Design is one of the show’s mandatory divisions and its creative center. Members arrange fresh and/or dried plant materials, often with other components, to interpret the themes in the schedule. The full schedule sets strict requirements for size, materials, and display. Rather than stifling creativity, these shared rules make each designer’s individual and experimental choices more visible. As you view the designs, decide for yourself: Do boundaries inspire creativity?

 

Designs fall into two main groups:

​

• ·A Traditional Design is based on a single set pattern of geometric shapes, such as a sphere, a cylinder, or a pyramid. Plant material is used in a naturalistic manner, radiating from one point. Materials, forms, and colors are integrated rather than grouped.
   

• A Creative Design is not bound by traditional patterns or styles; the important relationship is between form and space. Eclectic in approach, components are used in a non-realistic manner. Unusual plant material and other unconventional objects not usually associated with flower design may be used. Different types of Creative Design have different requirements, and the designer must conform to those limitations.

 

Judges consider the following:

​

• ·Balance—is there balance of colors, forms, and textures? Does the design appear stable and visually balanced: left to right, top to bottom, front to back?

• Contrast—are there contrasts in colors, forms, and textures providing visual interest?

• Dominance—what is dominant in the design? Is it color, texture, or specific plant material? Does the design type require something to be dominant?

• Rhythm—is the rhythm easy to follow through the design, along a specific path? Is the viewer’s eye led out of the frame of reference, or is it contained within the design?

• Scale—are the size relationships between components complementary?

• Proportion—is the design in proportion to the frame of reference, or does it extend beyond the allotted space? Does the design fill the frame of reference, or does it look too large or too small? Has the staging been considered, including pedestals, underlays, and staging panels?

• Selection—are the choices of components and plant material appropriate to the requirements and unique?

• Organization—are the requirements for the specific design followed? Is the thematic title being expressed?

• Distinction—the mechanics, workmanship, and condition of all the components, including plant material and staging, will determine how distinctive the floral design is.