There’s a split breaking up the text but it doesn’t impact readability at all. Take the cover of Day of Empire, for example. This principle is best illustrated in practice. When an image is broken up, our brains can automatically fill in the missing parts and piece things back together, creating a sense of closure where there is none. The Gestalt principle of closure is another law that can allow for some really creative book cover designs. Between the lines and the arrows, the eye is easily guided over the image. You can also see this Gestalt principle in the cover for The Memory of Running, which makes it a bit more obvious with the white background line linking all of the text together. Even though the text forms an “X”, the eye follows one line and then the other (and priority is given to the larger typeface). You can see this principle in practice in the cover for A Chance Meeting. Here’s an example of how the Gestalt principles of continuity works, note that your eye follows the lines, regardless of the dots changing color halfway through (your brain interprets each line as looking like the example in the center, rather than being a single color): It’s like connecting the dots in a logical and pleasing manner, making your design feel whole and harmonious. It’s essentially the art of keeping things flowing in a way that makes sense, creating a sense of unity and coherence. When your eye follows a line or pattern, your brain likes to perceive it as a continuous and unbroken path. It’s like a visual storytelling technique. The law of continuity in Gestalt theory is all about the smooth flow and connection of elements. This is despite the fact that the colors in the image would suggest other groupings proximity overrules that. The crow and circle that overlaps it are automatically grouped together, while the other two overlapping circles are also grouped together. Just take this cover for Witches of America as an example. This is especially true if objects overlap within a design. Here’s an example of how squares are grouped into two separate groups based on their proximity to each other, even though all of the squares are the same: Things that are close together are automatically grouped together. The law of proximity is one of the simpler Gestalt principles to understand. There is no actual skull in the design, but our brains automatically perceive it based on the general shape in which the flowers are arranged. The cover designer has used flowers to create a skull image. This Gestalt principle presents some incredibly interesting opportunities for creating amazing book cover imagery. We automatically look for order in chaos. Our brains try to make sense of complex images in the simplest way possible. Think of the law of prägnanz as being similar to Occam’s razor: the simplest explanation is often the right one. The same words repeat in the dots on each line, but because there’s a single line of black dots running vertically, the brain reads those dots as a single group. Take this example from the cover of Super Sad True Love Story. You can use the same principle to create groups on your book cover. For example, if you have a grid that is made up of 81 squares, and 12 of those squares are blue while the rest are gray, you’ll automatically group the 12 blue squares together, regardless of where they are on the grid. The Gestalt principle of similarity directs that people will group similar things together. Now, on to the Gestalt principles and how they can be implemented in book cover design to create covers that invite readers to learn more. While we hate to think that our books will be judged solely on their covers, the truth is that if your cover doesn’t catch a reader’s eye, they’re unlikely to pick your book up at all. Hiding vital information can frustrate readers and make them move on to the next book.īut beyond making sure that your book cover contains the basic information readers expect, you also need to make sure that it entices readers to give the book a chance. These parts need to be immediately apparent when a reader glances at a book cover. There are certain parts of a book cover that readers expect: the title (and subtitle if it’s nonfiction), author name, and some idea of what the book might contain. Book covers also have to serve the purpose of informing readers of what they can expect within a book’s contents, whether it’s a novel or nonfiction. Using the Gestalt Principles in Your Book Cover Designsįirst Things First: What Makes a Good Book Cover Design?Ĭreating a book cover that’s visually appealing is only one aspect of good book cover design.Gestalt Principles: Law of Figure/Ground.First Things First: What Makes a Good Book Cover Design?.In this article, we’ll cover the following Gestalt principles of design and how they can be used in book covers:
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