Patterns are everywhere we go and our minds can’t help but recognize when a pattern is formed. These patterns can be found in manmade objects such as fabrics or wallpaper; or in nature such as the patterns found on a giraffe or the bark of a tree.

We are inclined to look for visual patterns wether we realize it or not. This is why the Gestalt Principle of similarity works so well when designing logos. The principle of similarity states that objects which share visual features such as shape, size, color, texture, value or orientation will be understood as belonging together. When designing logos we can use this “pattern searching” part of our brain to give a logo unity and interest.

Health Unlimited Logo by The Partners, 1992

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Popchips Logo

Popchips Packaging

I came across this logo and package design in a fitness magazine advertisement last month. I think this design made some great use of the Gestalt Law of closure. The letter “o” and “i” are entirely created using only negative space and the edges of the surrounding letters. I think the letter “i” is especially clever while still being easily legible. What do you think of the Popchips logo?

When I decided that I wanted to focus my career on logo and brand identity I thought a majority of my time would be spent sipping coffee, researching creative design options for clients, and designing the day away in my sketchbook and on my computer. While this does take up a good majority of my time I have to say I am surprised at how much time is spent educating others (and myself) about the various aspects of the design industry. I would like to use this post to educate people about some of the more popular topics being debated in the design industry today.

Crowd-Sourcing: It seems every business is trying to tap into the idea of crowd-sourcing the ideas of the masses. Simply put, crowd sourcing is the act of taking what were tasks traditionally performed by an employee within a business and outsourcing them to a large undefined group of people.

In the design community many websites have popped up in which clients will ask for a design and have not one but many designers vie against one another in order to have their design chosen. The only person to receive payment in this process is the “winning” designer. While this is beneficial to the client, it promotes the idea that as a designer you may or may not be paid for the time and effort put into your work. Imagine if the same was done for other professions? Tom Stephan writes a great analogy of how this would work.

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Most people know when a logo design is successful, whether or not they have a background in graphic design. But what is it about logo designs that make them successful? And on the flip side, what causes so many poorly designed logos to fail? I will tackle this exact subject in a series of posts that will delve into the design principles used to create effective logos.

First up let’s take a look at the Gestalt Principle (or law), also known as the “Law of Simplicity.” The Gestalt Principle is a theory that says our minds self-organize information in a manner that is orderly, regular, symmetric, and simple. This means that when we see a cluster of lines and shapes our minds attempt to organize them into a single, cohesive form, rather than a collection of individual parts. It should go without saying that the Gestalt Principles are extremely helpful when trying to understand how a logo will be perceived by an audience.

WWF Logo Using Closure

So let’s jump right in and take a look at the law of closure. Just to be clear the law of closure will not help you bury the hatchet with your “ex.” (That kind of closure is a lot tougher to figure out).

The kind of closure we are talking about occurs when a series of visual elements suggest a connection between one another, when, in fact, they never actually touch.

A great example of this is the World Wide Fund For Nature designed by Sir Peter Scott in 1961. The image of the panda is not complete because the areas of white on the panda are not defined by a stroke or shape. However, our minds still recognize the shape of the panda and complete (or close) the two areas of white in order to make sense of the panda’s head and body.
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