During the Archaic period , Doric columns were shorter compared to their height and diameter. Doric capitals showed an evolution from a broad flaring to a more compact form. Doric, like most Greek styles, emitted a strong horizontal presence in its architectural design. The area above the columns, the frieze and architrave, had no set style and is found to have a wide variety only following the simple pattern shown in the picture . A large base was added consisting of a textured profile like that of stacked rings.
Ionic capitals consist of a scroll-like portion above a decorative shaft portion.
The Ionic style has a more decorative capital. Instead of the single scene carvings of the Doric style in the frieze, the Ionic had a continuous band of carvings. The Corinthian columns are the most decorative and usually the most appealing to the modern eye. They too use entasis to correct the optical illusions of the massive Greek structures. The Corinthian capitals have flowering, leaf-like structures below a lesser scroll design than that of Ionian capitals.