A researcher named Palmer asked people around the world to draw a cup of coffee and this is what he got.
What do you notice?
Barring one or two,most of these cups are drawn from a perspective. The person who drew it, draws it as if he/she is looking down on it at an angle and a bit to the right or left. This is termed the ‘canonical perspective’.
Why is this important?
It is important because no one drew a cup with top down perspective (below)
… And only few drew with a straight (eye level) perspective (below)
You may also argue,because we normally look at cups of coffee on kitchen tables or restaurant tables at an angle,it is logical that we draw them at an angle.
Here is the bombshell!
Research was done on many objects that are much bigger AND much smaller than us.. Guess what? We still draw them with a ‘canonical perspective’.
How can this be true?
How can this be true when a horse is much bigger than us and we look up at it and a small cat or dog where we look at them from high above. It appears that we are wired to remember, think about, imagine and recognise objects from a ‘canonical perspective’.
How can we use this?
If you want your pictures (on your website or printed materials) to resonate with the reader where the picture is the key feature (such as ecommerce sites) then make sure it is shown at a ‘canonical perspective’.
Here is an example from amazon.com
Source:Palmer, S. E., Rosch, E., and Chase, P. (1981). “Canonical Perspective and the Perception of Objects.”
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