From 8 thumbnail rough drafts to the final 4 one-black-square tasks, the exercise is a continuing process of deepening my understanding towards Gestalt theory: Good Figure, Similarity, Closure, Proximity, Continuation, Symmetry and etc. . It’s also an exploration of design and human perception, and the world is not the same once I changed my way of viewing it.
Beginning: Black Square Thumbnails
When doing the 8 thumbnail exercises, I was still getting myself acquaint with Gestalt principles as well as how to design basing on one single square. I tried to define first which Gestalt principle I wanted to practice for each thumbnail and imagine the final effect basing on the rough drafts I drew on the black squares. The final result works out fine, but seems a little too simple to me now.
Developing: One Black Square Exercise
Learning from my experience with thumbnails, I changed my strategy of designing the final work. My general idea for the four designs is to play with basic geometries and find a balance between composition and Gestalt theories. So I started by designing the composition, and then divided the black square by specific geometric shapes I wanted to use for each exercise, then applied them to the white board. I payed close attention to Gestalt principles when designing, through which process I’ve also gained a deeper insight of design.
Idea: circle, fluidity, gravity;
Principles: Continuation, Closure, Good Figure;
Idea: circle, nested, overlapping;
Principles: Continuation, Closure, Good Figure, Symmetry;
Idea: circle, broken, overlapping;
Principles: Continuation, Closure, Good Figure, Symmetry;
Idea: rectangle, 3D, regular, extension;
Principles: Continuation, Closure, Good Figure, Proximity;
Never Ending: Perceiving the world in a New Angle
My takeaway from the experience is that I started to observe the world in a different angle, how dots, lines and shapes weaves our views, and how Gestalt principles act upon our perception. The mindset of design is a never ending adventure, and I’m excited to learn more.