GESTALT PRINCIPLES OF VISUAL DESIGN Gestalt principles of visual design are derived from the theories of gestalt psychology, which were applied to the study of visual perception in the 1930s and 1940s. Gestalt investigated how the human brain organize the visual information which we see. Gestalt principles are very important to multimedia interface and web designers. Human beings able to identify the parts of a visual image separately, however, human beings tend to organize visual information into patterns and structures. DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION: LECTURE 7 1

GESTALT PRINCIPLES Perception of patterns and structures is determined by various factors that are in the environment. The theories of how perception works in this way are often referred to as the “gestalt laws of perceptual organization”. The gestalt principles include; “the proximity of elements, similarity between elements, symmetry, the distinction between figure and ground, and closure (that is, the brain’s ability to infer a complete visual pattern or image from incomplete information)”. DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION: LECTURE 7 2

GESTALT PRINCIPLES OF VISUAL PERCEPTION DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION: LECTURE 7 3 Gestalt principles of visual perception-from Gestalt study 1930s-1940s physiological study What do you see here?

GESTALT PRINCIPLES OF VISUAL PERCEPTION CONT. The image on the far right immediately stands out, because we quickly perceive that the arrangement of dots forms a crude drawing of a human figure, a symbol which is likely to be recognizable by almost all people and cultures. This universal recognition of the human figure is so strong that it is almost impossible to see this image simply as a collection of dots. DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION: LECTURE 7 4

GESTALT PRINCIPLES CONT. In the field of black dots on the left, you can perceive grouping as a result of similarity (all the dots are identical). In the example far left, we just see a field of dots, but we do notice that they are aligned into a regular grid. DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION: LECTURE 7 5

GESTALT PRINCIPLES CONT. If you stare image (in slide 28) for a while you may perhaps be able to see the regular lattice pattern formed by the negative white space between the dots, rather than the pattern formed by the black dots. However, if you do manage to make the white pattern dominant in this way, you can no longer perceive the black pattern of dots at the same time. This is known as the figure–ground phenomenon. “Rubin’s vase” is a particularly famous example of a figure– ground illusion, in which you can either see two black faces or one white vase, but not both at the same time. DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION: LECTURE 7 6

GESTALT PRINCIPLES OF VISUAL PERCEPTION/CLOSURE. The third image from the left (slide 28)-we can see that image composed from the arrangement of the red dots. This demonstrates gestalt principle: closure. Nearly half of the visual information that says “arrow” is missing from this symbol. Our brain completes or “closes” the pattern implied by the dots on the image that are coloured red so that we can almost see a complete red arrow. DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION: LECTURE 7 9

GESTALT PRINCIPLES, SYMMETRY What does symmetry mean and how does it apply to visual image? Symmetry is an important point in interface design. Two visual elements that are symmetrical, our brain integrates the elements into one whole object (even if they are physically separated). For example, the backwards- and forwards-pointing arrows in a media player interface make use of Gestalt symmetry principle. In this example above, we do not conceive of the arrows as a single object, but we link them together conceptually when they are presented symmetrically within a group. DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION: LECTURE 7 10

GESTALT PRINCIPLES CONT. A user will find an interface easy to use if its elements are arranged in accordance with gestalt principles. Ignoring gestalt principles frequently results in confusion for the user. DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION: LECTURE 7 11

VISUAL HIERARCHY Visual hierarchy is concerned with the way in which particular elements may dominate our visual field. Visual hierarchy applies to all visual fields, not just to designs using text images. Visual hierarchy may be achieved by applying gestalt principles “inversely”, in order to disrupt grouping and make one or more elements appear dominant. Visual hierarchy is not necessarily determined by size. DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION: LECTURE 7 12

FINALLY  Multimedia or interface designer can not afford to ignore the basic principles of visual design and visual communication. DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION: LECTURE 7 13

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