Jeremy Bolton | Logo Designer » Design Principles

Gestalt Principle: The Law of Similarity & Anomaly

Jeremy — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:56:04 +0000

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

Lets take a look at a few examples of how similarity is successfully used in logo design. As you can see in the Health Unlimited logo (above) the similarity between the cross and the moving person is easily discerned. Though each of the shapes between the first and the last are slightly different our minds still sees enough of a resemblance to unite them together. The use of the solid black color for each of the shapes also serves to link each shape to the others.

Reuters Old and New Logo

In both the old and new Reuters logo similar color and dot sizes are used to make the logos cohesive even though the dots never touch. In the old logo the various letters of the word “reuters” are easily legible because the dots share a similar size and color. The current logo adds a more dynamic feel by using slightly varying dot sizes while still being linked together by the use of the orange color.

But it isn’t only similarities that our mind recognizes. We also notice when something is out of order or disrupting a pattern. This is known as an anomaly and it also works well in logo design. As you can see below both the Exxon and Mobil logos make use of a design anomaly in order to add interest. In the Exxon logo the two x’s breaking out of the baseline and cap height create the anomaly. In the Mobil logo the use of the red “o” becomes the anomaly when all the other letters in the name are in blue.

Exxon Logo by R. Lowey, 1971, Mobil Logo by Chermayeff & Geismar, 1965

Both similarity and anomaly create logos that are visually interesting and cohesive. Patterns or anomalies don’t need to be over the top in order to get their point across. When designing a logo remember that the viewer’s mind will pick up even subtle patterns or interruptions in those patterns. In short: keep it simple!

Now That’s Clever! – Popchips Logo

Jeremy — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:38:10 +0000

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?

Crowd-Sourcing, Contests, & Spec Work

Jeremy — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:26:45 +0000

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.

Contests: It is hard to browse graphic design websites or skim a design magazine without seeing ads for a design contest. Many of these contests entice designers with the promise of cash and prizes. This, in many ways, works the same as crowd-sourcing. A prize is the form of payment and all but one will usually be given any sort of compensation for their work. Worse yet, it seems more and more stories are coming out about work that is being stolen or plagiarized and used in other design contests. Contest seem to be more about getting hits on a certain website rather than creating effective designs.

Speculative (Spec) Work: Speculative work, or “spec work” as it has become known, is work that a designer does for a client in which no fee has been agreed upon, preferably in writing. Some would argue that the clients should get to see work done before money exchanges hands. This may work with other products like test driving a car or trying on a suit, but logo design work, especially logo design work done right, is a process that is tailor made to fit a clients needs.

Instead of asking for work to be done without any payment a client should ask to see a designer portfolio and find out exactly what the designer’s design process entails. If a designer simply says they fire up their computer and can get a finished logo back to you in a day or two then there probably wasn’t much time spent exploring the competition, putting together a design brief, or becoming familiar with the clients industry.

To offer full disclosure I have entered some of my own work to crowd-sourcing websites in the past before fully researching the topic. I have since pulled my work from these websites and fully support the no spec initiative. While I know this will go against what some designers believe, I feel that our integrity as designers is at stake. Crowd-sourcing, contests, and spec work simply undermines the design industry and wrongly informs the public that the work we do is of little or no value.

Further Reading: SpecWatch | NO!SPEC | iStock Prepackaged Logos

Gestalt Principle: The Law of Closure

Jeremy — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:43:27 +0000

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.

Using the law of closure makes any logo more interesting. Paul Rand’s original design for the IBM logo in 1956 used solid letterforms based on the typeface City. It was only later, in 1960, that he used eight solid lines, separated by empty space, to add interest to the logo design. Both versions represent the same three letters, but using the law of closure makes the mark all that more interesting and causes the name to stand out amongst it’s competition.

IBM Logo

Other examples of closure in classic logo designs can be seen in the Playboy rabbit logo created by Arthur Paul in 1953 and the NBC Peacock logo designed by Chermayeff & Geismar in 1986. In both instances shapes are placed near one another, but, as you can see, none of the shapes actually touch. This causes us to think a bow-tie or a peacock is present.

Playboy Logo & NBC Logo Using Closure

Using closure in your logo designs is a great way to add interest and help your client stand out. When used correctly it only subtly hints at what it is trying to represent, but is always easily identifiable upon closer examination. So the next time you are sketching out logo ideas for a client see if you can work in a few solutions that use closure. It may be the difference that makes or breaks the logo.

Jeremy Bolton | Logo Designer » Design Principles

Gestalt Principle: The Law of Similarity & Anomaly

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