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Gestalt
"The sum of the whole is greater than its parts" is the idea behind the principle of gestalt. It's the perception of a composition as a whole. While each of the individual parts have meaning on their own, taken together, the meaning may change. Our perception of the piece is based on our understanding of all the bits and pieces working in unison.
Gestalt Principles Applied In Design
Michael Tuck describes and illustrates just what gestalt is and how it (as well as proximity, similarity, and symmetry) applies in design, including Web design.
Closure and Gestalt Theory
Examine how cropping and the gestalt concept of closure work together in this Apogee Photo Magazine article.
Equilibrium or Balance and Gestalt Theory
This portion of an Apogee Photo Magazine article on Gestalt Theory and Photographic Composition is easily applicable to page layout as well as photos.
Gestalt Psychology
Jenny Fultz of Anderson University has simple illustrations that demonstrates gestalt laws of proximity, similarity, continuation, closure, good form, and figure/ground. It helps show how gestalt can apply to graphics and design work.
Gestalt, the Font
The Hoefler Type Foundry has this font called Gestalt. It's an exeperimental design exploring the concept of gestalt as it applies to legibility of type.
Proximity and Gestalt Theory
From Apogee Photo Magazine, part of an article on Gestalt Theory and Photographic Composition shows how proximity affects perception in photographs.
Web Design for Instruction
At the University of Saskatchewan Web site, explore gestalt principles of perception:
Figure and Ground
Similarity, Proximity or Contiguity, Continuity
Closure, Area, Symmetry
Figure and Ground
Similarity, Proximity or Contiguity, Continuity
Closure, Area, Symmetry