Assignment #6 - Gestalt Principles

This week, we learnt about Gestalt Principles and have to apply them by critiquing two designs which we deem are good and bad designs.
However, an important point to note is whether a design is good or bad is extremely subjective. i.e. What someone may see as a good design may not necessarily be the same for another person.
Hence, it is with an open mind that we evaluate the following designs.....
This is an example of a good design that adheres to Gestalt Principles.
It has Continuity as the border is continuous and wraps around the frame of the page.
It has Proximity as the berries are placed closed together to give the illusion of closeness and unity of the elements in the advertisement.
Figure and ground is clearly distinguished as the product stands out clearly from the background.
It has similarity as the color of the berries and product are in similar tones of red and pink.

This is an example of a bad design that does not adhere to Gestalt Principles.
It does not have Proximity as the elements are placed messily so that the reader does not know what to focus on.
The similarity of colors in the advertisement does not allow the reader to focus on the main product which is a white colored watch. The bright yellow color draws attention to the splash of color in the background rather than the product.
Because this picture is an advertisement, we felt that the main focus of the design should emphasize the product rather than overwhelm it. Hence, this picture does not fulfill the principles of Gestalt.