Fundamentals of design
Design is governed by a set of few fundamentals and how our perception plays a vital role in interpreting the different elements that we see.
In this article I will explain the 7 Gestalt law and how to apply them in design. Gestalt is a German word which means shape or form. All these 7 laws help us in better understanding of an object by organizing, simplifying and rearranging its elements, so that it will make more sense to us. When we see a design for the first-time human brain tends to perceive something meaningful out of it which is regular, orderly and recognizable at the same time. Gestalt principle helps us to design a product in such a way that will not only meet the customer’s need but its visual perception will be pleasant, beautiful and instinctual.
Gestalt principles with example
1. Similarity
We humans always try to group like things together. The principle of similarity states that when we see a design, we focus on elements those are more related to each other than those that don’t. These relatable characteristics can be size, color, texture, dimension, shape or orientation.
2. Continuity
Human eye always tends to follow the easiest/smoothest path when viewing lines/curves, despite how these lines/curves are actually drawn. This law explains how human brain perceives visual line of elements that are grouped together. When elements are in a line or curve are perceived to be related instead of many separate patterns.
3. Closure
It states that when we see a complex visual element our brain tries to find out a recognizable pattern. Closure is the idea that our brain will fill in the missing parts of a design or image to create a whole which will make sense to something we see.
4. Proximity
It refers to how close elements are to one another. Elements that are close to each other appear to be more related than objects that are far apart.
5. Figure-Ground
Your brain will distinguish between the objects it considers to be in the foreground of an image (the figure, or focal point) and the background (the area on which the figures rest). If we look in the foreground of the image we perceive different objects than that in the background.
6. Common Fate
This principle states that people will group together things that point to or are moving in the same direction.
7. Focal Point
This principle states that our eyes capture those elements which are different from their surrounding elements.
I have never thought about how perception changes our behaviors. After learning these principles, I have made many compositions among them few have turned out to be meaningful ones. While I was making these compositions I did not focus specifically on any particular law, however the principles have helped me a lot to explain and define each composition in more meaningful way from visual perception. When we see something visually its not the eye which decides what it can be but it’s our mind that that helps us to perceive it with a meaningful form in it.
I have drawn more than 100 compositions on paper and figma, among which few have turned out to be meaningful ones.
Here are few of my compositions drawn on paper:
While I was exploring, I find out five compositions to be meaningful one from my perspective.
1.Brick Wall
This image looks like a wall which is constructed of bricks. The white boxes are looking like bricks where as the black borders are the cement holding the bricks together.
2.Ripples on Water Surface
This composition is giving a vibe of circular ripples on surface of water. If we throw a stone in water it creates a series of ripples emerging from the point of impact and the ripples slowly fade away as it moves away from the point of origin.
3.Hallway
This composition resembles a very long hallway with the floor colored as white while the sides and the ceilings are of dark color. The ceiling, walls and the floor seem to be meeting at a dark spot which is the end of the hallway.
4.Carrom Board
This composition reminds me of one of my childhood games, carrom. Similar to carrom board it has 4 pockets at 4 corners. The circular shaped darker region in the middle of the composition is looking like center of the board where initially we keep the discs.
5.Net placed on Window
From my perception this image is looking like a wire net which is placed over the window of a house. The dark black lines are the thick iron rods and the thin lines are looking like the net which is attached to the iron rods.
Compositions drawn in Figma:
Among all these compositions that I have drawn on figma I have selected only five compositions which I have found to be meaningful ones.
1.Abacus
This composition represents the beads of an abacus or counting frame which has been used since the ancient times as a calculating tool. The circles are the beads of the abacus. Law of continuity is visible here.
2.Sign of an Ambulance
In this composition I can see a plus/cross sign which is often associated with ambulance and medical care professionals. This plus/cross is defined as symbol of protection that's why it is used mainly in medical field. Law of closure is visible in this composition.
3.Hill Range
From this composition I can perceive a series of mountains ranges in a line and connected by a very high ground. The sharp edges are peak of the hills. Law of continuity is visible here.
4.Top to Bottom view of a staircase
If we are at the top floor of a building and we look down the stairs the view would be similar to what this composition looks like. The alternating black and white borders represent different floors going down leading to the lobby which is depicted by the smallest black rectangular box.
5.Hailstorm
This is similar to a storm of heavy hail. The pentagons are becoming larger the more they are coming down. At the top the size of the polygon is very small and it is looking like they are coming from sky and falling on the ground. Law of common fate is visible as the direction of all elements are in the same direction.
Conclusion
In this article I have understood how humans perceive a very complex design in the simplest manner. All these compositions helped me to recognize every design in a more meaningful way. In all my compositions I have tried to use as less elements as possible because often we try to escape complexity and we always find elegance in simplicity.
