A Guide To Gestalt Theory — The Psychology Of Good Design

A Guide to Gestalt Theory — The Psychology of Good Design

The world of design is continuously changing.

Flat, Minimalist, Skeuomorphic — Realistic, Eclectic, Isometric — Asymmetrical, 3D, Art Deco — styles and trends are always in flux.

Every year there’s a new trend, and different way designs are being made.

What then, do designers fall back on as the constant to base their designs on?

Well, human behaviour.

That’s right. The underlying psychological tendencies of human behaviour remain reasonably constant, especially in terms of perception.

How humans see, process and perceive visual information serves as the concrete foundation for crafting ingenious designs that make your websites or apps more relatable and compelling.

On these very lines, the Gestalt theory — a collection of psychological principles for visual design — was founded in the early 20th century by German psychologists Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka and Wolfgang Kohler.

The fundamental core of the theory is based on the psychological principle that humans see a picture as a unified whole instead of perceiving each individual part differently.