The form of Design is relatively simple, with just two stanzas, an interesting rhyme scheme, and a consistent meter. The rhyme scheme is indeed one of the most important aspects of Designs form, and it varies by stanza, with the first stanza being ABBCCBBA, and the second stanza being ADCCDA. When written out like this, it is apparent that Frost has made a symmetrically reflecting rhyme scheme, with each stanzas form reading the same from front to back. The meter and punctuation of the poem complement the rhyme scheme, as each line has either 0 or syllables, and punctuation is used to add further symmetry to how the poem should be read. For instance, the first stanza is composed of three lines that are to be read in one statement, as punctuated by the ending of long dashes on lines three and six, which creates an effect of pacing the poems reading. The second stanza is similarly guided by punctuation, as seen in the coupling of two questio
ns on lines 0 and 2.
The most striking thematic aspect of Design is Frosts attention on the play between light and dark in the poem, which serves to create a deeper reflection on aspects of good and evil. The first stanza is full of imagery referencing light aspects, in color, orientation, and other themes. For instance, Frost uses the word white three times in the beginning lines where he finds a dimpled spider, fat and white,/On a white heal-all holding up a moth/Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth (lines -3). In the same stanza, Frost describes the moth with its dead wings carried like a paper kite, which gives a further illustration of a lightness that is in the upper space of the air, as kites are generally light in form and theme as they usually grace the sky. Last, the flower and satin cloth are also light thematic objects in their own right, as flowers and satin cloth are seen as delicate and elegant rather than rough and dirty.