#Proximity perception definition series#

Don’t worry – we’ll dive into ‘em all.Īll this psychological theory can be tough to get into, so we'll be discussing the principles alongside diagrams and real-world examples to illustrate how you can apply the principles to your design practice.Īccording to this principle, people segment visuals into two components: figure and ground. But some newer theories are also regarded as Gestalt principles, such as uniform connectedness, parallelism, common fate, focal points, and past experience. The seven most common Gestalt principles are figure-ground, proximity, similarity, continuity, closure, simplicity, and symmetry. But we’ll focus on 11, which are most frequently used in design.Įleven Gestalt Principles to keep in mind for design It’s hard to say exactly how many Gestalt principles there are (some are far more common than others). The Principle of Uniform ConnectednessĪpplying the Gestalt Principles of DesignĮver watched those viral videos of over-the-top Christmas light displays? Or a flipbook animation? This is what we're talking about: What are the Gestalt principles of design?ħ. Since the early 20th century, the Gestalt principles have had a major influence on the design industry, visible in many modern and iconic designs.

#Proximity perception definition series#

This phenomenon is the basis of the Gestalt principles, a series of theories about human perception (i.e., how our brains make sense of visual information). But to do this work as efficiently as possible, our brains look for patterns or logic to speed up the process. The human brain is an incredibly complex organ capable of processing massive amounts of information in nanoseconds.