Gestalt theory

Gestalt theory (notes)

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Gestalt theory has as its central point the idea that our brains have become wired to process information in the quickest manner possible and to that end we see collections of things as groups before we recognize that the group contains parts.  We want things organized and simplified and to do that our brain constantly stores information that will allow it to make a connection to something else at another time.  This hardwired simplicity is known as Pragnanz.  This video explains the various parts of Gestalt theory and explains how they can be used to effectively communicate ideas to your viewer.   The five Gestalt principles are:  Similarity/Dissimilarity,  Continuation, Closure, Proximity and Figure/Ground.  View this video to see simplified examples of each Gestalt principle.  After you have watched both videos  I want you to google image search to find examples of your own and put them under the appropriate term next to my examples.  Under the examples you find I want you to read the blue questions I’ve written and explain what characteristics cause the gestalt principle you are attempting to illustrate?  My sample writings are in red below for you to reference as you attempt to write your own.

Similarity is the psychological effect that happens when your brain clusters things into a completed unified whole because the separate shapes/forms share certain common characteristics.  The group feels complete because they look like they were created with the same idea in mind.  

In this example the similar characteristic are the sharp angular shapes that form both the rays of the sun, but also the bottom feathers of the eagle head

In your example what are the similarities that create a unified whole?

Dissimilarity is the psychological effect that happens when your brain views a group of similar shapes/forms and attempts to create a pattern but the pattern is disrupted by one shape/form that is different (anomaly).  This creates a focal point (emphasis) in the work.  

In this example of dissimilarity there is a visual seemingly predictable pattern created by the shape of the paper dolls.  The last paper doll in the pattern is no longer stiff, but has curves which makes it look like it is jumping or dancing.  That dissimilar break in the pattern creates a strong focal point.

In your example what is the anomaly?  What pattern is broken?

Continuation/Continuity is the psychological effect that happens when elements are manipulated to force the viewer to travel through one shape/form toward another area or shape/form.  Usually created with strong linear elements or a row of visually similar shapes (implied line).  

In the example below the calligraphic line, meant to be the cross bar of the H, curves, goes from thick to thin and moves through the vertical pieces of the letter in diagonals seemingly pointing like an arrow to the leaf.

In your example what is the element that moves the viewer and where does that movement take you?

Closure is the psychological effect that happens when your brain attempts to connect the nearby edges of positive shapes in such a way that you perceive there to be a complete object where none exist.  This play between positive and negative is used all of the time in commercial applications, but one of the most famous examples of this type design is the international logo for the world wildlife federation (WWF)  

As you can see in this example, the way that the pointed shapes on his back and right front point to the ear and because of the bends on the bottom of the ears your brain desperately wants to “see” a back and head in the white space between the black shapes.

In your example describe details that are left incomplete for our brains to finish?

Proximity is the psychological effect that happens as a result of reducing the amount of space between shapes/forms.  The closeness of objects forces us to view them as a collection and treat them as a group rather than seeing them each as individuals.  A focal point can be created by removing a shape/form from a cluster and increasing the space between it and the rest of the shapes/forms that share a close proximity.  

In this example we perceive a stronger grouping the the shape of a triangle because of the close proximity (reduced space) of the circles to each other.  The group on the left has a weaker relationship and is not as easily identified as a group because of the greater space between the individual circles.

In your example how is the proximity (distance between) elements used to force us to group the individuals into a whole unit?

Figure/Ground is the psychological effect whereby the viewer is asked to shift attention between positive shapes (figure) and negative spaces (ground) that create an optical illusion of two differing understandings of the same piece.  It is usually a more complex approach and relies considerably between a near 50/50 balance between figure elements and ground.  

In this example the viewer is constantly forced to choose between looking at the white (ground) face or black (figure).  It is very difficult to concentrate on this as a whole.  The viewer constantly has to choose because of the near equal balance between the amount of figure and ground and because of the way those figure/ground elements interact with one another.

How has the figure/ground relationship in your example been used to create a recurring shifting from one part of the design to another?

Typography (shape/space/communication)

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Typography: The design and use of typefaces as a means of visual communication from calligraphy to the ever-developing use of digital type is the broad use of the term typography. However, the art and practice of typography began with the invention of movable type and the printing press. Typography is sometimes seen as encompassing many separate fields from the type designer who creates letter forms to the graphic designer who selects typefaces and arranges them on the page.

Click here for more notes for this unit.

While images and symbols are very powerful aspects to graphic design, effective communication relies heavily on text and the printed word.  Designers need to understand how to select, generate and manipulate text in order to harness that power.  In this unit you will explore not just the superficial meaning of letters, but will start to understand letters in a deeper way, an abstract way.  They should be thought of as a collection of elements coming together to create a recognizable whole (Gestalt).  Each letter form, regardless of language consists of a shape and that shape is defined by the spaces left within and around it.  The edge of the shape can be defined by a line or they can be strung together and used themselves as an implied line.  Light and dark values can be applied in such a way as to give the letter the illusion of form and letters can be reduced in scale to give an area the illusion of value or texture.

