gestalt theory

gestalt theory -the minds ability to organize chaos.

I'm going to give you a little design 101 because I'll kill two birds with one stone. I'll have something new and interesting up on my site (if you consider this interesting)
And if I can tell you about it in a way you'll understand then I'll ace my midterm tonight. Yes. I'm pretending that blogging can pass as studying.

{feel free to just look at the pretty pictures if you know this will bore you to tears}

There are 6 basic principles in design. Not rules but merely guidelines {one more reason why I love design, it's subjective and limitless}

Harmony unifies a design, tying everything together, it is all about unifying the relationships between the other principles and elements involved.

Variety brings interest and vitality to the room, created by using different textures, colors, patterns, etc. Two ways to use variety are contrast and elaboration. Elaborate the details, contrast in colors and texture create visual excitement.

Balance is distributing visual weight in the design. There are three different types of balance:

Symmetrical - easy to identify with mirrored images and the focal point at the center of two equal parts.
Asymmetrical is created by equal points of interest that aren't identical. Radial balance radiates from the central point.

Rhythm is the beat of the design. Created by repitition and lends to the harmony of the room. It also sets the emotion of the room.

Proportion is relating one object to another object to the whole. Are you still reading? Did you catch that? Let me give you the equation to clear things up (a + b is to a as a is to b) Got it? Good. :) Not everything about design is color and textiles. The best proportions are found in nature. The Greeks were obsessed.

Dominance places significance to the different parts of the room. Emphatic, dominance, subdominance, subordinate.

And there you have it. Sorry if you are now in a coma. I included pictures to at least give you something to look at if you didn't want to read.