Biceps, triceps, quadriceps

Biceps, triceps and quadriceps: muscles drawing showing the 2, 3, and 4 connecting origins of each, respectively

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One day after swimming front crawl, which works the triceps nicely, it all became clear. The triceps muscle has a curious shape at the top on account of its three 'heads' — or connecting origins. And the name derives from tri-ceps from Latin meaning three-heads. And so it goes. The biceps is a two-headed muscle attached with a long and short connection at the top. And the more complicated quadriceps has four heads that attach at the top, though they're a little harder to see.

Beyond this concept finally clicking for me, it was fun to emulate some of the anatomical graphical style of Leonardo Da Vinci — perhaps the ultimate at sketchplanations? — which I have long admired. For inspiration, this is a cracking collection: Leonardo Da Vinci the Graphic Works .

Published 14 Mar 2021

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The Gestalt principles of visual perception describe how our brains make sense of what we see. For example, they explain how we associate a photo with the text of a newspaper article or understand a series of words as a sentence on a billboard. These principles originated from the field of Gestalt psychology in the early twentieth century. In laying out sketches, I try to consider how a viewer will understand what connects with what, the order in which the viewer will read the sketch with their eye, and how colour or formatting link related elements—skim through the back catalogue to see it in action. In creating each sketch, consciously and unconsciously, I use many of the standard Gestalt principles of design. There are many Gestalt principles and some variations in the names. I chose seven common principles to illustrate: Proximity Objects that are close together are perceived as a group Similarity Similar objects are perceived as a group Continuity Elements on a line or curve are related Closure Completing missing parts of images to create a whole Figure-Ground Identifying what's in the foreground or background Symmetry & Order Perceiving symmetrical or orderly elements as a group Common Fate Objects moving together are perceived as part of a group The Gestalt principles are helpful for information design, user interface design, user experience design, graphic design and just about any design. It is also fascinating to spot how you unconsciously use them when interpreting designs you see. For example, look at the signs in an airport, a menu, or a page of your favourite app and see which principles are in play. The Interaction Design Foundation has a great article on the Gestalt principles that explains their use in design in more depth. You'll also find many others. Also see sketches on: UX Information design Graphic design Web design The isolation effect…The Gestalt principles of visual perception describe how our brains make sense of what we see. For example, they explain how we associate a photo with the text of a newspaper article or understand a series of words as a sentence on a billboard. These principles originated from the field of Gestalt psychology in the early twentieth century. In laying out sketches, I try to consider how a viewer will understand what connects with what, the order in which the viewer will read the sketch with their eye, and how colour or formatting link related elements—skim through the back catalogue to see it in action. In creating each sketch, consciously and unconsciously, I use many of the standard Gestalt principles of design. There are many Gestalt principles and some variations in the names. I chose seven common principles to illustrate: Proximity Objects that are close together are perceived as a group Similarity Similar objects are perceived as a group Continuity Elements on a line or curve are related Closure Completing missing parts of images to create a whole Figure-Ground Identifying what's in the foreground or background Symmetry & Order Perceiving symmetrical or orderly elements as a group Common Fate Objects moving together are perceived as part of a group The Gestalt principles are helpful for information design, user interface design, user experience design, graphic design and just about any design. It is also fascinating to spot how you unconsciously use them when interpreting designs you see. For example, look at the signs in an airport, a menu, or a page of your favourite app and see which principles are in play. The Interaction Design Foundation has a great article on the Gestalt principles that explains their use in design in more depth. You'll also find many others. Also see sketches on: UX Information design Graphic design Web design The isolation effect

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