GESTALT THEORY in art
Gestalt theory, a theory about perception, holds that the whole is more than the sum of its parts
It describes our ability to: Recognize patterns and make associations;
group objects that are close together into a larger unit; relate and group objects of similar shape
The study of gestalt (German: meaning shape, figure, form) originated in Germany in the 1920s. It is a branch
of psychology that is interested in higher order cognitive processes relative to behaviorism.
The aspects of gestalt theory that interests designers are related to the theory’s postulations of visual
perception—principally the relationship between the parts and the whole of visual experience.
The visual world is so complex that the mind has developed strategies for coping with the confusion. The mind
tries to find the simplest solution to a problem. One of the ways it does this is to form groups of items that
have certain characteristics in common.
Most of what you will study about gestalt is concerned with how these groups are formed and what effect
they have on perception. The stronger the grouping, the stronger the gestalt. It is this grouping that contributes
to the unity in a design. Gestalt is one of the most powerful tools available to a designer for creating unity.
The same concepts that form groups can be reversed to ungroup items—to make them look unique and stand
alone. That is the basis for creating variety. Variety is what adds interest to an image.
The trick is to strike a balance between unity and variety (emphasis). Too much unity and the design can look
boring and repetitive; too much variety and it can look chaotic and disconnected. Understanding concepts of
gestalt theory can help a designer control unity and variety.
Summary:
Gestalt theory allows communicators to predict how viewers will respond to design elements. Based on
theories of perception, the gestalt principles explain how whole images are often perceived as more than the
sum of their parts. Knowing and using gestalt theory in technical communication can help ensure that our
visual messages will be understood and that our designs will be dynamic.
We have all heard the expression that a picture is worth a thousand words. However, considering gestalt
theory, some pictures say more than others. If we know how to construct our pictures and how our audiences
will respond to them, our visual communications will better complement our written ones.
The following pages provide examples of the principles included in this theory of perception and what they
mean.
Cna yup raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.
I couldn’t believe that I could actually understand what I
was reading. The phenomenal power of the human mind,
according to a researcher at Cambridge University, it
doesn’t matter in what order the letters in a word are, the
only important thing is that the first and last letter be in
the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can
still read it without a problem. This is because the human
mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a
whole. Amazing huh? Yeah and I always thought spelling
was important!
Can you read this? Only 55 people out of 100 can.
