Karen L French
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DECODING DESIGN by Maggie Macnab

6/14/2022

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Decoding Design by Maggie Macnab
How Design Books

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Recommended Read 'Decoding Design' by Maggie Macnab, published by How Design Books. A greta book for appreciating the power of sacred geometry in logo designs. Maggie covers the core simple basic shapes - circle, square, triangle, cross, spiral and principle of duality. There are case studies of familiar mainstream logos and some of her own designs. Underlying this is her passion and source of inspiration, nature.  

"Words are the language of the head, but visuals carry the intuitive language of the heart. The language of nature is universal and it is our first and primary language. Design by Nature is about recapturing the lost art of reading nature to create better visual communications—as well as give a better understanding (and appreciation) of nature."
DESIGN OBSERVER - Maggie Macnab founded Macnab Design in 1981 and received highest honors from the American Advertising Federation ADDY for logo design in 1983. She has continued to receive national and international recognition for creating design that focuses on meaning, beauty and usefulness. Her unique approach integrates symbolic information into design to create effective and accessible visual communications that translate into any language and any culture.


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March 23rd, 2022

3/23/2022

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Wooden Books
​Publisher 

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Recommended Reading this week are the beautifully illustrated titles by the Wooden Books imprint, of which there are currently over 60. They publish a wide range of short taster books on sacred geometry topics and related subjects. Plus the beefier 'Quadruvium' and 'Sciencia' pictured here. Wooden Books specialises in 'age-old' topics. It won Best Non-Fiction Series at the 2007 New York Book Fair. It's series of titles continues to grow.

Most of the books are written by John Martineau, founder of Wooden Books. His MA project focussed on geometry and harmony in the solar systems. It was then the basis of his 'Book of Coincidence'.

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January 26th, 2022

1/26/2022

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Pattern of Eternity by Malcolm Stewart
Floris Books
978-086315-712-7

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Recommended Read this week is Malcolm Stewart's (1939-) 'Patterns of Eternity - Sacred Geometry and the Starcut Diagram', published by Floris Books.

This is a classic sacred geometry text, well researched, insightful, covers a lot of ground, includes plenty of examples from many cultures. If you are serious about understanding the mathematics of sacred geometry then this needs to be in your library.

Stewart proposes that the Starcut Diagram has very interesting mathematical properties and that it could possibly be the source of the ancient number system used to build ancient sites.

Malcolm Stewart's varied career includes - priest, singer-songwriter, editor and book jacket designer, UN project co-ordinator, NGO relief-aid and refugee organiser, freelance artist and stained glass designer, lecturer and author.



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Recommended Read: THE POWER OF LIMITS by G Doczi

1/5/2022

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The Power of Limits: Proportional Harmonies in Nature, Art and Architecture 
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by Gyorgi Doczi

Shambhala Publications Ltd
978-1-59030-259-0

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'The Power of Limits' by Gyorgi Doczi (1909 - 1995) is a staple textbook for sacred geometry fans. With a emphasis on the recurring and ever popular Golden Mean spiral.

​There is no interpretation of the meaning of geometry, rather a detailed study of patterns and order in nature, art and architecture. Doczi main interest is harmony and so he looks closely at the important link between music (sound) and form.
György Doczi (1905 - 1995) practiced architecture in Hungary, Sweden, Iran, and the United States. He initiated a permanent exhibit on form in nature and art at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, and was a founder of the Friends of Jungian Psychology Northwest. 

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Recommended Read: SQUARE, CIRCLE, TRIANGLE by Bruno Munari

12/22/2021

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Square, Circle, Triangle by Bruno Munari
Princeton Architectural Press
978-1-61689-412-2

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This week's Recommended Read is an excellent book called Square, Circle, Triangle by the acclaimed giant in 20th Century design, Bruno Munari (1907 - 1998). He was an artist, designer and inventor in several fields of the visual arts - painting, sculptor, graphic design, industrial design and film. He produced many children's books and toys. Also non-visual arts, with his fascinating research on games, didactic method, tactile learning, kinaesthetic learning and creativity. A hugely prolific talent.

