Week 14- Visual Techniques

Visual Techniques 

via. google.com

variation
depth
distortion
repetition
neutral

via. http://brite-blue.blogspot.com/2010/12/entire-magazine.html

unity
simplicity
understatement
economy
stasis

     Both of these magazine layouts are very visually appealing. The top one is illustrated, abstract and distorted. The picture is broken and the background is cracked which create movement. The small shapes that are broken and cracked are evenly spread out which creates a pattern or a repetition of shapes. There is a variation of text and color on the top one as well.  The color palate on both layouts are very neutral in color however, the one at the bottom is more so. 

The bottom layout is extremely simple. It is economic in design, very compartmentalized and clean. The pictures of the mountains leaves a static feeling. There is no movement in the text or pictures. The way the text are laid out in tall columns mirror the mountains in the pictures. 

Week 13- Contrast

CONTRAST: SUCCESS VS. FAILURE

http://www.thegoosesroost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/strong.jpg

     This illustration is a representation of effective contrast. The super-strong circus looking man is very bulky on top with broad shoulders and chest. In contrast, he has very small legs, feet, and head. This is a good representation of contrast in scale. The contrast in exaggerated shape of his pointy shoulders to the round barbell at the bottom of the picture also makes the illustration more interesting.  These features on the man's body make for a humorous illustration and concept. There is a contrast in colors between the man's white skin and the colors of his hair and moustache, his clothing, and the barbell that stand out. The shadows in the picture make for an interesting addition of dimension to the picture. 

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuEEs9qWSmkkyyNrWJoA49lx7qdxPd50SBVn5Zs4XxlUsnMQRnPlyobI3dRr0AGMKkyH_reK7ZbIJlcbpNFTxoN5w45LGn-4WpRyPjWMcQFw8KZ2VThWqfJaEMTpzZrW8sBOmnwZmbH-y/s1600/bad_layout_alignment.png

     If I saw these two pages next to each other in a magazine as they are presented here, I would skip past it completely. There is a lack of effective planning for the layout entirely. There is poor use of contrast between the negative and positive space. The pictures are all the same scale and shape leaving an awkward layout. They are also jumbled in the top left corner which has the reader not wanting to even glance at the article. Another quality of contrast between negative and positive space is the font. The font is way too small and difficult to read. In addition, there is no contrast in color which leaves the pages with a very bland and uninteresting tone.   

tone

color

scale

dimension

time 

shape

Week 12- Implied Motion

http://camilaart116.blogspot.com/2010/04/implied-motion-artwork.html

This artwork by Hokusai Manga is an example of implied motion. The character is shown many times on the picture. When looking across the page as if one was reading it, the character appears to be dancing or moving across the page. His body is shown in a different stance every time. This is an example of apparent movement. The increments of him moving into a different stance form a sort of dance. The fact that our movement is familiar to us as humans further assists in bringing this picture to life. The familiar act of dancing allows us to relate. Even if this was an animal, we as humans might even assume that it was dancing because it is an act that we relate to as a species. 

http://www.arch2o.com/causa-efecto-ana-soler/

This is an art installation where tennis balls are hung through the room in a particular way. The way that they are hung implies that the balls are bouncing around the room. If you are standing in the room you can see that the balls get bigger the closer they are and get smaller the further away they are. The fact that the closer ones seem to be in front of the ones further away imply that the ball is moving towards or away from you. This can give the tennis ball illusions of direction. This could also be related to apparent motion because when an object is moving fast through the air it seems like there is multiple objects. The tennis balls seem to be moving in intervals through the air. This reminds me of playing pong and how the dot on the screen would move back and forth in increments that implied fluid motion.

Week 11 Dimension/Depth/Space/Scale

This font depicts negative space. The brain makes up for the lack of information portrayed to form letters. This is like the prey having to compensate for the rest of a predators body even when it isn't fully visible before it attacks. 

The shapes that form the font also imply that they are 3D. The letters seem to pop off of the page. Also, the different colors and tones of grey help pop the shape off the page and create a sense of depth and dimension.

The lines that make up the edges of the shapes carve out negative space contrasting with the background. There are also lines that create a wooden texture on the letters.

Tone And Color

http://obeygiant.com/images/2008/10/obama.jpg

HOW TONE IS OPERATING...
- the break in tone of the light blue color around parts of the face and the darker blue of the hairline creates texture.
- distinguishes between the background, the face, the hair, the text, and his suit and clothing.
- creates dimensions of darkness and lightness (also creates highlights and implies dark colors). However, the background being the same tones as the face leave the poster looking flat and iconic.



HOW TONE IS INTERACTING...
- tone is interacting with shape to create recognizable features of Obama's face (the different highlighted and colored parts help create a 3D look.)
- the different toned shapes provide contrast between the light and darkness of Obama's features and clothes
- creates text shapes that also give the poster meaning and contrast between the background



HOW COLOR IS OPERATING...
- symbolically patriotic (red, whiteish, blue) blue and red are primary colors.
- depict Obama as a man of the country
- creates variations in similar tones (the middle blue color and red found in the background as well as the face are the same tone but the color is obviously different).



