Form, Mass & Composition— Both International and Usonian Styles are architectures of volume, rreflecting cubist conceptions of volume, displaying multiple blocks of varying form and scale massed within a single building. Axial symmetry is abandoned for asymmetrical composition. Both styles are horizontally oriented.

Roof Forms— flat roofs predominate. International Style includes butterfly roofs; Usonian includes low pitch. Walls are eaveless or formed by extended roofs cantilevered over walls beneath. In International, cantilevers dramatize a building's horizontality. In Usonian, it also provides shelter and climate control.

Windows— Glass is used as wall continuations in other materials, or where large expanses of floor to ceiling glass or dorrner windows appear, form the wall itself. Ribbon-window bands emphasize horizontality as decorative functions with narrow vertical or small square windows .Size, scale and form is often determined in response to site, orientation of building, or on the need for privacy, views, light, warmth or heat. Both incorporate functional sunscreens serving as decorative elements. In Usonian Style, windows are often transformed into simple geometric compositions by the use of mullions.

Materials— In the International, buildings are most often designed in highly finished industrial materials like concrete, aluminum and glass. Where more natural construction materials are utilized, they are painted, stuccoed or finished to an industrial appearance. International Style buildings are most often monochromatic, frequently white.With Usonian, natural materials like glass, wood, stone, brick and concrete block are favored and often juxtapositioned dramatically. Overall horizontality of buildings is emphasized by raked, horizontal masonry joints and the use of horizontal lapboard. Usonian buildings display broad palette of earthtone colors. Brick and natural stone are exposed and wood and concrete block are painted in matching or complimentary earthtones. Both styles use same materials on building exterior that reappear inside as interior finishes, extending outward, sometimes forming defining elements of surrounding landscape.

Ornament— International has no ornaments save joining of materials and forms. In Usonian, Materials form key decorativions, simple, geometric ornament of rectangles, squares. Triangles also appear. Battered walls, canted eaves and balconies, angle-cut exposed beams provide dynamic, decorative contrast to overwhelming horizontality of the buildings. In both, because ornament is inherent in the materials and manner in which they are joined, the quality of design, materials, and craftsmanship is important.