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I saw your request a few days ago and wondered if you would get replies. I
am glad you did and wanted to suggest that to answer your questions you
need to read the Gestalt literature through the lens of a cognitive
rhetorician, that is, someone trained in cognitive psychology who is
familiar with the gestalt tradition and its impact on design as well as
someone who is trained in writing and rhetoric. Yes, this is a hybrid type
of intellectual pursuit but one that is very gratifying. I try to integrate
cognitive and rhetorical perspectives in my book "Dynamics in Document
Design"; it has a section on the application of gestalt principles to
document design and it includes many examples that instantiate Gestalt
principles (see pages 303-326, "Using Gestalt Principles to Understand
Readers' Interpretations of Spatial Cues"). I hope you will find it useful.
I agree that much said about Gestalt relationships to design is vague and
my intent was to make some of these ideas more accessible and useful.
good luck,
karen schriver
author, Dynamics in Document Design
