Meaning

This is an example of a representation. This home is an accurate representation of a house for the viewer. It is very recognizable because of the environment and experiences we have as humans, especially in the United States. It especially relates to our memories, while it may not look like a house a viewer has once lived in, it is part of the reality we live in that this image is of a house. This specific example has a large amount of detail while a house with less windows and paneling would still be viewed as a house. It would just be a different level of categorization. If you just took the major lines, made it an outline, it could easily become a symbol or abstraction.

This abstraction derives from the face of a human. It communicates to its viewer as a face and varies emotion to each viewer. To me, the face looks sad and incomplete which may be resulting in the sadness. To another, the abstraction may represent hope or some other emotion. If correctly put together, this could be a representation of a human face. The major parts of a humans face are still in the image, though the face has been distilled from it's original state.

This "peace sign" symbolizes peace. It came from soldiers holding up "v" signs which meant victory. It later came to meant peace. One would have to know some of the American war time culture. Or any of recent American culture to date. This symbol has been found in use for stores and ads. The peace sign is a symbol that signifies a movement (feeling) so easily.

CONTRAST

This picture has high contrast even if the main part is perfectly centered. The main aspect in this image is the use of shapes. The triangle is a very dynamic shape and with the polarity of the circles being used shows to be very visually appealing. The use of the contrast of color is strong as creating a pop-out effect. The contrast in scale of the circles moves your eyes down the image as they get larger the further you look. The depth created by the similar tones used in the background and the circles adds to the contrast the designer created.

The image poorly uses contrast to make its point. The colors are all very similar in value, there is a lack of differentiation between each color. The color of the type is as well too similar and does not pop-out very much at all. If you were squinting your eyes, you wouldn’t be able to see it at all. There is too much “harmony” in the image, everything is too light and similar. The choices the designer made have not sharpened the image but more so made it boring and one tone.

Option 1 Movement/Motion, Photography/Design

Neither the skateboard or the person is touching the ground. Both things appear to be floating still in the air. Similar to the Dali example in our notes, this photo freezes the process of the act taking place. It can be interpreted as a skateboarder being in "mid-air" by someone who has knowledge of skateboarding. The implied motion provides a want of seeing the next picture or slide. The line created by the feet and the skateboard matching up add to the simpleness yet action of the picture.

This design shows a diagonal curve which implies stress. The fact that the triangle shape is used throughout also adds to stress and strength of the design. We watch the design get further and further away which adds to the depth of the motion. The movement is definitely reinforced by the shape and direction that was used. Along with the shape comes scale which communicates movement because the triangles are getting smaller the more to the right (into the distance). This image is very enticing but also leaves the viewer wanting actual motion in my opinion. It is a good jumping-off point.

Dimension/Scale/Depth Ex Graphic Layout/Design

This website was started by four architects who started designing graphics for internet and commercial use. Through the layout of the website, you are whisked away from one “location” to another. While traveling to “Work” from the “Home” area, you can see the relative distance between each part of the neighbourhood. There isn’t a texture gradient but the rapidness of the movement makes sure the depth isn’t ambiguous. As you start going through the website, you don’t want to stop because of all the interesting colors and areas passing by. The websites use of linear perspective with the buildings provide an entry to the entire site. The creators use of space is visibly shown. Each environment has overlapping characters which when added to the reflections left by each object in the frame creates an immense amount of depth.

http://www.the-neighbourhood.com/

EX11 Dali Exhibit

In this photo of a Salvador Dali exhibit in Los Angeles, the main way the element tone works is between the gray walls and the frames. The spot lights above as well add into the clear tonal difference between the works and the wall they are hung on. The difference and diffusion in light is a perfect example of creating a border with light. The tone is working with the shape element in this photo. The square frames cause a border as well as the somewhat circular light from above does too. The spotlights enclose the art while the square is straightforward. In this room of the exhibit, the small frames lead your way to one of Dali’s larger pieces which is a large pop-out feature of the room. The blue catches your eye and though I am not sure but it does look like the piece is being illuminated from the back which makes it even brighter and colorful. The color is drawing your eye into this picture of the exhibit. The thick lines of the frame help create a boundary between the image which is very unreal and the exhibit wall, something in reality. While the line is mainly used in the design process, it helps differentiate and more clearly defines the visual appropriateness of the set up. The image itself is lines that create a negative and positive space.

http://www.lacma.org/art/ExhibDali.aspx

Ex 9 - Magazine Design

The Line.
A large part of the designing process involved in magazine design is using lines to create an idea of the layout you want to use. While the line is active in the process and the final outcome, the final outcome is cleaner (if meant to be) and a direct result from the beginning sketches. You start deciding the layout with simple strokes which leads you to having a layout that moves the eye around and gets people interested. The line as well shows a sort of progression of thought by the way it's applied. The font choice is also part of “the line”, without text in a magazine a large part of the communication is lost.

