Path

The Path of Gradation
Any form can be gradually changed to become any other form. How the change takes place is determined by the path of gradation chosen.

There are multiple paths of gradation. The designer can choose a path of planar, spatial, or shape gradation, or a combination of all these. The path can be straightforward or roundabout.

For instance, if we wish to change a circle into a triangle by shape gradation, the circle can be stretched and squeezed to become more and more triangular, or it can be subtracted from three sides until it becomes a triangle. By planar gradation, the circle can be shifted upwards followed by a triangle which will occupy the entire structural subdivision when the circle has completely moved out. By spatial gradation, the circle can gradually diminish while the triangle can emerge simultaneously, first as a dot and then as a small triangle which gradually expands. Or the circle can gradually expand beyond the confines of the structural subdivision when the triangle also emerges. We can also consider the circle as the bottom of a cone which rotates to give the triangular front elevation.

All the paths of gradation just described are straightforward. If a roundabout path is desired, the circle can first be changed to a square [or any other shape] before it approaches the shape of the triangle in the sequence.

[Wong, Wucius. Principals of Two-Dimensional Design. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1972.]

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