The Centrifugal Structure

a) The Basic Centrifugal Structure. This consists of straight structural lines radiating from the center of the pattern. All the angles formed by the structural lines at the center should be equal.

b) Curving or Bending of Structural Lines. The straight structural lines in (a) can be curved or bent regularly as desired. When bending occurs, the positions where the structural lines start to make an abrupt turn are determined by a shape [usually a circle, the center of which coincides with the center of the radiation pattern] which is superimposed upon the structural lines.

c) Center of Radiation in Off-center Position. The center of radiation is often also the physical center of the design, but it can be placed in an off-center position, as far as the edge or even beyond it.

d) Opening up of the Center of Radiation. The center of radiation can be opened up to form a round, oval, triangular, square, or polygonal hole. In this case, the structural lines do not radiate from the center of the hole but run as tangents to the circular hole or as extensions of the sides of the central triangle, square, or polygon.

e) Multiple centers, by Opening up of the Center of Radiation. After the center of radiation has been opened up and a regular triangle, square or polygon appears, each vertex of the triangle, square or polygon can become a center of radiation. This means that if the polygon is a hexagon, there will be six centers of radiation. The design is divided into six sectors, with each sector its own center of radiation from which structural lines are radiated.

f) Multiple Centers, by Splitting and Sliding the Center of Radiation. A center of radiation can be slit into two by having half of the design radiate from one off-center position, and the remaining half from another off-center position, with the two centers on one straight line which passes through the physical center of the design. More centers can be created in similar fashion.

g) Multiple Centers or Hidden Multiple Centers, by Combining Sections of Off-center Radiation Structures. Two or more sections of off-center radiation structures can be organized and combined to form a new radiation structure. The result is a multiple-center radiation whether the centers are visible or hidden. [Wong, Wucius. Principals of Two-Dimensional Design. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1972.]