The first key to Gestalt is the idea of figure and ground. Basically, we naturally separate objects from their surrounding area, drawing lines around the object (figure) to distinguish it from the ground (background). This is even the case with …
Tip # 30: Know the Gestalt Principles
Gestalt psychological principles describe how we perceive the world—basically, they tell us how we group things. How humans group things is vital to design because it tells us how we separate things; i.e. how we create dimensions of contrast, something …
Tip #28: Use hanging punctuation
Punctuation takes up only a fraction of the vertical space that letters use. So there’s usually a bunch of space either above them (in the case of . , _ &c.) or below them (in the case of ” ‘ …
Tip #29: The difference between Art and Design
Everyone should know the difference between art and design. Art tries to capture a metaphysical truth about the world. It tries to evoke emotion. It tries to say something in itself. Design tries to be a crystal goblet—invisibly holding its …
Tip #27: The Difference between Obliques and Italics
Most people don’t realize this, but Italics are actually an entirely different alphabet than the lowercase roman alphabet. Italic letters are constructed differently to resemble hand writing—they do not have to be slanted. I repeat: Italic does not mean slanted. …
