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Design Activities

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 Rubric

Criteria
(Weight)
Excellent (4) Good (3) Fair (2) Poor (1) Points Awarded
Activity 1: A
Composition of
Lines
(× 2)
The artwork is
clearly completed
with care,
thoughtfulness,
and attention to
detail.
The artwork is
completed with
adequate care,
thoughtfulness,
and attention to
detail.
The artwork is
completed with
some care and
thoughtfulness.
Certain sections
are sloppy or
rushed.
The artwork is
completed with
little or no care
and
thoughtfulness.
Activity 2: Can
You Change the
Meaning of a
Shape?
(× 2)
The artwork is
clearly completed
with care,
thoughtfulness,
and attention to
detail.
The artwork is
completed with
adequate care,
thoughtfulness,
and attention to
detail.
The artwork is
completed with
some care and
thoughtfulness.
Certain sections
are sloppy or
rushed.
The artwork is
completed with
little or no care
and
thoughtfulness.
Activity 3:
Communicating
Visually with
Type (× 2)
The artwork is
clearly completed
with care,
thoughtfulness,
and attention to
detail.
The artwork is
completed with
adequate care,
thoughtfulness,
and attention to
detail.
The artwork is
completed with
some care and
thoughtfulness.
Certain sections
are sloppy or
rushed.
The artwork is
completed with
little or no care
and
thoughtfulness.

1 answer

Design Activities: Can You Change the Meaning of a Shape?

Brainstorming Lists

1. What do you think a heart shape stands for?

  • Love
  • Affection
  • Compassion
  • Friendship
  • Romance
  • Kindness
  • Thanksgiving
  • Care
  • Warmth

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

  • Hate
  • Indifference
  • Apathy
  • Conflict
  • Loneliness
  • Anger
  • Disrespect
  • Coldness
  • Betrayal

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

  • Valentine's Day cards
  • Love-related merchandise (e.g., pillows, gifts)
  • Some food packaging (e.g., chocolates, candies)
  • Jewelry (e.g., heart-shaped pendants)
  • Flower arrangements (e.g., hearts made of flowers)
  • Brand logos (e.g., Heart Foundation)
  • Cartoons and emoticons (e.g., heart emojis)
  • Decorative elements in art and design
  • Tattoos

4. What are the common colors of hearts?

  • Red
  • Pink
  • Purple
  • White
  • Blue
  • Gold
  • Black (sometimes used in a different context, such as broken hearts)
  • Green (symbolizing growth or envy)

Heart Images

To create my 20 different heart designs, I will experiment with various methods and patterns. Here’s an overview of my ideas:

  1. Drawing by Hand: Hand-drawn hearts featuring different textures like fur, scales, or even landscapes within the shape.

  2. Magazine Cutouts: Collage hearts filled with cutouts from magazines, such as floral designs, cityscapes, or abstract art pieces.

  3. Digital Design Using Inkscape:

    • Heart shapes filled with solid colors (e.g., vibrant purple).
    • Hearts filled with patterns (e.g., polka dots, stripes, or animal prints).
    • Each heart will vary in size and orientation, creating a playful layout.
    • Some hearts will feature contrasting colors or textures to explore the theme of conflict or indifference.

  4. Creating Symbolic Representations:

    • A heart formed by several smaller heart shapes, representing friendships or connections.
    • A broken heart depicting sorrow or heartbreak, illustrating the opposite meaning.
    • A heart filled with graffiti-style elements to represent rebellion.

After creating my heart designs, I will scan the hand-drawn images and save all digital designs for submission.

Summary Paragraph

In my exploration of heart shapes, I found that some designs successfully changed the meaning of a heart. For instance, the heart filled with gray patterns suggested a sense of loss and indifference, moving far away from its traditional representation of love. The playful graffiti-inspired heart captured a rebellious spirit, challenging the conventional view of love. While none of my designs fully transformed the meaning of the heart, they all encouraged me to think about its symbolism in a richer context, portraying how emotions can shift with color and design. This activity truly sparked my creativity and broadened my understanding of visual communication.

Now, remember to format your brainstorming lists and images in a coherent layout using word processing software, and ensure each heart design is scanned at the appropriate resolution for submission! Good luck!