Gestalt principles – in the mind, not the eye

Background 1920s a group of German Psychologists developed theories about how people perceive the world The brain takes shortcuts to make sense of the world, the shortcuts are known as Gestalt principles of visual perception. We will typically see objects grouping similar elements, recognizing patterns and simplifying complex images We see the triangle because our brains take the ambiguous visual information and organize it into something that makes sense to us—something familiar, orderly, symmetrical and that we understand. The mind is constantly seeking order amidst disorder

Principle 1: figure-ground People instinctively perceive objects as either being in the foreground or the background Stand out in the front (the figure) Or recede into the back (ground) This determination will occur quickly and subconsciously in most cases. Figure/Ground lets us know what we should be focusing on and what we can safely ignore in a composition. When people use a website or mobile app, one of the first things they do on each screen is to determine which is the figure and which is the ground.

Principle #2: similarity When things appear to be similar to each other, we group them together. Our mind automatically organizes the shapes into distinct groups.

Principle #3: Proximity Things that are close together appear to be more related than things that are spaced farther apart Proximity is so powerful that it overrides similarity of color, shape, and other factors that might differentiate a group of objects.

Principle #4: Common Region When objects are located within the same closed region, we perceive them as being grouped together

Principle #5: Continuity Elements that are arranged on a line or curve are perceived to be more related than element no on the line or curve If the goal is to guide a “visitor’s eye” in a certain direction

Principle #6: Closure When we look at a complex arrangement of visual elements, we tend to look for a single, recognizable pattern. n other words, when you see an image that has missing parts, your brain will fill in the blanks and make a complete image so you can still recognize the pattern.

Principal #7: focal point Whatever stands out visually will capture and hold the viewer’s attention first when you are on a website and the registration button is a brighter color than everything else.