Don’t Be Square!

Being square can mean being either good or bad, depending on the context. For the good aspect, square can mean being aligned correctly or being even or balanced in some measure. For the bad aspect, square can mean being old-fashioned or not in step with the times.

Many things that are constructed by humans are square or rectangular in shape: furniture, buildings, books, shipping containers, newspapers, game boards. Many things are also constructed as grids: fabrics, streets, cities, microchips. Even virtual things such as computer windowing systems (GUIs) are right-angled for the most part.

By contrast, almost nothing in nature is square or rectangular. There are exceptions, of course, such as some crystals, geological formations, or even some animal eye pupils. Other regular shapes are preferred, such as the hexagonal tiling of a honeycomb, the six-fold symmetry of the snowflake, the pentagonal symmetry of the starfish, etc.

Often human-made things that diverge from a square or rectangular shape catch the eye or are innovative. Buckminster Fuller became famous due to his geodesic dome. Architect Frank Gehry comes to mind by his design of irregular buildings. Other architects designed shapes that looked more natural because of their fluid and organic appearance.

One thought on “Don’t Be Square!”

Gilbert Kirk says:

September 4, 2025 at 1:28 PM

I really enjoy this post, especially since I read the link Riddle of the Square.

As a square format photographer, I liked the fact that it seemed to encompass a larger, more complete image of what I was capturing on film. It seems more natural, reflecting my idea that we see much more than a rectangular view from our eyes. The article argues that the spacing of our eyes in our head forms a rectangular image. I don’t agree but we’re allowed to do that, aren’t we?

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