This three-part primer series covers the science of how people see, process, and act on visual design. It draws on Gestalt psychology, cognitive load theory, behavioral economics, and learning science — grounded in primary research and translated into practical design decisions.
Read them in order. Each primer builds on the one before it.
The Series
- How People See and Process Design — Gestalt principles, visual perception, figure-ground, proximity, similarity, and the science of how the eye and brain organize visual information.
- How the Mind Sees Design — Cognitive processing, attention, memory encoding, cognitive load theory, and what happens between seeing and understanding.
- Making Design Memorable and Actionable — From memory to behavior. How to design for retention, recall, and action using behavioral science and implementation research.
Related
- All Primers — The full collection of research-backed educational guides.
- Design Posts — Blog posts on color, typography, layout, and visual communication.