Introduction to Three-Dimensional Design: Principles, Processes, and Projects

Softcover | 17.91 x 1.65 x 21.34 cm | 126 pp

Princeton Architectural Press | 2020 | 9781616899219

Introduction to Three-Dimensional Design is the first book to teach graphic design students the fundamentals of three-dimensional design through hands-on drawing and model projects. The book combines key concepts with carefully crafted exercises so students can apply three-dimensional design principles in practice. From initial sketches through experimental prototypes to the final model solutions, students will develop a deeper understanding of the often complex elements and principles of three-dimensional design.

Typing on a keyboard or moving a mouse or a stylus are the only tactile sensations many designers experience in today’s digital world. Introduction to Three-Dimensional Design upends this trend by providing design and art students with an essential body of knowledge: how to communicate the principles of three dimensional design and art with intent and meaning through drawings and models.

Each of the four projects explored in the book – resulting from a series of educational problem solving experiments – is carefully crafted to focus on key concepts of scale, proportion, balance, rhythm, emphasis, and harmony. The Mask Design project employs contrast as a means of intensifying communication through juxtaposition; Wire lcons transforms the continuous graphic line from two to three dimensions to capture volume and space; Paper Food combines texture and colour with simplified shapes in abstract three dimensional representations of food products; and
Multiplane Acrylic Birds uses clear acrylic to communicate bold and subtle differences in colour via overlapping or offset planes.

Kimberly Elam is a write, educator, and designer. She is on the faculty of the Graphic Design Department at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida.