Abstract
This paper explores a ten-year classroom project rooted in Gestalt principles and conceptual development through forced connections—where students generate new ideas by combining unrelated words or symbols. Originally inspired by the montage process in Scott Santoro’s book Guide to Graphic Design and Ellen Lupton’s Graphic Design Thinking: Beyond Brainstorming symbol-mixing exercises, this project challenges students to form unexpected visual relationships that lead to original logo designs. Working with randomly assigned word pairings, students translate abstract concepts into symbolic forms. The project emphasizes perceptual organization, visual metaphor, and the power of gestalt—particularly figure/ground, closure, and similarity—as the foundation for creative exploration. Abstraction and stylization are then used to refine the concepts into cohesive, memorable logos. This case study outlines the structure and process of the project, including setup, randomization methods, and ideation strategies. Drawing from a collection of student work spanning a decade, the research highlights how constraints and randomness can encourage deep visual problem-solving. It also reflects on the challenges students face in bridging disparate ideas, as well as the creative breakthroughs that emerge from the process. While the project centers on logo design, results reveal how this method can extend into broader applications such as poster design and campaign graphics—offering a glimpse into its potential beyond branding. Ultimately, this study advocates for forced connections as a meaningful methodology for developing visual thinking, encouraging students to discover unexpected connections and communicate complex ideas through refined symbolic form.
Presenters
Doris PalmerosAssociate Professor, Graphic Design, University of the Incarnate Word, Texas, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Design Education, Gestalt, Symbolism, Creative Process, Ideation, Montage, Visual Relationship
