32 Geometric Design Tips and Tricks

Shapes and patterns are all around us, and it’s not surprising that they have found their way into the design world. Geometric designs vary from simplistic to complex and artistic forms. But which do qualify as geometric shapes designs? Any personal or promotional designs developed using geometric shapes and patterns to enhance, brand, or advertise.

You have creative liberty over the graphic design software you choose to create one-of-a-kind designs.

You might not even realize all the geometric line designs, shapes, and patterns that make the world around you and what symbolism each holds. Many small details matter, how soft or sharp the edges are, what colors are used, and how the text and shapes are positioned.

Did you ever realize how squares and rectangles make you feel in logos and branding? Microsoft, Lego, BBC, Chevrolet? All those brands attempt to convey stability and long-lasting trust. Isn’t that accurate? Those brands carry a generational value and universal integrity. 

What about triangles? Triangle logos’ ambitions lie in promoting success, growth, and progress. That’s why companies like Adobe, Reebok, HSBC, CAT, and many more prominently feature triangles. 

Now, circles hold very interesting subconscious and physical powers that enhance branding and attract the eye. It’s the human subconscious response to follow lines, and a circle is a never-ending line that grabs and holds anyone’s attention. This explains why so many companies with legacies beyond the modern-day have circular logos; Pepsi, Mercedes-Benz, Starbucks, Tide, and even the Olympics. 

There is a lot more to analyze about the psychology of shapes; meanwhile, let’s dive into the real-life applications of geometric shape designs.

 

1. Choose a Geometric Logo 

You can never go wrong with a geometric logo. You can perfectly convey your message, be memorable and easily marketable.  There is no one template for a geometric logo design, and the sky's the limit in your creative journey. Combine shapes, create varied shapes and patterns. Renderforest Logo Maker can generate a logo that works for you or choose the template and customize it to your needs.

Create Your Logo

 

1. Transform Geometric Designs to Images 

Source: Typesetting Magazine via PngEgg

Many digital designers find creative solutions to present their photos and images using geometric shapes and forms. As you can see, geometric patterns turn regular visuals into creative layouts. You can combine it with colors, mix and match different shapes, and turn them into patterns. Even textual content can become more engaging just because of a geometric design layout.

 

1. Try Diagonal Shapes

A real deal-changer for the graphic design industry has been the incorporation of diagonal shapes into simple designs. Those are super easy to customize, and with the right color theme, they can be used for educational, marketing, and many other purposes. You can also make this design with Renderforest Graphic Maker.

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1. Create a Theme and Variations

When creating branding visuals or developing a campaign, it’s important to keep in mind that the consistency of those matters! Your brand image is the combination of impressions customers get, and the more unison they are, the better for you. Create geometric typography visuals that don’t repeat in design but match in their theme.

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1. Use Simple 2D Designs 

Source: MotoCMS

Since the beginning of the marketplace, creating and branding have become more and more important for the maintenance of business strategies. Companies and entrepreneurs strived to stand out starting in the middle ages and still do in the age of digital business practices. Using 2D designs presents a simple geometrical image to the clients and can become iconic as Starbucks, Pinterest, and many others.

 

1. Combine Solid Colors and Patterns 

What’s more fun than colorful geometric patterns combined with solid colors? Create radiant combinations and design stand-out geometric graphics for all kinds of products, even socks! Try for yourself!

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1. Create a Geometric Background 

Source: Barry Tobin via Behance

Geometric backgrounds are incredibly mesmerizing and inviting. Those add a layer of innovation and modern flare, which is the unpalatable part of modern marketing, branding, and art. Use those as a website background, promotional materials, and feel free to experiment with shapes and colors.

 

1. Incorporate Geometry into Your Videos 

Geometric shapes are not only for prints, products, and digital graphics. Easily use them in your video intros, logo reveals, and outros. You don’t need to be a motion graphics designer to do that. Try out Renderforest Video Maker and see for yourself!

Create Geometric Videos

 

1. Select Uncommon Shapes

Source: Silvino Gonzalez Morales via Behance

Smaller regular shapes, when added a little bit of imagination, create designs that intrigue. If you zoom in closer, you’ll see that all the artist has used are circles, ovals, rectangles and has altered them to be unique and authentic.

 

1. Connect Shapes

Source: Nastya KFKS ナナ via Behance

Don’t stop on just one shape! Find your creative way of connecting shapes and customizing colors to make it look extra fun. Just take a look at the 168Art Festival brochure. Even though connected shapes don’t translate into a uniform image, they convey the free-spirited and unconventional nature of the event.

 

1. Make it Work with Your Brand

Packaging, digital marketing, and your logo all need to match for your branding strategy to be successful. Create a logo online and use it in videos, promotional materials, and more. Choose your customizable geometric logo today!

Create Your Logo

 

1. Diamonds are Designers' Best Friends

While aesthetically different, diamond shape logos are easy to create and have proven themselves times and times again. This geometric shape conveys stability and flexibility while is also easy to incorporate in letter, abstract or conceptual logo designs.

 

1. Experiment with Collages

Source: John Whitlock via Flickr

Being more of an artistic rather than marketing approach, geometric collages are great statement pieces. Those might not work as permanent marketing campaign visuals but can enhance a one-off visual or promotional material.

 

1. Choose Creative Packaging Solutions

Source: Structural Packaging Blog

Simple geometric designs and patterns can enhance your packaging solutions. Cool geometric designs can be an exceptional marketing campaign since so many products come out every day; it’s essential to stand out. Look at what Doisy Dam, a chocolate vendor, did. Different kinds of chocolate have distinct pattern designs, which don’t necessarily match in color story or design but still have the same stylistic theme. And that’s what makes this packaging design so iconic and memorable.

 

1. Mix in Letters and Shapes

Source: Michael Irwin via Dribbble

Letters are easy to mold into geometric shape designs, and with some imagination and your brand colors, you can turn a universal alphabet into your brand identity.

 

1. Go for Simplicity

Source: Abduzeedo

As Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Learning from the great, you too can apply this wisdom and aim for simple looks that speak louder than complicated designs. Incorporate geometric lines and patterns into simplistic logos, brochures, and websites.

 

1. Grid Geometric Designs

Source: Design Center of the Philippines via Behance

Grids are not just convenient tools for layout measurement but also design elements that work! Your geometric design can stand out if you find a way to incorporate grids in. Align with the shapes or purposefully break the barriers. The sky's the limit or the grid border.

 

1. Lines are Also Geometric 

Source: Daily Minimal

One of the most underappreciated geometric shapes is lines. We don’t normally think of them as geometric, while they make all of the shapes known to us. Use them to create dynamic visuals and a variety of designs.

 

1. Try Psychedelic Shape Patterns

Source: Hattie Stewart via People of Print

While not everyone’s cup of tea, psychedelic pattern designs are gaining popularity among designers. They incorporate simple illustrations, images, or repetitive patterns with geometric shapes and formations.

 

1. Pair Shapes and Patterns 

Source: Zoo Kim via Pinterest

Pairing different elements is not new for graphic designers. This is an effortless technique to create a layout that is unique but also engaging and memorable. The symmetry in geometric shape designs is naturally appealing and satisfying, isn’t it?

 

1. Choose Complementary Colors

Source: TomaszPawlo023 via Dribbble

In graphic design, it’s all about complementary colors and matching those with your personal touch. Look at the main page of the Natural Beauty website. All the colors compliment each other and follow the color theory, where colors opposing each other on the color wheel work the best. While the primary color tone matches the wheel, the designer has taken artistic liberty and used pastels to signify the natural and earthly essence of the brand.

 

1. Use Shapes to Appeal Visually 

Source: Mr. Marcel School Madrid via Pinterest

Look at posters and brochure concepts from Mr. Marcel School Madrid. Imagine those designs that are aimed at kids without the geometric origami-like animal designs and random geometric patterns.

 

1. Try a Border to Enhance Your Design

Source: Anagrama Studio via Behance

Concentrate the attention of your audience on things that matter to you the most; your logo, brand name, description. Create visual depth and enhance your appearance on the market.

 

1. Experiment with Hand-drawn Designs

Source: Pinterest

There is nothing more authentic than the imperfections of hand-drawn designs. Find your ways to combine them with your packaging, digital marketing, and logos, and show that the design shouldn’t be textbook perfect to be good. Try geometric shapes and patterns, and don’t bother with making every line straight.

 

1. Engage with Optical Illusions 

Source: Ernst Lindahl via Dribbble

Coming back to more line designs, see how effortlessly modern and elegant curved lines are. Those create optical illusions that can be interpreted differently. A water motion, sound wave, fabric in the wind, use your imagination or leave it to your audience to interpret.

 

1. Combine Shapes and Real Pictures 

Source: Indulgy

Simple geometric patterns are fun, but have you ever tried combining those with pictures? Shape patterns can be a great mechanism to frame a photo or incorporate the images. Make sure the picture is still visible, and the framing makes sense for it. Don’t try to be edgy just for the sake of it, but make the idea work for you.

 

1. Never Go Wrong with Black and White

Source: Christoph Ruprecht via Behance

Black and white geometric designs have been an iconic staple from when color prints were not a thing. It’s sophisticated, cool, and down to earth all at the same time.

 

1. Asymmetry and Abstract Design

Source: Scott Albrecht

From publishing to digital marketing and beyond, asymmetry and abstract geometric designs keep the visual perception fresh and memorable. Look at Scott Albrecht’s book cover design, for example. He has made those patterns and colors his signature style, and whatever he designs, those are distinctly his creations.

 

1. Use Bold Geometric Shapes

Source: Design Bundles via Pinterest

When using geometric design, look into inspirations from the beginning of the 20s century, specifically the Bauhaus movement. Back then, designs used bold geometric shapes and weren’t reluctant to combine those for abstract and conceptual prints and more.

 

1. Replace Solid Colors with Gradient 

Source: Danielle Muntyan via Behance

Experimenting with colors doesn’t stop at solids. You can also try to incorporate gradients and add volume to the flat geometric designs. See the project done by Danielle Munutyan, which incorporates lines, geometric shapes, and cutouts and is enhanced by a thematic dual gradient.

 

1. Pixels are Cool

Source: Andy Gilmore via Designspiration

Pixels by themself, are a kind of optical illusion that makes the viewer stop and think for a bit. Use that to your advantage and create geometrical design shapes for your artistic needs.

 

1. Try Isometric Cube Patterns

Source: ArtyFactory

We couldn’t have this list without isometric designs. Those are 3D-like shapes created using light and dark tones to create an illusion. Looking very futuristic, those designs can add a modern flair to your marketing solutions and design needs.

 

Whichever tip or trick you use, remember to always stay true to your brand and never force trends upon yourself. There are so many geometric shape design ideas and styles to look into and find what works the best for you!