How Can The Knowledge Of The Gestalt Laws Of Gestalt Pshychology Help A Visual Communication Designer To Produce More Effective Designs?Essay Preview: How Can The Knowledge Of The Gestalt Laws Of Gestalt Pshychology Help A Visual Communication Designer To Produce More Effective Designs?
Report this essayHow important is it to take into consideration the gestalt laws when you communicate visually. Is it possible that a good knowledge of them can help a designer to be more effective. And in that case, in what way.
The Gestalt Laws was first written by Max Wertheimer in 1923 and is common laws that shows that different shapes creates wholes and was needed for the Gestalt Psychology to work practically.
These laws were created in such a way that nobody would have to learn them but would appear in different cultures and with babies as well as animals. The laws that later were acknowledge are:
The law of proximityAccording to the law of proximity parts are gruped together first and formeost according to the principle of closeness. The lines that are closest to each other in figure 1 are groupes as pairs or stripes. The dots closest to each other are gruoped in lines separated by the greater distance.
The law of closed formsAccording to the law of closed forms parts are grouped together to create shapes. Our mind adds missing elements to create figures. The law of closed forms is stronger than the law of proximity and can outrule the principle of closeness. In figure 2a the lines 1 and2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6 etc. combine to form pairs. But in figure 2b the lines 2 and 3, 4 and 5, 6 and 7 etc. are combined.
The law of similarityIn a system with different elements, parts that are similar tend to form groups. I real life there is often a battle between the law of proximity and the law of similarity. In figure 3 the bold lines are grouped together. The empty circles are seen as columns, as are the black circles.
The law of good contourWhen common geometrical figures are combined in a composition they outrule the law of proximity with their strong shape. In figure 4a you see a straight line crossed by pair pf lines. The four individual part of the straight line a good contour and seem to be continuations of each other, they belong together. In figure 4b you divide the composition to a circle and a pentagon rather than what is shown in figure 4c.
The law of commom movementIn dynamic systems groups that moves in the same directions are grouped together and outrules the former rules. A group of men, for example a marching army, are a good example of this law.
The law of PrĤgnanzThis is the most basic law. It says that people try to see things in as good a gestalt way as possible. The smiley (figure 5) is just one example. Instead of interpreting it as multiple independent characters we see a face.
Figure ground RelationshipThe human sees either figure elements or ground elements. Figure elements are the objects of focus while ground elements compose an undifferentiated bakground. When it is clear what is figure and what is ground elements the composition is clear. When it is not clear, the composition can be interpreted in different ways. The Rubin vase in figure 6 is a classic example.
The law of experienceIn school we learn to recognice for example letters. Just as with the law of good contour this makes us see shapes we know much clearer. This can outrule the other laws. One who knows the latin alphabet sees the three lines in figure 7 as a capital “E”.
It is to be said that my explanation of the laws is not universal. Many laws crosses each other and other people may have more or less rules.The term Visual Communication Design is subject for many and long interpretations. Especially the definition of the word design in common speech has contributed to all the wrong interpretations of the profession Visual Communication Designer. Frascara (2004, p. 2) writes that visual communication is an activity where the designer concieve, program, project and realize visual communications that are are produced through industrial means and are aimed at broadcasting messages to specific sectors of the public. The visual communication designer works to interpret, organize and visually present messages.
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What are your thoughts on the new law?
