Page 1/12

Proximity: Define

Proximity means closeness in space. In a visual text, it refers to how close elements, or groupings of elements, are placed to each other and what relationships are built as a result of that spacing. The relationships created by the spacing between elements help readers understand the text, in part because readers might already be familiar with similar designs of other texts (this audience recognition of similar texts is called genre knowledge). Proximity can apply to any kind of visual element in a text, including words and images. The wide spaces between the lines in this example signal that these are unrelated elements and should be read separately. Proximity can also apply to audio elements in a text, such as voiceovers, sound effects, and lyrics.