Saturday, February 13, 2010
Gestalt: The Whole Part
In this picture we tend to see a triangle and a sqaure instead of unregular figures
http://www.uic.edu/classes/psych/psych352jw/c4.html
The fundamental principle of gestalt perception is the law of prägnanz.
"The law of Pragnanz says that we try to experience things in as good a gestalt way as possible. In this sense, "good" can mean several things, such as regular, orderly, simplistic, symmetrical, etc." [Grika,2005]. We see this everyday in particular with advertising in logo's and signs that may be incomplete yet can catch our eye as unusual. However, we quickly can see the whole picture because our mind wants to create order to the incomplete image.
An example in advertising of this phenonenom is the logo for Federal Express: At first we tend to see the words but then hidden between the letters E and x is the arrow indicating delivery. We see it but then tend to go back to what may seem simpler and more complete. It is somewhat perceived yet moves on to the name of the organization. Again, Gestalt is about the relationship of parts to the whole.
How do you see this law as important to instruction when designing materials that capture the whole concept in many parts? Why is it important for businesses when creating an image?
Gestalt: The Whole Part
In this picture we tend to see a triangle and a sqaure instead of unregular figures
http://www.uic.edu/classes/psych/psych352jw/c4.html
The fundamental principle of gestalt perception is the law of prägnanz.
"The law of Pragnanz says that we try to experience things in as good a gestalt way as possible. In this sense, "good" can mean several things, such as regular, orderly, simplistic, symmetrical, etc." [Grika,2005]. We see this everyday in particular with advertising in logo's and signs that may be incomplete yet can catch our eye as unusual. However, we quickly can see the whole picture because our mind wants to create order to the incomplete image.
An example in advertising of this phenonenom is the logo for Federal Express: At first we tend to see the words but then hidden between the letters E and x is the arrow indicating delivery. We see it but then tend to go back to what may seem simpler and more complete. It is somewhat perceived yet moves on to the name of the organization. Again, Gestalt is about the relationship of parts to the whole.
How do you see this law as important to instruction when designing materials that capture the whole concept in many parts? Why is it important for businesses when creating an image?
John, I really enjoyed this post!
ReplyDeleteMy eyes definitely understand that principle but I had never heard of pragnaz. It makes so much sense to me. I did a little more searching on the principle and found that to sometimes sum up Gesalt theory, the following is said: "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts".
I had never realized there was an arrow inbetween the E and x. It is interesting to me, because even now after knowing both my mind will also go back to the bigger picture of the purple and orange word FedEx.
Yall should check out this similiar example(it is Aletheia's logo): http://www.aletheiachurch.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64&Itemid=84
"The Aletheia 3-Blocks logo has numerous meanings. It is first and foremost intended to communicate a feeling of solidarity. The structural essence of the blocks reflects the strength of Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of the Christian’s life, and reinforces its most critical understanding: that He alone is our strength.
In that there are three parts, it also reflects several key aspects of Christian doctrine: the Trinitarian unity of God, the three nails of Christ’s crucifixion, and the three days comprising His death and resurrection. It carries further symbolism in that the three shapes act as the inside of the letters ‘A’ and ‘C’, the initials of Aletheia Church. Furthermore, every letter of the word “Aletheia” can be seen abstractly somewhere in the logo.
It also beckons the eye to move upward, signifying the transcendent nature of our hope in Christ. Its angular and acsending qualities can also reflect the modern architecture of cities in which Aletheia intends to do ministry. All of these elements combine to reflect what Aletheia’s ministry exists to do: demonstrate the power of God to change lives in a way that is both culturally relevant and biblically orthodox."
Great post John! I really appreciate how you incorporated our lesson into the Blog. It helps to reinforce what we read about the Gestalt concept.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that it did take me a few minutes to find the arrow you referred to in the FedEx logo. Their logo is an excellent example of Gestalt. I also noticed that they too used the "Rule of Thirds" in their design.
Sarah, your post was a great addition to the concept using the Altheia logo. I like their concept and certainly can appreciate their metaphor. It was another good reinforcement of what we learned from this week's lesson.
I personally look for the big picture first and then look closer to the parts. Although I sometimes have a difficult time seeing the individual parts, I find that I am learning to look deeper as we go through this course.
The first time I think I ever noticed the FedEx arrow I was driving. My passenger pointed it out to me and I believe I was so amazed that I stop paying to attention to me driving. LoL!
ReplyDeleteI love hidden images in designs. I think that it adds more meaning to the logos. I often believe that the designer has more meaning in the hidden image, and that the hidden image show the true nature of the designer's thoughts.
One of the most infamous designers/artists that are known for inserting hidden images is Disney. They have been accused over the past few years to incorporate sexual images and references into their animation movies.
After accusations of inappropriate images in their movies, Disney then begin show their hidden images in their DVD packages as a bonus feature. One particular movie this was done in was Finding Nemo. In the feature, they show a snippet of the movie and circle the references to other Disney movies that they incorporated.
After seeing what they did in Finding Nemo, it made me be more aware of hidden images in movies and designs in whole.
I never noticed the arrow in the Fed Ex symbol. It was really interesting to find it! I think that my mind just went right to the bigger picture rather than the parts of the picture. I do however think this is an awesome logo and gets the viewer to see the logo with a different perspective once the arrow is observed.
ReplyDeleteI came across another graphic design blog which posted 25 examples of hidden images in logos. My favorite one is the Big Ten Conference logo which has the number 11 hidden in it. I would have never noticed these images unless someone pointed them out to me! I look at the overall picture rather than its parts. It does make me wonder how I will be as a designer, will my time be spent perfecting the overall image or the parts that make up the image.
Gestalt - looking for hidden meanings in the big picture. Or hidden reinforcement. If you are a fan of Disney, you might have heard of The Hidden Mickeys. Scattered throughout the entire world of Disney are small and large images of Mickey and his supporting cast. There are books written and websites dedicated to the Hidden Mickeys. In my hotel room there were hidden Mickeys in the bathroom wall paper and on the pillows on the bed. Knowing "something" is hidden makes it fun to look at an image and can actually translate into a good source for learning cognition. "remember that poster we saw and we noticed in the corner..."
ReplyDelete