Unit 8:
Gestalt Principles Applied
Source: Jane Halonen. The Critical Thinking Companion. Worth
Publishers. 1995.
Objective: Practical
Application of 5 Gestalt Principles
After completing this exercise,
you should be able to:
- Recognize
that perceptual images can be analyzed into specific design principles.
- Apply
Gestalt principles to perceptual stimuli.
- Identify
other group performances that illustrate Gestalt principles
- Speculate
about how the design
principles work in sensory modes other than vision.
Background Information:
Gestalt psychology offers principles of good form and rules for
grouping stimuli. Typically these principles are illustrated using
two-dimensional stimuli: lines, dots, images,
etc. orchestrated to demonstrate specific effects. However, the Gestalt
principles can also be seen in operation in three-dimensional, dynamic
forms; as this exercise will illustrate.
Let's start with a group performance such as the work that might he
performed by a marching band during the
half-time activities in a football game (Think about the Superbowl performance).
Recall some performance you have
seen and try to think
of it as a demonstration of
Gestalt principles of good form and grouping.
Figure-ground. Marching in
front of the hand and waving a baton, the drum major stands out from the rpm of the band, enhanced by more dramatic costuming and a central position in relation to the other band members.
Proximity. Certain band members may cluster together, particularly when their assignment
is to create a visual impart distinct from the rest of the band. The minimal
distance maintained within the cluster enhances the
crowd's perception that this subgroup is a unit by itself.
This principle is apparent when band members must form a
particular letter of the alphabet or some other
visual design; their proximity helps us to
perceive that design as distinct from the activities of the other subgroups on
the field,
Similarity: Band uniforms,
musical instruments, and choreographed marching enhance our perception of the band as a group or as
subdivisions that form meaningful smaller groups.
Continuity/connectedness. As band members break into smaller marching groups to develop a distinctive formation, their movements relative to each other and to members
of other groups will cause the crowd to perceive them as subgroups. For example,
the horn section,
moving clockwise in
a circle, will
be perceived as
a whole group because their movements cause them to appear to be connected with one another. In
contrast, the drum section, moving
counterclockwise, will be perceived as a separate group.
Closure. When the music and movement stop, we
see the performance as a completed experience.
Now it's your turn.
Apply the design principles to either a football game or a ballet performance (or an
instructor approved activity)
Selected performance: ____________________________________________
Figure-ground
Proximity
Similarity
Closure
Continuity/connectedness:
