The relationship between art and psychology plays a crucial role in the world of design and visual storytelling. The principles of Gestalt psychology, for instance, guide us in perceiving elements as unified patterns, making them a cornerstone of design theory. In web design, these Gestalt principles continue to shape the digital landscape. Notable examples include the principle of similarity, which is evident in social media interfaces, where user content maintains a consistent look, fostering unity and recognition across the platform. The proximity principle plays a vital role in the layout of social media profiles, emphasizing that elements like avatars, display names, and usernames placed close together are perceived as belonging to the same group. These principles are not isolated concepts but are integral to creating designs that are intuitive and meaningful.
Perception theory delves into the intricate process of how our senses capture information from the environment and transmit it to the brain. The ongoing debate among psychologists centers on whether perception is primarily a direct or constructive process, leading us to explore the two main theories by Gregory and Gibson. Gregory’s constructivist theory follows a top-down approach, suggesting that our perceptions are hypotheses based on past knowledge and experience, which can sometimes lead to perceptual errors. In contrast, Gibson’s direct theory emphasizes a bottom-up process where perception is a direct interaction with the environment, relying on innate mechanisms. These theories provoke questions about the nature of perceptual hypotheses and the adaptability of our perceptions.
Emotions are a powerful aspect of design, expressed through aspects like colors and typography. Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions categorizes emotions into primary categories and their opposites, offering designers a “color palette” for emotional design. This emotional design is brought to life through color theories, which explore contrast, complementation, and vibrancy. The choice of fonts and typography further evokes specific emotions in design. Serif, sans serif, script, modern, and monospaced fonts each carry their own psychological associations, influencing how users perceive the content.
With this foundational knowledge, we were tasked with creating a mood board that embodies these concepts in a real-world design context. I chose the BarkShop website, where we’ll explore how colors, typography, and images come together to elicit specific emotions and tell a visual story. The mood board will not only serve as a creative expression but also as an application of the principles discussed, showcasing how art and psychology converge when it comes to design.
Website Mood Board
BarkShop is where pet lovers and their furry companions can come together to discover a world of delights. We’ll take a closer look at the website’s design, exploring how its carefully chosen colors and typography create a range of emotions, making the online shopping experience for pet owners special.
The emotional resonance of the BarkShop is skillfully molded by a color palette that radiates warmth and vitality. The website’s primary background maintains a clean, white canvas, providing a familiar and uncluttered backdrop, while subtle hints of lighter grays introduce a touch of sophistication to the user interface. The strategic inclusion of blue, however, amplifies the website’s emotional appeal. Call to action elements feature distinct shades of blue that prompt user engagement and action. A light blue, featured in specific areas like buttons, creates a sense of friendliness and engages users to act. In contrast, a deeper blue adds a sense of reliability and trust, reinforcing important calls to action. The choice of fonts further enhances the emotional connection. The Apercu font conveys accessibility and ease for navigation items, while the Pancho font adds a touch of personality to the headings. Altogether, these choices in colors and fonts collaboratively create a fun, welcoming and reliable atmosphere for the BarkShop, offering pet owners a delightful and memorable online experience.
On the BarkShop website, an interesting visual pattern emerges where images featuring our beloved canine companions take center stage against a plain and simple backdrop. For instance, the New and Toys pages are graced with a calming blue header banner, encapsulating a sense of reliability and trustworthiness. The Treats page greets users with a cheerful yellow header, radiating warmth and joy, aligning perfectly with the delightful treats on offer. Meanwhile, the Sale page boldly sports an orange header banner, invoking a feeling of enthusiasm and action. These uncluttered and vibrant backgrounds serve to enhance the emotional resonance of the images, putting the focus squarely on our four-legged friends and the joy they bring with them. This design choice nicely aligns with BarkShop’s mission of delighting pet owners and their furry companions.
The application of Gestalt principles plays a fundamental role in creating a visually cohesive and user-friendly experience for those visiting the BarkShop website. The principle of proximity is evident in the layout of product listings, where related items are grouped closely, enhancing user navigation. Similarity is utilized through consistent color schemes and typography, aiding in the recognition of related elements. Continuity is evident in the flow of content and navigation menus, providing a smooth and uninterrupted user journey. These principles enhance the overall design by simplifying complex content structures and making the website more intuitive for users to interact with and understand.
In the playful world of BarkShop, where dogs and humans forge bonds of joy and companionship, my mood board was created to reflect their mission of making dogs as happy as they make us because dogs and humans are better together. Organized in sections – colors, fonts, logo, images, patterns, and textures – my mood board seeks to encapsulate the heartwarming essence of the brand’s website and evoke a sense of canine delight.
Here is a link to my BARK Mood Board.
References:
Busche, Laura. “Simplicity, Symmetry and More: Gestalt Theory and the Design Principles It Gave Birth To.” Learn, 5 Oct. 2015, www.canva.com/learn/gestalt-theory.
“Using Gestalt Principles for Natural Interactions.” Thoughtbot, 15 Sept. 2014, thoughtbot.com/blog/gestalt-principles.
McLeod, Saul. “Visual Perception | Simply Psychology.” Simplypsychology.org, 2018, www.simplypsychology.org/perception-theories.html.
Interaction Design Foundation. “Putting Some Emotion into Your Design – Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions.” The Interaction Design Foundation, UX courses, 5 Jan. 2020, www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/putting-some-emotion-into-your-design-plutchik-s-wheel-of-emotions.
Cao, Jerry. “Web Design Color Theory: How to Create the Right Emotions with Color in Web Design.” TNW | Tnw, 7 Apr. 2015, thenextweb.com/news/how-to-create-the-right-emotions-with-color-in-web-design.
Bernazzani, Sophia. “Fonts & Feelings: Does Typography Connote Emotions?” Blog.hubspot.com, 2 Jan. 2017, blog.hubspot.com/marketing/typography-emotions.
Fussell, Grace. “The Psychology of Fonts (Fonts That Evoke Emotion).” Envato Tuts+, 16 May 2020, design.tutsplus.com/articles/the-psychology-of-fonts–cms-34943.