The Beauty of Symmetry in Design

Design, fashion art, and architecture all use symmetry. If a design or structure is symmetrical, it has balance and harmony, which people say makes it pleasant to look at. Symmetry speaks of deep connections that lie underneath superficial differences. When symmetry appears even subtly, it causes an intuitive excitement.

Symmetry is often referred to as one of the more quantifiable areas of design. Its language is mathematics.  Snowflakes are beautiful because they embody just the right amount of symmetry.  People find symmetry beautiful, whether it is in mathematically perfect spirals of snails and shells.

Nature uses symmetry to signal an individual’s well-being. Most animals have bilateral symmetry. If the body is viewed along a plane that bisects it laterally, the left side is a mirror image of the right-hand side.

Geometrical symmetries, such as those characterising simple shapes like circles and squares, are evident at a glance. Symmetry and approximate symmetry can communicate harmony and stability.

Beware of symmetry?

Others argue that reverence for aesthetic principles such as symmetry leads to stagnant, simplistic thinking. We tend not to want to move on when we revere something too much. In visual design, approach it with extreme caution. Symmetrical layouts can quickly become static or flat.

Symmetry of art

The Greek vase has survived, not because of its decorations and pictures, as beautiful as these are, but because of its extraordinary beauty of form. To the Ancient Greeks, the form of the vase was of vital importance; the vase painting was actually secondary.

Additional Reading

Baglivo, J. A., Graver, J. E. (1983). Incidence and symmetry in design and architecture. Kiribati: Cambridge University Press.

Hambidge, J. (2022). Dynamic Symmetry: The Greek Vase. United States: Creative Media Partners, LLC.

Hambidge, J. (2012). The Elements of Dynamic Symmetry. United States: Dover Publications.

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