Law of Prägnanz
Good Figure · Law of Simplicity
A fundamental principle of gestalt which says that people will perceive and interpret ambiguous or complex images as the simplest form(s) possible.
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Origin
A foundational principle of Gestalt psychology, proposed by Max Wertheimer in the early 20th century. “Prägnanz” is German for “pithiness” or “precision” — the idea that the brain defaults to the simplest, most organized interpretation of visual input. Wertheimer and colleagues (Kurt Koffka, Wolfgang Köhler) described related principles — proximity, similarity, closure, continuity — that together explain how we perceive coherent forms from raw sensory data.
Updated February 22, 2026