The Color.
The use of color (rainbow pattern) is very strong in this picture though the black background and haze around the lights. It attracts the person to the picture. The repeated use of the same color scheme connects each design. The contrast between the bright colors and a dark color, as well as the white font choice, keep your eye moving around the picture. I think color is added in the middle of development or at least the choices as a whole.

Scale.
I found it hard choosing a picture related to magazine design for scale but I hope this comes out clearly. Scale is important because without the proper size of an image or the text, the page won’t be visually clear. The picture of the cupcakes isn’t shown actual size but the scale of them shows the detail of them which is the point of the piece. The large text of CUPCAKES and compared to the smaller font beneath it, scale shows us what is most important.

Ex 6 - Film Noir

The main message I feel is being portrayed in this screen shot from The Big Combo is fear of the unknown. The photo seems well-balanced in terms of photography; there is something in each third of the image (wheel-barrow, woman and man). Every object is in a different sector of the area, being close to further away. The is a slight imbalance in the angle the shot was taken, slightly near the ground. There is a large contrast between the diffused fog and the sharpness of the silhouettes. The black and white film adds to the stress as well as the slight angled frame of the opening they are standing in. Plus the use of black and white film makes the positive and negative of the fog and people more blatant. The negative space is unknown and covered in fog. This shot was put together in a very sharpened way, they could of easily made it a no angle image but the imbalance makes its more eye-catching.

STANDARD CHARACTERISTICS

Shadows
Silhouettes
Subjects not looking at the camera but off-center
Singular light choices (like use of a street lamp or car headlights)
Use of “unusual” angles (high and low angles)
High contrast

Ex 5 - BLOG / Visual vs Symbolic Language

stress
unrest
confusion
blank
hurt
confused
ready and willing to work
large field of view
never ending line
feeling of failure
money
business casual
downtown
hope
cattle

This picture of an unemployment line leaves you feeling the subjects confusion and unrest. The large field of view used emphasizes the length of the line and the immense amount of people who are ready and willing to work yet have little opportunity. The woman in the front of the picture is obviously stressed and the hurt continues down the line. There is one man (in a yellow shirt) who appears to be smiling which may offer some hope to this “cattle line”. The human eye is thought to view things from left to right so the angle of the people really draws us from the woman in front to the rest of the never ending line. The passive part of the picture (the upper background) is a downtown -type area which underscores the need of money very subtly

Ex 4 Visual Thinking Research McKim

My Mother made all the pieces the same color to help from the distraction of the green and yellow contrasting colors. She was seeking the pattern of a star and found by taking off her reading glasses, which made the image blurrier, she was able to find the star. She used pattern-seeking after coloring the tiles then also changed her perception of the image.

I started off by going around the edges, this didn’t add up to anything. So i started specially looking for just a point of a star. I eventually found one with good dimensions which led to me finding the star. McKim mentions “finding” as a strategy as what you can do when something is concealed. I was surprised a perfect star was in the tiles, without the directions, I would have assumed it was going to an abstract star.

My Mom started analyzing the lines inside each square. When that didn’t provide anything she thought was right, she focused on the squares themselves (individually). She then looked at the picture as a whole, it took her forever but she was able to figure it out. It was a visual induction problem and she was able to focus on different aspects to eventually figure it out correctly.


I more thought about it as a math problem which is why it’s even worse I got it wrong because it is numbers! I just added all the lines together and thought that would be correct. In hindsight, there is no reason that D would be the answer. I didn’t see the pattern, to be honest I didn’t view it as a whole. I was so focused on the individual squares and then putting them together that I was using the spatial analogy operation.

Feature Hierarchy in Visual Searches BLOG Exercise

The biggest feature of the visual hierarchy with this Xtreamer remote controller starts off with the brightly colored 2, 3, and 5 buttons. The colors used for these buttons are not found anywhere else on the remote as well pop-out the most visually. Another strong feature in this remote is the use of shapes to break up the layout of the remote. Each section’s (ex: channel numbers and the power/home buttons) buttons are shaped differently and with the middle section, enlarged for added obviousness. Each section is the same shape because they are related in what purpose that area holds regarding use of the remote. While the red color use on the lower middle buttons is nice visually in a positive way, the fact that the power button and the 1 are both red is very distracting. That aspect of this remote is the only one that I think is confusing to the eye on level of not knowing the remote well, first use.

The map of Bay Area’s Rapid Transit system is a favorite of mine because it so recognizable and colorful. The color feature channel is the most powerful and eye-grabbing. The simple stripes of the trains that only run certain times adds depth and shows a clear distinction from those line connections and the normal run-all-the-time lines. From all of my treks on BART, the spacial accuracy and layout of the map are appropriate. The longer sections of ones trip are obvious just by looking at the spacing between stops especially from West Oakland and Embarcadero (as well as Daly City to SFO). When it comes to transit system maps, the simpler the better and this 2D informational display is strong is getting to the point.