3 Design Principles in Outdoor Lighting

You probably don't think of psychology when you think of outdoor lighting, do you? Believe it or not, psychology plays an important part when it comes to processing lighting and how we respond to it, especially when it comes to outdoor lighting. But even if you've dabbled within the science of psychology, you may be unaware of the Gestalt Principles. Principles that can be discovered in a variety of fields and industries, the Gestalt Principles are simply laws of human perception and how humans recognize patterns, complex images, and perceive objects. These principles are studied in web design, graphic design, and, yes, even outdoor lighting.

There is an assortment of principles and ideas that go into designing from a Gestalt perspective. When it comes to understanding the Gestalt principles, you will further your knowledge of how to gain people's business and attract them to your product or service. In this case, learning about the Gestalt principles will help you decide what kind of outdoor lighting you want for your home's exterior. Here are a few of the Gestalt principles.

Closure

Everyone likes closure. Whether it be as something as big as understanding why a relationship failed or something as small as filling out a connect-the-dots puzzle, everyone needs some sort of closure within their lives.

It's why our hearts are broken when our favorite TV show is canceled before a final season or why we cry whenever a film ends too abruptly. The Gestalt principle of closure simply states that we as human beings prefer whole complete shapes. You can apply this principle to outdoor lighting by making the brightness of your outdoor lights full and complete without leaving any glaring patches of darkness.

Proximity

Also known as emergence, the proximity Gestalt principle is a law that states we tend to group together objects and elements together in a