Research Investigation Results

Below is an overview of each page from the investigation, the layout is clear and it is to distinguish which principles are seen in which logos. A sample of 14 was taken from the earliest era and the very last era, this was due to lack of images that are documented. Each other era has a sample of 28 logos, this creates a fair and equal investigation. 

Below is the overall results found from the research. The testing and investigating that has been carried out was thorough and successful. Using a random but equal sampling method from a reliable written source it was necessary to contrast all eras to show changes and patterns in the way that logos were designed and then relate this to the Gestalt principles. To see where the principles are most regularly used is key to see whether they became more popular with the rise in information surrounding visual perception and to encourage the question as to whether the development of new media and modern technology has eradicated the use of the principles both in traditional design but also in digital design in the form of apps, websites and other platforms. From the results collected in this specific logo investigation it is clear to see that in the earlier period of the twentieth century the principles were much less frequently used with the logos, a large sample was taken so this is a clear and true reflection of design at this time. Moving further on into the century it becomes clear that design is changing and evolving fairly quickly and drastically. The logos from 1990 onwards possess a much different feel and quality to their designs than those looked at previously, they are much cleaner, there is much more use of the principles to beneficial measures and they are far cleaner and memorable to the audience. Therefore it is clear that the Gestalt principles are still apparent in modern logo design and are still relied up on, if not now more than ever to create successful and poignant branding and company personalities and logos.

Fourth Tutorial

My fourth tutorial was useful just to catch up and confirm where I was up to, I was able to go over my practical in more depth and finalise bits I was unsure of.

- Continue booklet, consider bringing grid into the design
- Possibly lay out my dissertation on a large format piece to show the use of grids
- Contact a professional designer to get a good idea of how they would interpret my questions

Practical Crit 14th December

I showed some basic ideas for my booklet at this crit and explained what the purpose of my handbook was for. It was also really good to see what everyone else was producing, to see how far along with it and to see how different everyones projects had turned out

Feedback:

- Handbook is a good tool for designers to have, not enough people know about the Gestalt principles and how they can be of benefit to all designers.
- Dissertation to be laid out on A1/A2, consider making a folded version or maybe even a small book?

Research Investigation

To gain some feedback from the target audience, a research investigation will be undertaken. From the earlier primary research study it was clear that from here on the Gestalt principles within logos are the most prominently relatable type of design.

What?
This will be a research investigation into logos, clearly breaking them down to see which visual perception Gestalt principles are apparent within each one. The logos will be taken from 'the logbook'  as this is a source with the most logos from this time period with dates.

When?
The time period will range from 1930 - 2015, this is an early enough time to get a grasp of the logo visual theme before these principles were presented and how this compared afterwards. It will stretch to 2015 to show the most current and contemporary logo designs.

Why?
Such an extensive investigation will give good scope on how much of an impact the principles have on design in different eras.

How?
It will be presented in a well set out format file that will be in chronological order, a tick grid system will be used to identify the principles.

Third Tutorial

I had a good idea in my mind of how I wanted to go about my essay, at this point I had collected a large body of research and divided it into each subsection, highlighting and picking out specific quotes. This crit was really helpful in terms of gibing me the go ahead to begin writing my main body of the dissertation. 

Other points to consider:

- How can my theory and practice be related?

- Consider what examples will be analysed and why?

Survey Results

I think it is essential at this point to do a survey to get a grasp of how informed my audience are.

Who is my audience?

My audience is predominantly graphic designers of any age. I will be sending a link to this survey to some professional designers whose feedback I think would be beneficial, I will post it around to the course, all levels if possible, and potentially onto some design forums if I feel this is appropriate at the time.

What do I need to find out?

I would like to find out whether designers have heard about the Gestalt Principles and whether they think they are important to consider when practicing design. 

How will I inform?

For those who are unaware of what the Gestalt Principles are I will attach the handout I created a while ago to the top of the survey as a brief overview of the seven key principles I will be referring to. This will also be a test as to whether my handout is successful in its' explanation. 