[P]eople should be aware that this statute’s impact can not be underestimated. Although the U.S. Department of Transportation is responsible for many laws regulating public transportation, it has not had one of its own that does more to enhance public transportation safety. For example, the Transportation Safety Administration has issued more restrictive rules than DOT. Nonetheless, the U.S. Department of Transportation has created a system of rules and regulations which have, in addition to the DOT, established a significant program of programs which include some of the world’s leading law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. These programs have resulted in over $2 billion in new funding for the USTR in 2016 including $1.7 billion for the National Transportation Safety Board. Of that amount, half the amount was provided to the USTR for its safety-related grants and other programs, including the federal funds, which has been increased in 2015 and is anticipated to be increased in 2018 as more states enter into transportation funding legislation. As the law improves, more states are also taking steps to reduce transportation safety, including in making education compulsory, and the Department of Homeland Security is moving toward providing services to states that have passed such legislation. Additionally, the Secretary of Homeland Security recently made public in June a report noting recent research shows that most businesses do not experience significant or persistent travel losses related to these policies. For example: The largest business activity that takes place right now is hospitality and entertainment. Travelers travel an average of 15.9 billion miles a year, or 1.5 percent of the U.S. economy and 3.3 percent of international travel. The number of Americans who rely on travel is also growing at 1.5 percent of all U.S. employment, and the number who travel abroad to visit their family is now more than 6 percent in the past four years. And that growth is not limited to travelers. Travel time is on the rise across the United States. This increase in travel time is an increasingly important trend, and we must be prepared to ensure that the United States can have the safest and most efficient transportation system in the world. Additionally, this increase in transportation time can be associated solely with lower energy costs, or with changes in climate, and with an increasing burden on public transportation systems for low-income communities. The most important factors are transportation and travel expenses. The federal government is paying billions of dollars in transportation cost overruns to governments in the state and local governments. In order to make improvements in the financial system, this process involves taking steps to reduce the number of government agencies who are on the wrong side of that equation. Unfortunately, the government’s efforts to expand the number of agencies to handle transportation costs are not sufficient to make improvements. For example, the Transportation Security Administration has significantly increased the number of agents and other safety personnel to enforce state and local laws on how transportation should be managed
[…]
What are your thoughts on the new law?
[P]eople should be aware that this statute’s impact can not be underestimated. Although the U.S. Department of Transportation is responsible for many laws regulating public transportation, it has not had one of its own that does more to enhance public transportation safety. For example, the Transportation Safety Administration has issued more restrictive rules than DOT. Nonetheless, the U.S. Department of Transportation has created a system of rules and regulations which have, in addition to the DOT, established a significant program of programs which include some of the world’s leading law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. These programs have resulted in over $2 billion in new funding for the USTR in 2016 including $1.7 billion for the National Transportation Safety Board. Of that amount, half the amount was provided to the USTR for its safety-related grants and other programs, including the federal funds, which has been increased in 2015 and is anticipated to be increased in 2018 as more states enter into transportation funding legislation. As the law improves, more states are also taking steps to reduce transportation safety, including in making education compulsory, and the Department of Homeland Security is moving toward providing services to states that have passed such legislation. Additionally, the Secretary of Homeland Security recently made public in June a report noting recent research shows that most businesses do not experience significant or persistent travel losses related to these policies. For example: The largest business activity that takes place right now is hospitality and entertainment. Travelers travel an average of 15.9 billion miles a year, or 1.5 percent of the U.S. economy and 3.3 percent of international travel. The number of Americans who rely on travel is also growing at 1.5 percent of all U.S. employment, and the number who travel abroad to visit their family is now more than 6 percent in the past four years. And that growth is not limited to travelers. Travel time is on the rise across the United States. This increase in travel time is an increasingly important trend, and we must be prepared to ensure that the United States can have the safest and most efficient transportation system in the world. Additionally, this increase in transportation time can be associated solely with lower energy costs, or with changes in climate, and with an increasing burden on public transportation systems for low-income communities. The most important factors are transportation and travel expenses. The federal government is paying billions of dollars in transportation cost overruns to governments in the state and local governments. In order to make improvements in the financial system, this process involves taking steps to reduce the number of government agencies who are on the wrong side of that equation. Unfortunately, the government’s efforts to expand the number of agencies to handle transportation costs are not sufficient to make improvements. For example, the Transportation Security Administration has significantly increased the number of agents and other safety personnel to enforce state and local laws on how transportation should be managed
[…]
What are your thoughts on the new law?
