Visual Form and Image
Sight and spatial composition

Language and Narrative
Words, symbols, and story logic

Sound, Music, and Rhythm
Temporal, aural, and vibrational

Embodied Performance
Bodies in time and space

Material and Tactile
Hands-on transformation of matter

Utility and Application
Practical accessibility and usefulness

Systems, Games and Play
Rules, interaction, or emergence

Conceptual and Abstract
Ideas as the primary medium

Scientific and Analytical
Explanation, discovery, and formal reasoning

Engineering and Invention
Function and work

Communication and Persuasion
Attention, belief, and understanding

Social, Cultural and Institutional
Human organization

Culinary and Sensory
Taste, smell, texture, and ritual

Meta-Creation and Curation
Creativity about creativity

Interdisciplinary
Crossing domains

Dimensionality
Spatial depth occupied and volumetric presence

• 2D: Exists on a flat plane (drawing, screen, print)
• 3D: Occupies volume in space (sculpture, model, VR object)
• Hybrid: Combines flat and volumetric space (2.5D games, reliefs, AR overlays)

Materiality
Matter and data

• Physical: Exists as a tangible object (canvas, clay, machine)
• Digital: Exists as data or software (image files, code, simulations)
• Hybrid: Moves between both (3D prints, projections on objects, CNC art)

Sensorium
Sensory channels addressed

• Visual: Seen (image, light, color)
• Aural: Heard (music, sound art)
• Tactile: Felt through touch or physical interaction
• Hybrid: Any combination (VR, musical instruments, interactive sculpture)

Temporality
Existsence and behavior in time

• Still: Static; no time-based change
• Animated: Changes over time (film, motion graphics)
• Hybrid: Mostly static with time-based elements (subtle loops, kinetic parts)

Generativity
Production of form

• Manual: Placed or crafted directly by a person
• Procedural: Generated by rules, algorithms, or systems
• Hybrid: Human sets rules, system produces results (generative art, parametric design)

Intentionality
Balance between control and chance

• Authorial: Fully intentional, composed, and fixed by the creator
• Aleatory: Driven by randomness, chance, or external inputs
• Hybrid: Artist defines boundaries, chance fills the gaps

Interactivity
Response to systems, time, or people

• Passive: Does nothing; simply exists
• Scripted: Follows a fixed sequence or logic
• Dynamic: Changes based on data, time, or environment
• Manipulated: Directly altered by users or performers
• Hybrid: Any layered combination (games, installations, live visuals)

Formation
Construction or removal of material

• Additive: Built up (painting, 3D printing)
• Subtractive: Carved or removed (sculpture, CNC milling)
• Assemblage: Combined from parts or found objects
• Hybrid: Multiple processes used together

Provenance
Relationship to the original medium or source

• Direct: The final object is the original medium (drawing, live code)
• Transfer: Copied or translated (prints, casts, recordings)
• Hybrid: Originals plus editions, scans, or remixes

Continuity
Structural nature of form

• Discrete: Built from units (pixels, voxels, polygons)
• Continuous: Smooth, volumetric, or field-based (clay, CAD solids)
• Mathematical: Defined by equations (vectors, splines, parametric curves)
• Hybrid: Most digital/physical pipelines

Closure
Finished object vs generative recipe

• Finalized: The piece is the artifact
• Instructional: The work is a set of rules to be performed or remade
• Hybrid: Fixed example plus a generative or performative score

Referentiality
Resemblance to the physical world

• Realistic: Attempts to mimic real-world appearance and proportions
• Stylized: Simplified, exaggerated, or intentionally altered forms
• Symbolic: Uses signs or metaphors rather than literal depiction
• Hybrid: Blends literal, stylized, and symbolic elements

Linearity
Definition of edges and boundaries

• Outlined: Forms are bounded by explicit contour lines
• Lineless: Shapes are defined by color, light, or value changes
• Implied: Edges are suggested through gaps or negative space
• Hybrid: Multiple edge strategies in one work

Chromaticity
Complexity of color use

• Binary: Two colors or values (often black/white)
• Monochrome: Variations of a single hue (including greyscale)
• Limited Palette: A small, curated set of colors
• Full Color: Wide, natural or saturated color spectrum
• Hybrid: Multiple palette systems combined

Texturality
Illusion of depth and material on surfaces

• Flat: No lighting or surface variation
• Shaded: Uses light and shadow to suggest volume
• Textured: Shows material detail or surface irregularity
• Hybrid: Mixes flat areas with shaded or textured regions

Morphology
Underlying shape logic

• Organic: Curved, irregular, natural forms
• Geometric: Precise, mathematical shapes
• Hybrid: Organic forms structured by geometry or vice versa

Culturality
Embedded cultural references

• Culturally-Rooted: Draws from a specific tradition or culture
• Cross-Cultural: Mixes identifiable influences from multiple cultures
• Synthesized: Creates a new, culture-agnostic aesthetic
• Hybrid: Combines specific and abstracted cultural cues

Expressivity
Emotional and communicative intent

• Iconic / Pictographic: Simplified, sign-like, universally legible
• Expressive / Idiosyncratic: Personal, emotional, or unconventional
• Hybrid: Symbolic clarity fused with personal expression

Historicity
Era evoked

• Vintage: Evokes past aesthetics or techniques
• Modern: Feels contemporary or forward-looking
• Hybrid: Past and present aesthetics interwoven

Realism
Relationship to physical reality

• Naturalistic / Literal: Follows real-world physics and logic
• Fantastic / Surreal: Breaks or reimagines reality
• Hybrid: Realistic foundations with impossible elements

Semantics
Symbolism, narrative, theme, and metaphor

• Denotation vs Connotation
• Literal vs Allegorical
• Abstract vs Narrative
• Open vs Didactic

Experience
Perception and emotion

• Calm vs Intense
• Familiar vs Alien
• Playful vs Serious
• Comfortable vs Unsettling

Function
Utility, intention, and role

• Decorative vs Instruimental
• Informative vs Expressive
• Exploratory vs Goal-Driven

Socialization
Audience, context, and power

• Niche vs Mass
• Subversive vs Normative
• Private vs Public
• Sacred vs Profane

Cognition
Interpretive load and engagement style

• Intuitive vs Analytical
• Immediate vs Layered
• Transparent vs Obscure

Ethics
Impact and implications

• Neutral vs Provocative
• Inclusive vs Exclusive
• Harm-Minimizing vs Exploitative

Evolution
Lineage, mutation, and adaptation

• Stable vs Mutable
• Iterative vs Disruptive
• Conserved vs Experimental