The Hidden Language of Shapes

Have you ever noticed how some visuals just feel right? There’s a reason Target’s bullseye is so satisfying, why bank logos often use squares, and why the play button on every device is a right-pointing triangle. These aren’t random choices — they’re speaking a visual language hardwired into our brains.

As solopreneurs, we make dozens of visual decisions daily, from social media graphics to website layouts. But here’s the thing:

Shapes aren’t just design elements. They’re silent communicators that can significantly impact your brand’s message.

Let’s decode the secret language of shapes and learn how to use them intentionally in your business.

The hidden messages of shapes

Let’s examine five fundamental shapes and what they silently communicate to your audience.

CIRCLES: The Trust-Builders

Circles represent unity, wholeness, and protection. They’re a warm hug for your audience’s eyes. Just look at how Starbucks uses its circular logo to convey community and warmth, or how PBS’s circular mark suggests inclusive public broadcasting. That’s why you’ll often see them in:

Community-focused brands
Social media profile frames
Membership and course completion badges
Wellness, health, and sustainability logos
Product guarantee seals

SQUARES: The Foundation-Setters

Squares and rectangles communicate stability, professionalism, and reliability. They’re the formal attire of the shape world. It’s no coincidence that Goldman Sachs and the BBC use strong rectangular elements in their branding to convey trust and authority. Squares are a good choice for:

Financial and legal service brands
Website content blocks
Social media carousel posts
Digital product mockups
Service package layout

TRIANGLES: The Action-Drivers

Triangles suggest movement, direction, and progress. They’re literally indicating the path ahead. Think of how the Google Play button invites action, or how Delta’s triangle logo suggests forward motion and flight. Use them in:

Progress indicators
Funnel diagrams
Growth-focused visuals
To point to specific content
“Next step” graphics

LINES: The Connectors

Lines are the quiet workhorses of visual design. Horizontal lines suggest calm and stability, while vertical lines convey strength and growth. Diagonal lines? They’re about energy and motion. Nike’s swoosh and FedEx’s hidden arrow demonstrate how lines can suggest movement and direction. Use lines for:

Navigation and section dividers
Process flows
Timeline graphics
Progress indicators
Visual hierarchy markers

ORGANIC SHAPES: The Humanizers

These irregular, natural shapes add warmth and authenticity to your brand. Think curves, blobs, and hand-drawn elements. Airbnb’s and Apple’s naturally curved designs show how organic shapes can make brands more approachable and human. They’re perfect for:

Background elements
Creative business branding
Story highlights
Newsletter graphics
Informal accents

Putting shapes to work

The magic happens when you combine shapes intentionally. A circle softens a square’s rigid professionalism, and a triangle adds dynamic energy to a stable rectangle. Think of shapes as ingredients in your visual recipe.

Consider these ways to leverage shapes in your business:

🔵 Social media
Frame your quotes in shapes that match their emotions. An inspiring quote? Triangle. Nurturing advice? Circle.

🔵 Website headers
Use subtle shape backgrounds to guide attention. A subtle triangle can direct viewers to your signup form.

🔵 Brand elements
Layer basic shapes to create unique patterns that reflect your brand personality.

🔵 Course materials
Use squares for structured content, circles for community aspects, and triangles for action steps.

🔵 Client presentations
Match shapes to your message. Use circles for collaborative projects and vertical lines for growth statistics.

Your shape challenge

This week, try this: Pick one piece of your visual content and analyze its shapes. Are you sending the message you intend?

As you fine-tune your shapes, remember there’s no universal approach to visual communication.

Every shape tells a story, but that story can change depending on context, culture, and personal experience.

The best shape choices are those that feel authentic to your brand and resonate with your intended audience.

What’s sparking your curiosity?

A request from a SOLO reader sparked today’s issue on visual communication. Got an idea or topic you’d like to see covered? Hit reply and share it with me — I love hearing from readers and personally read every email.

❤️ Fresh finds for creative minds

Here are this week’s gems from around the Web for all types of visual thinkers and solopreneurs:

🖇️ Compare text differences in seconds
For all of us who have ever faced the tedious task of comparing two blocks of text to find the differences, Difftext has come to our rescue. This online tool can be used to quickly compare changes in plain text, code, JSON, HTML, CSS, markdown, and more. (Thanks to Recomendo for originally showcasing it.)

🧠 The hierarchy of insight
We collect data and hope to turn it into insight. But in between, there are other layers to this hierarchy. This 3-sentence post on Seth Godin’s blog asks a question worth pondering. It stopped me in my (intellectual) tracks, and I think you’ll also find it worth a minute of your day.

🚫 Stop LinkedIn from training AI with your content
LinkedIn’s updated privacy policy now states that user data is used to train its AI models. Users can opt out by toggling a setting in Account Settings, which stops future data usage (though it’s not retroactive). Some SOLO readers may not mind, while others might want to restrict it. At least now you know. Details in this gift article from the Washington Post or this article from Fast Company.