[P]eople should be aware that this statute’s impact can not be underestimated. Although the U.S. Department of Transportation is responsible for many laws regulating public transportation, it has not had one of its own that does more to enhance public transportation safety. For example, the Transportation Safety Administration has issued more restrictive rules than DOT. Nonetheless, the U.S. Department of Transportation has created a system of rules and regulations which have, in addition to the DOT, established a significant program of programs which include some of the world’s leading law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. These programs have resulted in over $2 billion in new funding for the USTR in 2016 including $1.7 billion for the National Transportation Safety Board. Of that amount, half the amount was provided to the USTR for its safety-related grants and other programs, including the federal funds, which has been increased in 2015 and is anticipated to be increased in 2018 as more states enter into transportation funding legislation. As the law improves, more states are also taking steps to reduce transportation safety, including in making education compulsory, and the Department of Homeland Security is moving toward providing services to states that have passed such legislation. Additionally, the Secretary of Homeland Security recently made public in June a report noting recent research shows that most businesses do not experience significant or persistent travel losses related to these policies. For example: The largest business activity that takes place right now is hospitality and entertainment. Travelers travel an average of 15.9 billion miles a year, or 1.5 percent of the U.S. economy and 3.3 percent of international travel. The number of Americans who rely on travel is also growing at 1.5 percent of all U.S. employment, and the number who travel abroad to visit their family is now more than 6 percent in the past four years. And that growth is not limited to travelers. Travel time is on the rise across the United States. This increase in travel time is an increasingly important trend, and we must be prepared to ensure that the United States can have the safest and most efficient transportation system in the world. Additionally, this increase in transportation time can be associated solely with lower energy costs, or with changes in climate, and with an increasing burden on public transportation systems for low-income communities. The most important factors are transportation and travel expenses. The federal government is paying billions of dollars in transportation cost overruns to governments in the state and local governments. In order to make improvements in the financial system, this process involves taking steps to reduce the number of government agencies who are on the wrong side of that equation. Unfortunately, the government’s efforts to expand the number of agencies to handle transportation costs are not sufficient to make improvements. For example, the Transportation Security Administration has significantly increased the number of agents and other safety personnel to enforce state and local laws on how transportation should be managed
The reason to why I have chosen to ask this question is that I in many books about the basics in visual communication design have read about the gestalt laws. Most books describes them, explains how they work and that it is important to know about them. But none explains how to use them. Why are they so important to know about. If the laws, with exeption of the sixth law, the law of experience, is stored in our brains from birth there is no need to learn them. They should come naturally when you design. “It is only natural,” writes Katz (1951, p. 29), “that inner Gestalt tendencies differ from one individual to another, varying especially with their interests and activities”. For example he writes that an artist through his training is provided with certain definite form tendencies. Can it be that visual communication designers through studies of the target audience can use the laws in a way that is better suited for the specific message.
The Gestalt Psychology, that the Gestalt Laws are a part of has been subject to a lot of research and there is numerous books that writes about this. Even though there is so much more about Gestalt Psychology than these “Laws of Perception” most books dedicates at least a chapter for them. The Gestalt Psychology is also often mentioned in books and writings on design and art (paintings, photography etc.).
In his book about Gestalt Psychology David Katz (1951, p. 22) gives an example that supports my hypothesis that studies of the target audiences form tendencies.
Let the reader imagine himself seated at his desk. Before him are a typewriter, writing paper, an inkwell, som books, a pack of cigarettes, matches, and an ashtray. These are strewn about in some disorder. Why is it that each object appears as an independent entity? The laymna might consider the qestion so superfluous that he would take it as further evidence that psychology is the science of useless knowledge. Actually the question is by no means superfluous, particularly
when regarded in the light of Gestalt theory.He asks the question why the inkwell and the ashtray that happens to be visually contiguous, and acoording to the law of similarity should appear as one unit, does not do that. “Since the typewriter partially obscures a pad of paper , why are these objects not seen as one unit?”, as the