![]() It begins with these principles of gestalt, because many of the design principles we follow arise out of gestalt theory. This is the start of a series of posts about design principles. These principles sit at the heart of nearly everything we do graphically as designers. This observation led to a set of descriptive principles about how we visually perceive objects. To the observer, it appears as if a single light moves around the marquee, traveling from bulb to bulb, when in reality it’s a series of bulbs turning on and off and the lights don’t move it all. It was similar to how the lights encircling a movie theater marquee flash on and off. In 1910, psychologist Max Wertheimer had an insight when he observed a series of lights flashing on and off at a railroad crossing. Hopefully, the content covered here isn’t too obvious and self-explanatory, but it’s always great to have a nice quick refresher every now and again, isn’t it? This article is part of a new series about design principles that can serve both as a refresher for seasoned designers and reference for newcomers to the industry. ![]() They describe how everyone visually perceives objects. They sit at the foundation of everything we do visually as designers. For example, in the classic optical illusion below, you might see either two faces or a vase.Gestalt principles are important to understand. ![]() This results in people having wildly different interpretations of an image depending on which part they see as the figure or the ground. The figure is the object or person that is the focus and the ground is the background. Don’t worry – we’ll dive into ‘em all.Īll this psychological theory can be tough to get into, so we'll be discussing the principles alongside diagrams and real-world examples to illustrate how you can apply the principles to your design practice.Īccording to this principle, people segment visuals into two components: figure and ground. But some newer theories are also regarded as Gestalt principles, such as uniform connectedness, parallelism, common fate, focal points, and past experience. The seven most common Gestalt principles are figure-ground, proximity, similarity, continuity, closure, simplicity, and symmetry. When put together, these principles can help you create a strong and intuitive user experience that can help improve your bounce rate, lead people through your site, and ultimately drive the intended behavior you want.Įleven Gestalt Principles to keep in mind for design But we’ll focus on 11, which are most frequently used in design. It’s hard to say exactly how many Gestalt principles there are (some are far more common than others). Piotr Smietana Creative Director, Superside Take it from our very own Creative Director, Piotr Smietana: That makes them extremely useful for designers, who rely on them to convey more information, more quickly, than would otherwise be possible. The Gestalt principles are the common unconscious shortcuts our brains use to make meaning out of our environments. Gestalt theory posits that when we look at a complex image or design consisting of many elements, our brains will try to create some form, pattern, or structure. So how does this all connect back to the design? The word 'gestalt' means form or pattern, and this quote from Gestalt pioneer Kurt Koffka sums it up nicely – "The whole is other than the sum of the parts." What are the Gestalt principles of design? This realization led Wertheimer, with his assistants Wolfgang Köhler and Kurt Koffka, to develop a theory that perception involved more than simply combining sensory stimuli. ![]() After watching flashing lights at a railroad crossing, psychologist Max Wertheimer noticed that the lights appeared to be moving, even though he knew they were simply individual lights turning on and off. Gestalt psychology is a movement that led to the development of the Gestalt principles. Even though you're watching hundreds of flashing lights or a series of static images, your brain only perceives the 'whole,' i.e., the moving animation. These are great examples of Gestalt psychology at work. The Principle of Past Experience Applying the Gestalt Principles of DesignĮver watched those viral videos of over-the-top Christmas light displays? Or a flipbook animation? This is what we're talking about: The Principle of Uniform Connectedness 8. What is Gestalt psychology? What are the Gestalt principles of design? 11 Gestalt Principles 1. Since the early 20th century, the Gestalt principles have had a major influence on the design industry, visible in many modern and iconic designs. This phenomenon is the basis of the Gestalt principles, a series of theories about human perception (i.e., how our brains make sense of visual information). But to do this work as efficiently as possible, our brains look for patterns or logic to speed up the process. The human brain is an incredibly complex organ capable of processing massive amounts of information in nanoseconds. ![]()
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