What questions:

1. Are you aware of what the Gestalt principles are?

2. Do you think that all designers should be using them as a tool?

3. This will be an open question where I can get some qualitative feedback. In the box below please describe one piece of design that reflects one of the principles and if possible add a link to it.

Hypothesis:

The outcome I would generally expect is to reach around fifty designers and get some new and useful feedback. I want to see how others perceive the principles and if they are clear initially or whether deeper research is needed before fully understanding them. 

The results of my survey were fairly surprising in terms of how many examples I was successfully provided by respondents. 

My first question showed that 53% of people taking the survey said they had not heard of the Gestalt principles before, this is unsurprising to me and if anything I potentially expected a slightly higher percentage than this. This is a concern that I will focus on, why people aren't aware of these principles and what can be done to change this. 

My second question shows that 69% of people taking the survey said that they believe graphic designers should be using these principles as a guideline. 

My third question was open and gave me a really wide variety of feedback (see below) it was clear as I was collecting all the results that closure was the principle most people had referred to within the image they had sent in. This could be due to this being one of the easiest principles to understand or possible it being one of the more common ones that designers use. 

Based on my Level 5 primary research investigation I would have expected to see 'figure and ground' and 'symmetry' as the top two most popular again. However figure and ground was one of the lowest image counts. Closure and symmetry were the two highest scoring, reinforcing the use of symmetry being popular amongst designs and designers. 

What was also interesting to me was the dominant focus on logos, I didn't give a specificity to the type of design I wanted to see but it seemed people turned straight to logos for their chosen example. I think the principles are much easier to see and identify within logos and this is the reason why. 

Below is the collection of logos that was received from the respondents and the categories to which they fall under. 

Practical Research and Gestalt Handout

In order for people to understand the Gestalt principles I felt it was necessary to create a quick overview of the seven that I will be concentrating on, this will prove useful during any primary research when using the audience to get responses. 

Methodology Research

Universal Methods of Design: 100 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions

Using the above stated book I have looked through a variety of methodologies that would be relevant to the way I need to collect primary information for my practical outcome.

Project Proposal

Project Proposal

Practical Element 1: Research investigation

This part of my practical will be an in depth research investigation into the use of the Gestalt principles within logo design ranging from the earlier period of 1930 to 2015. This will be completed alongside the dissertation writing so that it can give reliable results that will be analysed within it as part of the content. It will be presented in a clear and precise way that will show the chronological order of the logos, and finally presenting the results at the end.

Practical Element 2: A1 typography set

This will be the main body of the practical and will be a direct reflection of what my dissertation has allowed research in to. There will be a minimum of three grids and the content will be taken directly from the dissertation, these will be at A1 size so as to include all of the writing. Each grid will have an assigned principle and this is how the layout will be designed with this in mine.

Practical Element 3: Gestalt principles guide

For the final part of the practical element, a guide to the Gestalt principles will be designed and created. Each principle will be presented and examples given, its key aim is to communicate how these principles can be beneficial to all designers and how they are applied in certain situations.

Practical Brief

The brief is simple and to the point, it clearly states what work should be produced on what basis and the product of this brief should demonstrate the research undertaken and the results found for this module. 

Practical Ideas

These initial several ideas each have potential to take me down different ways in which I can explore my research in a visual way. They concentrate on how to either inform of the principles or integrate them within design. At this point the ideas that stand out the most are a 'set of posters showing Gestalt', designing a 'how to guide' and branding Gestalt itself. These three would be the strongest in terms of conveying the message and a clear dispaly of the principles in practice.

Second Tutorial

This crit was able to give me more specific deadlines to work to, I had set myself deadlines on my own schedule but it was good to have a second opinion on how quickly I should be working. We discussed my practical and came up with the idea that drawing up a table of comparisons could benefit my research really well. This table would take designs from many different years and compile them all together for comparison to find out if any trends were apparent involving the Gestalt Principles from the 20th century to the 21st century.

Other points to consider: 

- How big should the chart be?

- From what time period should it start?

- Consider the principles in grids, layouts and formats.

Reading List

These are the books I have decided will be the best to start with to contribute to my research, my process will begin with reading each one and bookmarking the relevant pages before photocopying and organising into my file.