Skip to main content

The complex geometry of Islamic design - Eric Broug

3,402,847 Views

38,935 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

In Islamic culture, geometric design is everywhere: you can find it in mosques, madrasas, palaces, and private homes. And despite the remarkable complexity of these designs, they can be created with just a compass to draw circles and a ruler to make lines within them. Eric Broug covers the basics of geometric Islamic design.

Create and share a new lesson based on this one.

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Eric Broug
  • Director Jeremiah Dickey
  • Animator Peyton Skyler
  • Script Editor Emma Bryce
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
Avatar for TED Ed
Lesson creator

by TED-Ed

Computers and design software now make it easier than ever to create geometric patterns accurately and quickly. Tessellating, scaling up, or scaling down: all this can be done with a few mouse clicks. Is it old fashioned to still draw Islamic geometric patterns with a pencil, ruler and compass? What is the value of this traditional approach?

Comments are closed on this discussion.

Avatar for Sulthan Aladin M
Lesson completed

As an artist that works with digital arts for the digital entertainment industry, I can say that I still see the value in every traditional approach on making things. From what I see, there is more meaning and very careful process in the making of them. And doing things traditionally gives different results as well sometimes, like the texture, details, maybe pattern because of the limitation (hey sometimes limitation can be good! It will make us more creative!).
And lastly for me personally I see them who does art traditionally are more skilled and has much more value in the art itself


Avatar for Julia Kempff
Lesson completed

The purpose of actually tessellating the Islamic geometric patterns rather then using a computer gives the action more meaning and prominence. The value of this tradition is high because a lot of methods are getting forgotten due to the effortless technologies, so the original methods are valued so much more. The original methods give personality compared to a computer.


Avatar for Zena Nguensi Ngueyap
Lesson in progress

it was talking about how its import in life


Avatar for Aly Abdelfattah
Lesson completed

I am fascinated with your website it is very well organized. I am coming from Linguamarina.



Avatar for Maëlle Blaszczyk
Lesson completed

I work in digital art so I sometimes appreciate automation that offers us digital art and design software. But I really appreciatee to work with "old" techniques (pencil, ruller and compass). Often I do first a draw on paper befor start on my computer because I find that it centers me on my work.


Avatar for mohamed nour
Lesson completed

its art when its full of patience and creativity.


Avatar for adnan fidvi
Lesson completed

from an artistic view , handy works give a much brighter effect than of computerized . in hand work , you will know more than in making it in computer .for eg:- if you need to draw a hexagon by hand you need to draw hundreds of shape to get a hexagon and you will learn much more , but in computers ,scales and lines, hexagon is made without by a click on a button. me my self, i draw with hands and then edit it on illustrator,it gives me a bright and up-glowing effect . one more thing , on applications you don't need your brain . but in hand drawing you need your body and brain with your sitting posture and concentration and confidence .


Avatar for Karol Smith
Lesson completed

I would have more satisfaction using the physical objects of pencil, ruler & compass. It would be work generated by me rather than a machine. Related to this is another decorative use of mathematical principles in the 'crochet coral reef project' <http://crochetcoralreef.org/about/> A clever climate-change awareness raising idea.


Avatar for Alicia Rother
Lesson in progress

This is highly detailed and detailed lesson for graphic designers to learn Mandalay type of designs too. Easier for computer age designers than hand designers.

Loading...

More from The Artist's Palette