Floral Design Secret CH1

Chapter 1 - The ABC of Design and Color

What is design in flower arrangement? - How does color effect it? - How can we create good design?

To attain pleasing composition, one must know certain fundamentals of design. The successful arrangement shows to the onlooker, a completion of these basic principles:

Movement

This is the path which the eye takes from one part of the arrangement to the other. If an arrangement has good movement, the eye travels over it; absorbing the entire design in one glance.

Example: Figure 1 - The eye travels from the topmost spray of sumac to the mass of dahlias.

Scale

This is the relationship of the size and amount of plant material to the container. If the container is too large, the plant material is overpowered and lost.

Example: Figure 2 - This arrangement of asters is just right in size for the container used.

Balance

This is the correct placing of accent to avoid a toppling look or a feeling of disconnection.

Example: Figure 3 - Note that the tall branch of azaleas is balanced nicely on either side by the two smaller branches. The branch on the left is a little more than half the size of the domineering spray. The right hand spray is half the size of the left hand one. There are two types of balance. Figure 4, Leaves and Buds, is an example of assymmetrical design. This is where the imaginary line down the center divides the arrangement into unequal, but well scaled parts. Figure 5, Carnations and Iris Foliage, is an example of symmetrical design. This is when the imaginary line divides the arrangement into equal parts.