shapes
The usage of shapes is associated with the functions that they fulfill, which include:
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Shapes are containers.
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They hold discrete pieces of information - text or visual - in order to emphasize them.
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They help bring together informational content of different styles or appearances by creating a "common ground".
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They separate informational content in layouts where such content needs to be placed closely, due to space restrictions.
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Shapes are "signposts"
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that help the viewer focus on content by creating informational axes that work like arrows, or even can be arrows themselves.
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The most obvious shape is of course a a rectangle or a square. But shapes are not limited to such boxes. Circles, irregular shapes, and strokes are all shapes that can be used to carry out the functions listed above.
CONTAINERS
BOXES SHOULD Not BE PLACED WITHOUT a good reason
Such a reason can be that you want to display a certain piece of information in a special way...
...usually because you wish to give it an emphasis by giving it a separate space.
By itself this is just a circle that has no reason to be here. But when you fill it with a message it becomes an "information emphasizer".
Above you are seeing how rectangular boxes can be used to place information, and how multiple shapes can also be used to create hierarchies.
All sorts of shapes, from circles to irregular shapes, can be used as containers. When using circular or irregular shapes in most cases centering the text will work better since left/right or justified text chunks will be a bit like the saying "trying to fit a square peg in a round hole".
With square or rectangular boxes, on the other hand having a text chunk that has at least one straight edge will work much better since the edge of the text will create a nice parallel with the box edge, as you are seeing in the threesome group above.
<<< Rollover to compare the original to the "fixed" version.
Nice image and you do want to use it, however the problem is that it doesn't sufficiently stand out from your background color. The solution is to place it inside a container shape.
Once a Spice Shop, always a Spice Shop?
Well, we still are a Spice Shop, but nowadays we are so much more!
Tekir Efendi, one of the most respected merchants of the old Istanbul Spice Market, sets sail to contemporary lifestyles through a diverse range of products and services catering to the needs and tastes of an urban chic clientele!
We have taken traditional Eastern Mediterranean / Middle Eastern Cuisine and given it a makeover to fit the needs of the fast paced lifestyle of today’s Istanbul.
Regardless of whether you dine in one of our dashing cafes, or shop from our market, or have the goodies delivered directly to your doorstep - get ready for a dining experience that is rich in taste as well as good nutrition since it has been created entirely out of organic products grown in season, locally.
Unique home accessories that take their inspirations from the traditional crafts of Anatolia which our artists and designers combine with the streamlined tastes and needs of contemporary urban lifestyles.
Speech bubbles are containers for short texts. The trick is to always have the bubble connected to something that makes it "speak".
JOINERS
<<< Rollover to compare the original to the "joined" version.
These two images belong together, however they are so different in terms of their silhouettes that they need a binding element - a "joiner". Once such a joiner is placed behind them they start to occupy the same space with no further problems.
SEPARATORS
<<< Rollover to compare the original to the "separated" version.
Sometimes you have to place informational content that is unrelated very close to each other. What we have on the left is like this: We have to bring together two unrelated things - food and home accessories. The boxes solve the problem.
Another issue solved here by shape usage is the broken image on the bottom left. You often get silhouetted images that are cropped straight on one side and the only way to use them is by framing them within a background.
We have taken traditional Eastern Mediterranean / Middle Eastern Cuisine and given it a makeover to fit the needs of the fast paced lifestyle of today’s Istanbul.
We are also collaborating with ceramic, wood, metal and glass artists to bring forth our own line of unique home accessories.
sıgnposts
These stand as markers that point your attention. They can be used in any situation where you want to draw special attention to something. In the example below I have used an actual arrow in order to further illustrate the directional nature of the shape; but any other shape or even a stroke can direct attention to a specific piece of information on a page.
Once a Spice Shop, always a Spice Shop?
Well, we still are a Spice Shop, but nowadays we are so much more!
Tekir Efendi, one of the most respected merchants of the old Istanbul Spice Market, sets sail to contemporary lifestyles through a diverse range of products and services catering to the needs and tastes of an urban chic clientele!
We have taken traditional Eastern Mediterranean / Middle Eastern Cuisine and given it a makeover to fit the needs of the fast paced lifestyle of today’s Istanbul. Regardless of whether you dine in one of our dashing cafes, or shop from our market, or have the goodies delivered directly to your doorstep - get ready for a dining experience that is rich in taste as well as good nutrition since it has been created entirely out of organic products grown in season, locally.
Our land is renowned for high quality cotton, linen and wool farming. We have entered collaborations with some of Turkey’s best known textile manufacturers to create our own line of home textiles, covering a wide range of items from bed linen to towels, rugs, dining accessories, and much more.
We are also collaborating with ceramic, wood, metal and glass artists and collectives to bring forth our own lines of tableware, kitchenware and unique home accessories that take their inspirations from the traditional crafts of Anatolia which our artists and designers combine with the streamlined tastes and needs of contemporary urban lifestyles.