Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
As mentioned earlier, in the world of graphic design, space is often referred to as white
space or negative space, especially in document design. In Gestalt theory, you can think
of white space as something called “ground,” basically the background of the slides.
Elements we put on top are known as the “figure” in Gestalt. The Gestalt principle of
“figure/ground” suggests that, because we have limited capacity for perceiving many
elements at the same time, we naturally tend to visually simplify our world by focusing on
one thing at a time. As we scan images, we unconsciously differentiate between ground
(what's in the back) and figures (elements in front). This is one way we make sense of
the world. As presenters, our job is to make it easier for viewers to get the most
important points by making them pop out from the less important points. For the most
part, the key elements we want to communicate are the figure elements; less important
objects are ground.
Clear figure/ground relationships are very apparent in highway road signs, where it's important that viewers
grasp the critical point(s) in an instant.
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Sometimes an element that is clearly figure (foreground) in one part of a slide becomes
background (ground) as the eyes shift to a different part of the slide. This kind of tension
—if created intentionally—adds a dynamic feel to a slide and keeps the viewer
engaged. If you use a dynamic image in a slide along with text, in many cases the image
is noticed first, and in this sense it feels more like figure. But the eye quickly turns to the
text elements—your main message—which sit atop the image. Now the text is figure and
the image is ground. Sometimes, it is a good idea to decrease the salience of the
image by reducing the opacity or adding a blurring effect to make the figure/ground
distinction more evident.
 
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