MODULE: Gestalt theory

Step 14 of 16: Figure/ground

Good Design discussions and rationale will often make mention the impact of Figure/ground. What this Gestalt Principle articulates is the relationship between the subject of the composition (the object within the page) and the background on which it rests. The object in this discussion becomes the "figure". So you can think of it in terms of foreground and background, especially within a photographic perspective where the foreground is often a figure. The classic example, and one that exhibits the quality of the Gestalt Principle of Multistability, is this figure of either two faces about to kiss, or an ornate vase / single-stem candle holder;

In order to make the relationship between the two work, on some occassions the foreground will need to stand out more to grab attention, in others it will need to recede a bit to better fit into its surroundings. Two common ways of manipulating this relationship are through the level of contrast between the two, or the choice of colour of each respectively. Increased contrast can make the figure "pop out" more and become more dramatic. The relationship with the chosen colours is slightly more complicated as we've discussed in the MODULE: Colour Perception. For the purposes of this lesson, it is important to stick to a discussion of form and shape.

An important lesson in good composition:

We reach a crux point here in establishing the "ground", or background, as a Design element we've previously referred to as "negative space". What this refers to is the act of "adding" elements to a page that form the positive "utilised" space, in other words giving them body and substance, thereby creating a positive mass. This suggests then that the page which is empty is unoccupied and therefore constitutes "negative" space, for it contains no positive activation of its surface. The reason it is not called "white space" is because the page is not always going to be white, making that a potential misnomer.

What is essential to note is that this unoccupied page "ground" called negative space, is as important a Design element as any positive figure, be it typography, imagery or shape. The objective is not to fill it up, but instead to balance it in order to achieve the goal intended. A lack of respect for negative space is the single easiest way to identify the works of early-career Designers because it is something that must be practised to be mastered. It may be the single-handed most difficult aspect of visual communication to master and the lesson is reasserted in almost every Design-fundamentals publication.