Another fantastic supplement to my books as he provides plenty of extra examples of these three simple, fundamental shapes in different cultures and applications (games, design, architecture, sculpting...).

The simple book cover says it all!

​At the bottom of this post are YouTube links to interviews with B Munari and other interesting material.



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Recommended Read: CRYSTAL AND DRAGON by David Wade

12/15/2021

 

Crystal & Dragon: A Cosmic Two Step by David Wade
Destiny Books, US
978-0-89281-404-6

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This week's Recommended Read goes into pattern sharing in depth! "Crystal and Dragon" by David Wade is fascinating. A great supplement to my The Hidden geometry of Life since I summarise pattern sharing in two chapters. Similarly he is an artist and sculptor living in the UK. On my list of kindred souls I would like to meet.
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David has also written about patterns for Wooden Books.

Exploring the interplay of form and energy, David Wade takes the reader on a journey through the world of successive ages from Plato's conception of the ideal form and the ancient Chinese philosophy of change to the modern scientific view of structure and indeterminacy as embodied in the laws of physics.

Phyllotaxis - leaf patterns mimicked by man

5/24/2017

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​Phyllotaxis is the arrangement of leaves around a stem. When these patterns use one more spirals, as shown, the results are stunning. Yet all leaf growth patterns are incredible as plans have evolved to ensure that every leaf is touched by the sun's rays, minimising shadows and maximising space. Water collection  is optimised as it flows down to the plant's roots.
In Costa Rica they have designed an orchard using the principles of sacred geometry. Trees are planted on a spiral formation around a central core, mimicking the plants own growth patterns
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Roundness all around in nature - celebrating a new annual cycle

7/4/2016

 
Some fun and fascinating examples of the circle and sphere occurring naturally in nature.
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The Moon
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Bodies of small birds, like the Robin...
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...and small owl
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Air bubbles
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Saturn and its rings
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Acorn cup
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Microscopic organisms (Kesseler)
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Fairy Ring caused by fungi of the class Basidiomycetes
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Sycamore seed pod
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Citrus fruits
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Radial ripples in water
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The Fairy Circles, the Namib Desert
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A minute diatom
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Dahlia flower
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Hedgehog curled in protective ball
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Punch hole in cirrocumulus clouds
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Spherical rocks, Koekohe Beach, New Zealand
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Cactus
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Bird's nest
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Dandelion
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Sunflower
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Fern leaves
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Onion's rings
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The Great Blue Hole, Belize
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Beetroot
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The caldera of Erta Ale, volcano in Ethiopia
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The circles of growth in a tree
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Inflated puffer fish
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Male Japanese puffer fish sand circles
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Many types of fungi
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Sea Urchin
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The Cancha de Bochas
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Halo around the Sun
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The round body of many spiders
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Spider's web and eggs
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Planet Earth
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Turtle eggs
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Many types of berry
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Frozen soap bubble
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Eyeball
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Blue Eye in the African Sahara
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In the designs of patterns on animal bodies
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Rotating ice discs

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Gateway to the Heavens
A glorious work that fires the imagination and helps us appreciate the truth of our reality.
NEXUS magazine
Do you realise you actually shape your destiny and shapes influence your destiny. If you want to understand how this works ask Karen to give a talk about it or read her excellent book. You may have hated even the mention of geometry at school, but Karen's simple and illustrated explanations will give you a real insight into this fascinating topic. 
Jo Pelle, NSFH
The Hidden Geometry of Life
The harmony in our world and the cosmos is awe-inspiring, and is brilliantly portrayed here in images and words which reveal the connection between art, geometry, science, consciousness and spirituality.... An illuminating book indeed!
NEXUS magazine
The attentive audience was enthralled by Karen's introduction to the principals of this truly multi-dimensional topic ... The energy in the room, by the end of the evening, was well and truly charged! 
Inspired Events
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