Gestalt Theory

Subordination

when there is dominance there must be subordination, things lower in ranking.

Control of Attention

How does the designer control the attention of the viewer?

saccades

small rapid jerky movement of the eye as it jumps from fixation on one point to another.

Max Wertheimer

1880 —1943. German psychologist. While he was a professor in Frankfurt, he developed a school and theory of Gestalt Psychology.

Isomorphic Correspondence

Form triggers something via a specific shape based from human behavior the relationship between structural characteristics of visual form and similar characteristics of human behavior. ex. hamburger ad, Snake in a poster, etc..

Figure/Ground

Positive and Negative elements a stimulus will be perceived as separate from its ground. the fundamental law of perception which allows us the "read" imagery. Made possible by contrast.

Equilibrium

Symmetry Gives Stability Our eyes rest at the center every psychological field tends toward order, balance, and maximum efficiency. Natural phenomena act on materials/organisms. The resulting shapes of gravity, heat, and pressure are usually "closed" and compact.

Natural Order

The Saccadic movement of the eye occurs naturally, and can therefore be predicted

Gestalt Principles

The most relevant to design and visual communication are: Similarity, Continuation, Closure, Pragnanz (Good Form), and Figure Ground, Equilibrium, Correspondence, Closure, Proximity, Continuity, and Similarity.

Gestalt Theory

The whole is greater than (and different) Than the sum of its parts Any of the integrated structures or patterns that make up all experience and have specific properties which can neither be derived from the elements of the whole nor considered simply as the sum of these elements.

Closure

closed shapes are more visually stable than unclosed shapes. Therefore we try to close shapes to create a completed shape tendency to enclose a space by completing a contour and ignoring gaps in the figure .

Information Hierarchy

encourages the eye to move in a specific direction, to create a clear order of elements.

Similarity

identical visual units will be seen together in groups. elements that look similar will be perceived as part of the same form.

Continuity

organization in perception leads the eye to continue along and beyond a straight line or curve. tendency to continue contours whenever elements establish an implied direction.

Proximity

perceptual groupings are favored according to the nearness of parts. We group, make patterns, we unite elements that are closer together will be perceived as a coherent object.

Phi Phenomenon

the effect of perceiving motion in separate objects in rapid succession.

Gestalt

"Gestalt is the word for "form," and as German word for it applied in gestalt "shape," and as it psychology it means applies in gestalt "unified whole" or " configuration." psychology means "unified whole."

Dominance

something is more important or more noticeable than its surroundings. Focal Point, Where the Action begins -> Ends