3 Gestalt Properties: Closure, Good Continuation, and Uniform Connectedness!

Closure: Whenever possible, we're inclined to see a group of separate  elements as one identifiable pattern. In our first example, although the picture is made up of 3 individual black shapes, your mind "fills in the blanks" and creates the whole idea of a serpent-like creature moving through water.

Good Continuation: Aligned elements are seen as keeping their set pattern as opposed to deviating from their familiar path suddenly. In example #2, even though the pattern branches off downwardthe viewers eye is still lead curving upwards with the smiley faces.

Uniform Connectedness: The newest and most overpowering  Gestalt principle, it says that elements attached to eachother by uniform visual properties are percieved a one single grouping seen as being more related than elements that are not connected. In our final example, the dots being connected by a similar series of line seem to be all related.

 

-by (in no particular order) Che, Lena, Derek, and Katie

Info from "Universal Principles of design