2 How we perceive information

Your brain is truly a wonder. How it works together with your eyes to decode patterns of light into actual information and data is, of course, well beyond the scope of this book. What we will talk about in this chapter is how your brain prioritizes and categorizes those patterns of light passed in through the eyes. We’ll learn about preattentive attributes, which are the things our brains notice first about what our eyes see (e.g., color, form, spatial position, and movement). Then, we’ll talk about the gestalt principles, which you might be surprised to learn were not named after a Mr. Gestalt but are instead ways that we see many parts come together as something more than their sum: enclosure, proximity, similarity, symmetry, connection, closure, and continuity.

2.1 Preattentive attributes

2.1.1 Color

2.1.2 Form

2.1.3 Spatial positioning

2.1.4 Movement

2.2 Gestalt principles

2.2.1 Enclosure

2.2.2 Proximity

2.2.3 Similarity

2.2.4 Symmetry

2.2.5 The 3 Cs: Connection, closure, and continuity

Summary