Giving a nod to Gestalt theory, my beginning photography students manipulated some of their photos to create anomalies of isolated color.
They learned that you can create a focal point (a point of visual interest) by highlighting an area of difference in the image (in Gestalt theory, this is called an anomaly). There are many ways to do this, but in this instance, we highlighted these areas by keeping them in color and desaturating the rest of the photo. It was a simple process, but the resulting photos are fun, and the students learned one more way of making their photos compositionally effective.
*All artwork generated by the following students, grades 10-12 [Katelyn C.] [Maja N.] [Justin R.]
This student used a wide aperture to create a bokeh effect in the background, creating added texture in her photo.This photo was taken by a foreign exchange student, hence the London scene.
This is a great mini-lesson for beginning photography students because it got them thinking a bit more about composition, but it is still a simple enough concept to quickly grasp. That said, they do have to put more effort into their photo planning before starting this project. For instance, they not only have to decide what would be the best focal point and overall composition, but they have to envision how the pop of color will impact and possibly change the visual movement in their image. It’s an added element that helps students to realize the importance of planning in the photographic process.
Students tend to have a high success rate with this project because the process in Photoshop is easy to master. It’s also a great way to give new photography students extra practice with the basics of shooting in manual mode and metering, while still producing a new style of photograph.
You can learn how to make your own isolated color photo in the video tutorial below.
As you can see, this student had a great photography model at home.
Our class recently spent some time studying one of my favorite concepts to teach, Gestalt theory. Gestalt theory refers to the brain’s need to make sense of the world around it. Our brains make visual connections every day that we just take for granted. By studying Gestalt theory and the five principles of Gestalt, students can understand how to use those connections to strengthen their designs.
We studied the five Gestalt principles of closure, proximity, similarity, continuation, and figure and ground. I then asked the students to design a black and white graphic that used at least one of the principles. The graphic should also use an animal as the subject matter.
The Five Principles of Gestalt
Let’s examine the five Gestalt principles and then look at how the students used them in their designs. If you’re new to Gestalt theory, or just need a refresher, read through the infographic below to learn about the five principles of Gestalt.
This infographic lays out the five principles of Gestalt theory.
After reviewing the Gestalt principles, you can start to see how the students used them to create their animal graphics. The work below actually demonstrates all of the Gestalt principles. You can see closure in the space between the squid and the whale. You can see continuation in the squid legs. The squid legs are also similar in shape, using the principle of similarity. The proximity of the black circle allows us to identify them as the squid’s eyes. Finally, the student used figure and ground by using the squid’s ink to define the outline of the squid’s body.
* All artwork generated by the following students grade 10-12:
Students used gestalt theory to create their own animal-based graphics.
The tiger graphic below demonstrates the gestalt principles of closure in between the stripes. The stripes also demonstrate similarity. Obviously, the proximity of the shapes allows us to see the tiger. We also see figure and ground being used because the negative space between the stripes makes up the tiger’s body.
This tiger demonstrates the Gestalt principles of closure, similarity, proximity, and figure and ground.
In the eagle graphic we can see figure and ground in the head that is made out of the negative space. We can also see closure and proximity working together as we close the gaps from the body through the beak to mentally construct the head.
This graphic demonstrates Gestalt theory principles of closure, proximity, and figure and ground.
We can see similarity and proximity in the trees of the graphic below. Figure and ground is also evident because the bird’s body is made up of the night sky. We have to use closure as well to bridge the gaps between the trees and mentally construct the bird’s body.
This bird graphic demonstrates the Gestalt principles of figure and ground, similarity, proximity, and closure.
Finally, the graphic below shows similarity in the similar shapes on the feathers. It shows proximity in the placement of those shapes and closure where we have to visually close the gaps to make the plumes of the peacock. You could also see figure and ground because the negative space is being used to create the feathers of the peacock.
This peacock graphic demonstrates the Gestalt principles of closure, similarity, proximity, and figure and ground.
Gestalt theory can be found in a variety of works from logo design to photography and even sculpture. If you make art, try to incorporate the Gestalt principles into your work from time to time. It’s a fun challenge and it will give you one more tool that can use to strengthen your work as a designer or artist.
If you create any Gestalt-related designs or artwork, we’d love to see them. Feel free to share in the comments below.
A dork about all things art.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
