There are many varieties of fire shape designs, you must determine what is the most useful for your needs based on the time you have and the amount of heat and/or light you wish to generate. The following are some styles commonly used:

• Star Fire -- use longer logs laid flat in a five pointed star design with one edge of each log meeting in middle. As fire consumes the ends of the logs at the center of the fire, push logs inward into fire source.
• Teepee -- the traditional standing triangular fire base, with tinder underneath the standing twigs and logs. Allow enough room for air circulation in and between the logs. Will collapse on itself.
• Stack -- rectangular layout of logs built on top of each other like a log cabin with ignition source in the middle and bottom. Method allows for adequate air circulation and ease of adding additional layers.
• Pit -- in high wind conditions try to build your fire in a dug-in pit wide enough to allow air circulation but sheltered enough to keep the high gusts from extinguishing your fire.
• Campfire -- lay out a circular bed of rocks and built them up into a small wall enclosure. This is great for laying a metal grid or green logs across to support a pot for boiling water, or for radiated heat as the rocks heat up from the inner fire. Allow enough room in the center of the rock enclosure so the fire does not burn directly onto or over the rock sides.