For teachers

Gestalt principles handout

Three pages for US Letter paper. Pages 1 and 2 are for students. Page 3 is the answer key, so print it separately or leave it out.

Read the lesson online

Free to print and share with your students. Please don't sell it.

ux360.design Principles of design

Name Date

Gestalt principles

Gestalt principles describe how our eyes group what we see into wholes. Our brain sorts things into groups and fills in gaps, even when no group or shape is drawn.

Four principles to start with

Two panels of the same list items: on the left a gap splits them into two groups, on the right they run together as one block
Proximity. Things close together look like a group.
Six rows of shapes: circles, triangles, circles, hollow rings, circles and ringed dots, so the matching rows read as related
Similarity. Things that look alike seem to belong together.
Four discs with wedges cut out, arranged so the gaps suggest a square that is not drawn
Closure. We fill in missing edges and see a whole shape.
The same outline drawn twice: read one way it is two faces in profile, read the other way it is a vase
Figure-ground. We split a scene into an object and the background behind it.

Try it

Draw eight dots. Arrange them so people see two groups, without drawing any lines or boxes.

My two groups

What made the two groups: proximity, similarity, or both? How do you know?

Read the full lesson: ux360.design/gestalt-principles-design/

ux360.design Gestalt principles

Name

Check yourself

Circle one answer for each question.

  1. 1A form puts each label right next to its box. Which principle helps you see which label goes with which box?

    • Proximity
    • Closure
    • Figure-ground

  2. 2On a web page, every link is blue. Which principle tells you they all do the same job?

    • Proximity
    • Similarity
    • Closure

  3. 3A logo is made of shapes with gaps, but you still see a circle. Why?

    • Your brain fills in the missing parts
    • The circle is drawn very lightly
    • The gaps make the logo bigger

  4. 4A pop-up window sits on top of a dimmed page. Which principle is at work?

    • Similarity
    • Figure-ground
    • Proximity

  5. 5What do all the Gestalt principles have in common?

    • They are about choosing colors
    • They describe how the brain groups and simplifies what it sees
    • They only apply to logos

Want to check online? The same questions are at the end of ux360.design/gestalt-principles-design/

ux360.design Gestalt principles

For the teacher

Answer key

  1. 1A. Proximity. Things close together look like a group, so each label pairs with the box beside it.
  2. 2B. Similarity. Things that look alike seem to belong together, so every blue word reads as a link.
  3. 3A. Your brain fills in the missing parts. That is closure. The brain completes the shape even though part of it is missing.
  4. 4B. Figure-ground. The window is the figure and the dimmed page is the ground, so your eye goes to the window.
  5. 5B. They describe how the brain groups and simplifies what it sees. Each one is a way the brain turns a busy scene into simple groups and wholes.

In class, about 30 minutes: read the lesson, do page 1, then page 2.

More free handouts: ux360.design/teachers/