Constantin Brancusi, The Newborn, 1915

Visual unity means that an agreement exists among the elements in a design. The elements look belonging together, as though some visual connection beyond mere chance has caused them to come together. Unity is the result of an underlying system or plan that combines and bounds the design elements together.


Theo VanDoesburg, 1917.

An important aspect of visual unity is that the whole must be predominant over the parts. You must be able to see the whole pattern before you notice the individual elements. Each item may have a meaning and effect on the total effect of the work, but the viewer must see first the pattern as a whole rather than merely a collection of bits and pieces.

Why Not Associates, logotype, 2005.


Gestalt Principles of Visual Perception
Gestalt is a term which is usually understood as 'unified whole' or 'a complete pattern or configuration'. It defines an organized whole in experience.

The Gestalt psychologists, developed the theory on human perception, explaining that the working principle of the mind is holistic. We recognize 'whole form' instead of collecting one by one the pieces that have created it. This is summarized as: "The whole is more than the sum of its parts."

They defined a set of fundamental principles of perception. These principles help us not only to understand how a visual organization is perceived, but also equip us with techniques to achieve visual unity.

Here are some of the Gestalt Principles:

Proximity: The elements which are close together are perceived as a group. In fig.A, instead of seeing 2 separate lines, we tend to perceive one group. When new lines are placed more closely to the existing ones, we reconstruct our perception and perceive the closest elements as a new group (fig.B).



Similarity: Elements that have similar properties are perceived as a group. In the example, we are able to perceive the cross shape, because we group the squares in our perception.


Continuity: Every visual unit tends to be continued in the same direction and with the same movement. We have a preference for continuous figures. In the example, rather than seeing 4 separate line segments, we tend to see 2 intersecting lines creating an X shape.


Closure: Even though the information is incomplete, we can close the gaps and perceive the whole. In the example, although the shapes are not fully drawn, we can perceive them. There is enough indication, and we can complete the rest of the information in our perception.


'Grouping', 'similarity', 'continuity' or 'closure' can be used as techniques to achieve 'visual unity' in a composition.


student project, Dana Gould, 2007.