What do optical illusions in design show us?

• That eyes and rulers always agree
• That what we see can differ from actual measurements
• That math is more important than design
• That rulers are more reliable than eyes

What does the sinking vs floating illusion affect?

• Icons
• Background images
• Text inside a box
• Whitespace

What is “visual weight” in design?

• How many pixels an object has
• How heavy the image file is
• How large an object appears compared to others
• How many colors are used

Why should designers sometimes adjust sizes even if the ruler shows equality?

• To save space
• Because viewers rely on perception, not measurements
• To reduce file size
• Because rulers are inaccurate

Why does an envelope icon appear larger than a tent icon of the same size?

• The envelope uses brighter colors
• The envelope has more visual weight (fuller body)
• The tent icon loads slower
• The tent has fewer details

Why do clients often feel a design is “off” without knowing why?

• They count pixels carefully
• Optical illusions subtly create imbalance
• Designers don’t use enough fonts
• Websites are too colorful

A designer centers text perfectly in a button, but it looks too low. What should they do?

• Leave it, since it’s mathematically correct
• Move the text slightly upward
• Make the font bold
• Shrink the button

Two circles are mathematically the same size, but one looks smaller. What should the designer do?

• Increase the smaller-looking one until they appear equal
• Reduce the larger one’s pixel size
• Change both to squares
• Add more colors

A website uses equal-sized icons, but some look heavier. How can balance be achieved?

• Use ruler measurements only
• Enlarge lighter icons slightly
• Add shadows to all icons
• Center-align everything

In design, what does proximity mean?

• Balancing colors evenly
• Placing related items close together
• Adding shadows to elements
• Making all items the same size