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Floral Design Concepts

Floriculture CDE

Introduction

Understanding Art

• Can you describe the following concepts in the two works of art:
• Color
• Balance
• Texture

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• Any similarities?

Floral Design Concepts

Concepts of Floral Design

• These concepts apply to all art forms.
• Principles are how the elements fit together.
• Elements are what make up the design.

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Floral Design Concepts

Principles are the recipe:

Balance

Proportion

Emphasis

Rhythm

Harmony

Unity

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Elements are the ingredients:

Line

Form

Depth

Texture

Color

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Principles of Design

Balance

• Balance gives a sense of equilibrium to a floral arrangement.
• An arrangement or composition should have both visual and physical balance.
• Physical balance means it is structurally and mechanically sound.
• Visual balance means that both sides have equal weight or eye attraction.

Floral Design Concepts

Symmetrical Balance

Asymmetrical Balance

Proportion

• Proportion or scale ties in with the idea of balance.
• Proportion controls the size of the materials being used in the floral arrangement
• The arrangement height should be proportionate to the container (1½ to 2 times the size of the container).
• The arrangement must be proportionate to its surroundings.

Floral Design Concepts

The one on the left is more proportionate.

Both arrangements are proportionate to the room.

Emphasis

• The center of interest in a floral arrangement is the emphasis or focal point.
• The emphasis is where the viewer looks first in the design (multiple focal points are called accents).
• Emphasis can be done strategically through location, framing and contrast.

Floral Design Concepts

Emphasis?

Rhythm

• Rhythm refers to the movement of your eyes from the emphasis out to the rest of the arrangement.
• Rhythm is established by repetition, radiating lines and transition.

Floral Design Concepts

Rhythm

• Harmony is how the individual parts of the design come together in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement.
• Like harmony in music, different instruments come together to make one pleasant song.
• Having a predetermined theme or style is important to a harmonious design.
• Repeating color, shape and texture emphasizes harmony.

Floral Design Concepts

Rhythm

• Unity is how the finished floral arrangement is viewed as a whole composition.
• Different from harmony, which focuses on the individual components
• All principles of floral design must be correct to achieve unity in a floral arrangement.

Floral Design Concepts

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Elements of Design

Line

• Lines in floral design give distinction and importance to an arrangement.
• Rhythm is greatly influenced by the lines of a composition.
• Directional lines can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal or curved.
• Arrangements can have actual, implied and psychic lines.

Floral Design Concepts

Form

• Form refers to the shape of the arrangement. The shape of the flowers, foliage and container helps create the overall form of the composition.
• The form is made up of positive and negative space.

Floral Design Concepts

Crescent Round/Circular Triangular/Fan-shaped

Depth

• Arrangements with depth avoid looking flat and two-dimensional.
• Angled lines and overlapping are both techniques that help portray depth in an arrangement.
• Angling the tallest stems slightly backward and the foreground stems slightly forward enhances depth.

Floral Design Concepts

Viewed from the front (left) the arrangement has depth. Viewed from the side (right), we see how that depth was created- through angling and overlapping.

Texture

• Texture refers to the exterior physical characteristics of objects in an arrangement.
• Flowers and foliage vary in texture (smooth, rough, glossy).
• Successful floral arrangements combine textures while still maintaining harmony and unity.

Floral Design Concepts

Color

• Hue is the proper term for color.
• The basic color wheel has 12 hues.

Floral Design Concepts

3 Primary

3 Secondary

6 Tertiary

Color (continued)

• Floral design themes revolve around a color scheme.
• Related color schemes can be monochromatic or analogous.

Floral Design Concepts

Color (continued)

• Colors across from each other on the color wheel are referred to as complementary colors.
• Contrasting colors themes are considered complementary, split-complementary or triadic.

Floral Design Concepts

Color (continued)

• Some floral arrangements will spread farther out on the color wheel, utilizing four hues.
• Discordant color themes are considered double-complement, alternate-complement and tetrad.

Floral Design Concepts