Gestalt Psychology: What Designers Need to Know About It

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How do you come up with effective and interactive designs? The answer to this question can be found within the principles of Gestalt psychology. This form of knowledge states that the human brain perceives an entire structure as different from its discrete parts.  According to a Gestalt psychologist, Kurt Koffka, “The whole is other than the sum of the parts.”

Max Wertheimer, a twentieth century psychologist, was the first person to highlight this concept after he saw flashing lights at a railway crossing. He observed that a series of bulbs looked like a single light in motion.

This idea is adopted by designers around the globe, even if they’re not aware of the term. If you’re a designer too, here’s what you must know about the principles of Gestalt psychology.

The Principle of Simplicity

The first design principle of Gestalt states that people perceive multiplex and equivocal images in their simplest forms. What this means is what while some designs may consist of irregular and different shapes with negative space, we perceive them as a single object.

Psychologists say that humans tend to identify the outline first when they look at an object. Then they relate the outline with familiar patterns and combine it to recognize a whole composition. It’s crazy how our brain does all of this in a few seconds!

Designs that are simpler and clearly defined will communicate your business message more quickly and effectively than comprehensive animations with complex contours.

The Principle of Similarity

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Proximity is an important element of visual hierarchy that is used to group and organize design elements. This principle suggests that objects or design elements placed closer to each other don’t necessarily have to share attributes to be recognized as a group.

You may include several shapes in different colors in your design, but they will still be seen as a group if placed in close proximity.

The Principle of Synchrony

This principle suggests that different elements that move in a similar direction are recognized as more connected to each other than identical elements moving in different directions. No matter how far they are placed or how different they look, these elements will be perceived as related if they advance in the same direction.

Use Gestalt psychology to design a stellar website or logo for your business and enhance your sales conversions. If you’re looking for website design company Colorado Springs, who have adequate knowledge about all these design concepts, get in touch with Evna Design! We also offer affordable web design across Colorado Springs.

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