Every era has had its respective technological breakthroughs. Web or App browsing started with Gopher, which eventually gave rise to the birth of HTTP. Then came the era of the simple website layouts when NetScape was at its prime. 1997 onwards was when web design started to evolve. The mid 2000‘s was a time when a standardized website layout pattern began to really develop.

Web / IT professionals needed to come up with newer visual styles and formats to cater to the rapid growth of technology. Today we build eye-catching, responsive websites with minimalism. We’ve reduced fluff and visual noise. But innovation doesn’t stop there, web design has moved in tandem. This is the era for geometric shapes in web design.

I think geometry is something that is more than just the points mentioned above, which are merely applied concepts of Geometry. I’m going to quote one of Plato’s work which is a dialogue between Plato and the protagonist, Phaedrus.

“Yes, Socrates, you can easily invent tales of Egypt, or of any other country. But even if not of divine origin, the objects of geometry are not to be found in the physical world. They are pure abstractions, creations of the human mind.”

What Phaedrus tries to imply is that geometry is a-priori, it existed even before the human mind was capable of comprehending shapes and structures. All of mathematics is a-priori and that we are governed by its laws.

All designs, no matter how silly or weird they could appear to be, are based on geometry and are governed by these laws. Let’s take a look at how incorporating geometric shapes in websites and mobile apps can have an impact on visitors and browsers.

The purpose of design is to stimulate a user or visitor. Using geometric shapes (and their respective symbolic meanings) can have a bigger impact on an individual’s subconscious than you think. They can really prep up your client’s website and keep visitors coming back. Do you incorporate geometry in web or mobile design? If so, do share your thoughts or comments.