Activity 2: Analyzing Composition Using the Gestalt Principles

Scenario: The successful use of the composition is a challenge for all graphic designers working on all design. The Gestalt principles are important ways graphic designers manage points, lines, and planes and arrange them in pleasing, exciting, or useful ways for the viewer. The careful use of these principles—and creating many versions of a design before committing to a finished piece—helps the designer to create work that seems thoughtful and intentional, as opposed to sloppy or accidental.

Objective: To analyze examples of design found in the world by breaking down those designs into their basic forms and Gestalt relationships in the composition, and to describe how each design makes use of those principles successfully and unsuccessfully. Your work gets better and your creativity gets sharper the more new ideas you expose yourself to.

Gestalt Principles

Similarity Closure Figure-Ground

Proximity Symmetry Continuation 

Directions: 

1. Find 2 Examples of Gestalt Theory (could be a book cover, movie poster, game sleeve, website, app logo, etc.) (Estimated time to complete [ETC] 10 - 15 minutes)
   
   

2. Import the images into a document in Illustrator (for print 8.5x11), make quick representations of the image that block in visual elements and spatial relationships. (ETC: 10-15 minutes)

*use color where necessary, but try to keep your drawings simple (squares, circles, lines, etc.) and proportional to the original. See examples below

3. Analyze and list all the Gestalt principles and visual elements you see in both designs

4.  With your list complete, describe how Gestalt and the visual elements are being used effectively in the “successful” design, and how they think they are being under or poorly used in the “unsuccessful” design. (Step 3 & 4 ETC: 30 - 40 minutes)

Examples