Gestalt Principle of CLOSURE

10/23/2016

Another principle of Gestalt is CLOSURE. For closure, the mind supplies the missing pieces to "close" a form, composition, etc.

In the image below, there is no actual lightbulb. The mind wants to close the shape formed by the hand while the hardware at the bottom aids in the suggestion of "lightbulb".

http://gdj.gdj.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Gestalt-Closure.jpg

The next well-known logo for World Wildlife Federation uses closure to create a panda bear.

http://media.creativebloq.futurecdn.net/sites/creativebloq.com/files/images/2013/10/image04.jpg

The following are part of a designer's "Gestalphabet" where he uses human behaviorism to "close" the open forms in order to create a recognizable image. The viewer then sees A, B, C, and D when he has not actually used any of these letterforms.

https://wordsarepictures.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/picture-31.png

Closure is often used in logos. The S in USA is formed by closure. The girls' faces in the Girl Scouts are formed by closure and Figure-Ground.

http://sites.psu.edu/psych256fa14/wp-content/uploads/sites/14682/2014/09/usa-network.gif

https://journalism273.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/gslogo.gif?w=300&h=270

STUDENTS:
Find one sample that demonstrates Closure.

Use a photograph, painting, logo, or layout. Do not use one of the simple black diagrams that usually come up for Gestalt.

3 Comments

Nichole Johns link

10/28/2016 09:06:49 am

Gestalt's principle of closure is where "the mind supplies the missing pieces to "close" a form, composition, etc." At first all you see are peace signs. However your mind just filled in blank space. If you look even closer, you can see a 3-dimensional cube. Once again your eyes are just filling in the space. Those lines are not actually drawn in this picture.

Darian Stewart link

11/11/2016 01:59:55 pm

Gestalts principle of closure refers to creating the missing pieces to make up the composition to create an object. For my image the skyscrapers creates a closed "x" in the sky to create a shape.

Brittney Clayton link

11/26/2016 09:29:30 pm

This is an example of Gestalts principle of Closure, where the black splotches and lines help your mind piece together the rest of the image to form that of a giraffe. One entire side of the face isn't drawn, and neither are the bottom half of its legs. But our minds still manage to realize that what we're looking at is an image of a giraffe.

Design Blog (2016)