Seeing the Whole Picture: Gestalt Principles in Modern Design
Continuing a more in-depth discussion of the 10 key principles of psychology behind design, we now move on to the second point: Gestalt Principles.
Imagine you’re looking at a logo — the iconic Nike swoosh, perhaps. Why do you see it as a single, fluid shape rather than a collection of individual points or lines? The answer lies in a set of psychological principles that have been shaping design for nearly a century: the Gestalt Principles.
Derived from the German word for “shape” or “form,” Gestalt psychology suggests that the human mind naturally organizes visual information into cohesive wholes. As the Gestalt psychologist Kurt Koffka famously said, “The whole is other than the sum of the parts” (often misquoted as “greater than the sum of its parts”) (Koffka, 1935). This fundamental idea has profound implications for designers seeking to create intuitive, engaging visual experiences.
The Principles at Play
Let’s explore some key Gestalt principles and see how they’re applied in modern design:
