Gestalt in the Narrows

First, here's the arrow on the Riverwalk trail I was talking about.

The are a couple of Gestalt principles at work here - the figure/ground relationship is what makes this difficult to discern at first because the illusion is perpetuated by the background actually being the figure. Upon this relationship, pragnanz is played out, reducing the complex lines in the relief of the limestone into a shape with which we are familiar, much like the FedEx logo. Continuity and closure is at work here as well.

To better understand the principles of Gestalt theory I am asking you to use class time today to visit either the Holland Building or the Eccles Fine Arts Center and discern these principles in their architectural design.  

Remember, figure/ground relationships are the canvas upon which the other principles function; similarity, proximity, pragnanz, continuity, and closure. Observe both interior and exterior elements of your selected edifice, photograph them and upload your observations to your blog, calling this post Gestalt in Architecture. 

My Visceral Response

It's the ending to my favorite film, American Beauty. I've watched it dozens of times and still the last three minutes plungs me into one of the greatest dichotomies of feeling my heart can stand.

Color plays a huge role here, along with cinematic elements that capitalize on stupefying, but so does my own frame of reference, something we all independently bring to anything we see that causes such a commotion. Spoiler alert, though: if you haven't seen the film, you may want to before rolling the clip below.

It's Fat Boy Slim

...not Daft Punk. 

A Frozen Tale - A look at the process.

A Frozen Tale from Sinclair & Hill on Vimeo.

Your Peer Produced This

Axioms of Web Design

Browse the Internet and pick a favorite website for analysis using the rubric of Rutledge's axioms below. Post your analysis to your blog.

1. The most relevant bit of understanding we must possess in order to design an effective website solution for our client is their business objective(s).
2. The most natural and effective direction for leading a viewer’s eye through a web page design or a landscape painting is along an angle, what we call continuity.
3. For first-time visitors who have never seen the layout or used the interface of a website, the most important non-brand related issue the designer must take into account for an effective design is a high degree of affordance or intuitiveness.
4. Since most web surfing is done on devices other than standard aspect ratio displays, the page converts to third and fourth screen devices.

Font Combinations

As we talked about in class today, I'd like you to post on your class blog a sample of font combinations along with an analysis of why you believe they're complimentary. Now, like most things VisComm, you could go and Google it, but I'd like you to reference something more authentic to you than what you've stumbled upon from a search engine.

I'd like to use this for discussion in our next class on Thursday, so please have your posts completed by then.

Baskerville & Proxima Nova

Citizen Slab & Railway

Cutoff & Trade Gothic

FSScala Caps & Relay Black

Arial & Georgia

Gestalt Activity

Find three examples of your group's assigned Gestalt principle in various domains.

For example, were I looking to show how the law of similarity works I might find examples in packaging,

in exhibit,

and in display.

Show your group's examples to the class.

"S" the Experience