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Gestalt
Theory in Visual Composition
No matter how the information or information structures are organized
in a composition, the main objective in designing the information
is to provide the user with an easily accessible, clearly structured,
and aesthetically pleasing presentation. This can only be achieved
through unity and consistency in the composition and structure
of the information. In his book Type & Image, Philip Meggs states:
The
designer combines graphic materials-words, pictures, and other
graphic elements-to construct a visual communications gestalt.
This German word does not have a direct English translation.
It means a configuration or structure with properties not derivable
from the sum of its individual parts. The designer combines
visual signs, symbols, and images into a visual-verbal gestalt
that the audience can understand. The graphic designer is simultaneously
message maker and form builder. This complex task involves forming
an intricate communications message while building a cohesive
composition that gains order and clarity from the relationships
between the elements (1).
The
primary task for the information designer is to give the composition
of the information a whole or a gestalt not only on an individual
page basis, but also throughout the entire information structure
whether in the form of a book, a painting, a web-site, or a CD-ROM.
The entirety of the information needs to be taken into account
to provide the user with a whole, complete and aesthetic "experience"
of the information.
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