Gestalt Laws

Gestalt Laws

1. Proximity

   • As an overview when objects are in close proximity we perceive them to be related.
   • A huddle of students in a corner will look like a group however, the same students spread out in the same classroom will not look like a group.

2. Continuity

   • The law of continuity says that we will link things that follow a predictable pattern.
   • We expect straight lines to carry on as straight lines and curves to continue as smooth curves.

3. Closure

   • We tend to perceive objects as a whole, even if they are not. If you almost draw a triangle but don't join up the last two sides , it still looks like a triangle. This is because we 'Fill in the gaps'.
   • Instead of seeing lines, we make the lines into a complete edge and therefore perceive a shape surrounded by the line.
   • Closure is more likely to happen when the shape produced by joining the lines is a regular shape.
   • If we see familiar image, such as an outline of a house or a chair, we don't notice if there are any parts missing as we tend to fill in lines based off of schemas.

4. Similarity

   • The principle of similarity states that things which share visual characteristics such as shape, size, colour, texture, value or orientation wil be seen as belonging together.
   • In the example in the middle there are columns of shapes that are the same colour, shape, etc. and this is why we perceive the shapes to belong in a group.

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