Designs composed primarily of line material have a minimum of flowers and foliage established in the focal area. The open form emphasizes the beauty of the plant material. A bare branch, a piece of decorative wood or a pine branch creates a well-defined line design. The addition of a few flowers and leaves is all that is needed to achieve a dramatic effect.

Full, flowing and symmetrical, a generous mixture of flowers arranged in a decorated china vase portrays the typical mass design so reminiscent of Victorian opulence and elegance. Mass designs are usually triangular, oval, circular or fan shaped. 

Line-mass creations employ the use of mass for a greater feeling of depth. Plant material is placed to form an orderly outline and massed to create a focal area with gradual changes from line at the periphery of the arrangement to mass within the central axis. Line-mass designs have an open form with symmetrical or asymmetrical balance.