Remove the Key Element: Discovering Depth in Visual Metaphors

Remove the Key Element!

Many objects have a defining feature that makes them instantly recognizable.

For a door, it might be the handle.

For a plane, its wings.

For a chair, its legs.

We could go on listing examples for nearly every object we know.

Obviously, for a cage, it’s the bars.

But what happens when you take them away? In this case, two things happen:

1) We still recognize it as a cage. Even without seeing the bars, our brain fills in the missing shapes, and other elements help us understand what it is.

2) We give it a new meaning. Removing something doesn’t necessarily mean subtracting. It can mean adding, enriching.

A cage without bars conveys a much deeper meaning than just a simple cage.

Thank you,

Dario Paniagua
Visual Thinkers Coach