sadness, embodying feelings that are often overlooked. Even if some designs may not have fully changed the meaning, creating them made me view the heart shape in diverse contexts, prompting deeper reflections on the complexity of love and emotions. Exploring these representations broadened my understanding of the heart’s symbolism beyond its common associations.