Things to Consider: (why negative space and orientation matters)

In this beginning exercise of the unit you are going to work in a similar way to the squares assignment you just finished.  You are going to be asked to interpret an action word using the positive shapes and negative spaces of the letterforms that make up the words.

Example:  Falling

Here are three similar ideas for the word falling.  While on the surface there doesn’t seem to be much difference between them, each has the same spacing between letters, the same typeface is used.  They all exclusively use lower case letter forms.  However, if you take the time and really try to process the differences between the three you’ll notice how dramatically those differences impact our understanding of the action being illustrated. The largest difference between them is the amount of negative space used between the group of letters and the single g.  Another significant difference is the orientation of the letter g and to a lesser extent the letter n.  The first one has the g oriented vertically, the middle is diagonal and the third is horizontal.  In the middle one the n is slightly tilted, leaning toward the g while the other two have not been tilted.

Discussion questions:  

•  Which one is easiest to read as the word falling?  

•  Is the easiest one to read while being the most interesting or compelling solution to the problem?

•  Which one has the strongest concept of the action of falling?  Justify your response and list your reasons.  

•  In the far right example how did rotating the g all the way to horizontal and increasing the space change not only the readability of the word but also change the visual connection to the action of falling?  

•  What does putting the g horizontal at the bottom of the illustration say about the movement of the letter?  How could you change the word to better fit the idea of the illustration?

Assignment:

In your sketchbook you are going to attempt to use the positive letterforms, negative spaces of the format, orientation of the entire word, orientation of each letter in the word and any additional distortions needed to successfully conceptualize the words in the list below.  You are required to produce at least three different solutions for each word.  Think carefully about the meaning of each word and which attributes you will need to accentuate most.  

Rules and Restrictions:

•  You will be restricted to the following typefaces and all members of their families:  century gothic, gill sans, or adobe caslon pro.  

•  You may use any combination of italic, bold, condensed, upper or lower case as you deem appropriate.  

•  You may use more than one of the assigned typefaces.  

•  You may alter the space between letters and rotate any letter forms as necessary.  

•  You may alter, add to, destroy letter forms as needed.  

•  You may only use black or white (no color, gray or gradients)

With all these variables to manipulate two things must remain foremost in your mind;  We must still be able to read your word (letters must remain in relative order left to right or top to bottom) and Your visual solutions must effectively and uniquely communicate the meaning of the word.

Required words:  

squeeze

melting

explode

stretch

isolated

inflate

Typography Assignment 2

As you can see from the previous assignment you can use type to communicate an idea in addition to the literal form of a word.  If I had given you words from languages your viewer didn’t understand and you used similar techniques we would still be able to make meaning from your use of shape and space.  In this assignment you are going to distort lines of text as a drawing medium to follow the contours and define a form and create rhythm and movement through the piece.  Using the gestalt principle of proximity you will use the letter forms to create a portrait like the examples below.  You’ll notice that we don’t perceive the individual lines of text at first.  Because they are in such close proximity we see them as being a unified whole.  We see the face.  Once we have identified the form then we notice that the individual words and phrases.  Our brain then moves around the piece to search for familiar word structures and strives to perceive them more deeply apart from the portrait.  I think you’ll find your attention shifting between the gestalt of the portrait and the individual words causing your interest to stay with this portrait longer than if it were simply a photograph of the person.  If you were to zoom in on these illustrations this competition between viewing the whole and its parts would be even stronger.

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We are going to switch from illustrator to photoshop for this one so you will feel a little uncomfortable for a while, but once you get the hang of bending the words you should move much more quickly.  

Process:  

1.  The first thing you need to do is find a photo of a musician, president, celebrity or other notable person that has considerable contrasting darks and lights (value).  Like this example of Kurt Cobain.  You want to find one that is no more than shoulders and head.  Having more of the body is harder.

2.  The next thing you need to do is generate a list of words associated with the person.  These might include names of family members, quotes, song lyrics, hometown, headlines or almost anything we can tie to the person’s life.  Save this list in a document of your choice so you can retrieve it easily.  You will need a lot of them so spend a lot of time doing this.  Smaller phrases (3-5 words) and single words work the best.  

3.  Watch this tutorial concerning the use of the type and warp tool in photoshop and play with using type and warping it.

4.  Watch and follow this lesson on how to warp the words from  your list to follow the form and contours of the portrait you chose.  The important thing to focus on here is to work slowly and be detail oriented.  Use different sizes of words and adjust the negative space between the letter forms.  You may use any typeface you think appropriate, but those with a little thicker weight work best.  Thin typefaces don’t show up as well when the values of the portrait are added.  Start with the face.  Do the hair and clothes later.  

5.  Now that you have all of the type warped around the contours of your person’s face.  Watch the last lesson in series to add the values to the type to finish the portrait.

6.  Print your portrait for submission and display.  Watch this lesson on how to tile print your portrait.

Exposure Triangle

Test Gallery

Day 1 test gallery