HOW COLOR IS INTERACTING...
- There are no dark lines splitting up the shapes that create this poster. There are lines created by the change of color and the tones of blue. Rarely on this poster are they straight since faces only have organic lines. The dark color of the suit, the hair, and frame of the face create a border around Obama. His face is centered between two swirly different colored lines that form his ears. The lines and colors that make up his suit make him seem powerful.

WEEK 10- Publication/Poster Design

MOVEMENT

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2009/may/olympics-movement-posters

          Movement is involved in both the planning and the final product of these designs for the olympic events. The posters actively portray the event itself (the bouncing of the tennis ball and the change of the sword's angle in the fencing poster) By having the tennis ball replicated with more and more opacity allows for the suggested movement of the ball across the page. The sequence of the ball heading into the racket shows motion along with indent of the racket to imply (implied movement) that it had just hit the ball. In the poster on the right, lines leading the eye off of the page and crossing each other at several points implies the progression of a real fencing match and the movements of each sword through the air. While making both posters, it is clear that the best example of movement had to be found. Shapes were adjusted to portray the motion of the sport most accurately.

COLOR

http://blog.signalnoise.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/i_glaser2.jpg

Color in this Bob Dylan poster has been used in both the planning and execution of the finished product. I'm sure the colors were planned to the T and the contrast between the black, white, and color was carefully considered. It was probably planned with colored sketches. The black/white on Dylan's face makes him seem more mysterious and abstract. His colored hair portrays the color an flow of a style of his. There are both primary colors and secondary color shades. The design, simple and complex color makes this poster very iconic and representational of the times.

LINES

Lines have been actively used in both the planning and execution of graphic novels such as the snapshot of one pictured above. Graphic novels have a flow to each page and also to the whole story itself that needs to be planned before the book is put together. These are done with story boards, or timelines of small pictures. In the finished page, there is a progression of outlined compartments with a picture and/or words inside. The text in these are also made up of lines. These separate the thoughts or sequences in the story. They also give structure to the story.

Week 9- McKim Reading Exercise

Both of our strategies turned out to be the same...we:

- Started searching left to right.

- Circled or numbered each triangle to "mark" it off.

- "Categorized" each shape as a triangle or a segment of one from beginning to end.

- Used "finding" to search for the shapes that made up the cat during the whole exercise. 

- We also "rotated" the image of triangles in our head while searching for them in order to find all of the correct shapes no matter what direction they were facing. 

The only difference was that I mentally crossed off the shapes as I found them while the other person covered them with their fingers to mark off that they had already been counted. The other person had to count multiple times because they weren't numbered. 

Maura's Strategies in order:

- My pattern-seeking strategies began with "pattern completion" and "pattern-seeking". I pointed to each shape on one bracelet while looking at the other then comparing the direction of both of them. I started by comparing the top two bracelets.

- I found that neither of the bracelets matched on the screen, so I thought about if one of them were flipped over since they were supposed to represent 3-D things and "rotated" the top one. 

- I used "orthographic imagination" to picture how the bracelet would look if it were flipped over and I was viewing it from another viewpoint.

- I marked on the paper to make notes of where differences occurred between them.

Other Person's steps in order: 

- he had to rotate it in order to see the shape as a 3-d object and then flip it. "orthographic imagination" this was the first step he used after comparing them without flipping.

- "pattern seeking" and one of them "doesn't match up quite right"

- "matching" by looking at three patterns of shapes to determine the similar two.

- he looked at it as an object, flipped, and rotated it.

- overall he just solved it quicker and didn't have to make notes or annotations himself.

(annotated by me after asking questions)

WEEK 7 - Visual Perception

Borrowed from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22778294@N00/7173838492/

My eye immediately goes to the strict use of black and white in these two posters that create contrast. Secondly, to the white semicircles. Thirdly, to the negative space and what is in it. The delicate motion in the moon poster allows the eye to begin on either top or bottom and travel back and forth. The sunshine poster reminds me of looking at the sun where you can only have a quick glance in the direction of it then immediately bounce to look away at what is below. The spacial layout of the two posters side by side are contrasting. If looked at as one larger image, it seems as though the word moon represents the moon itself and is rotating around the sun on the other poster. Also, the lines look as if they are connecting the moon and the earth. I cannot really tell what is on the bottom of the sunshine page but it bounces my eyes back to the semicircle.

WEEK 6- Top- down vs. Bottom- up

Top- down : With comics, there are many tools used to show the emotion of the characters. The small lines outside of Calvin's head show that he isn't just yawning, but exclaiming something. The fact that the words aren't in a word bubble show me that he is exclaiming something and the emotion isn't able to be contained. These are visual clues as to the meaning of the picture.

Bottom- up : With comics, especially Calvin and Hobbes, I tend to look at the picture before reading the text. Calvin's balled up fists, his eyes being squeezed shut, and his mouth wide upen are details that I notice before reading the text (concluding the observation).

WEEK 5

Yes.

Poster found here

1. This poster's main focus is in the bottom left corner. This is where the eye most comfortably sits when looking at something (preference for lower left). 
2. The image is balanced on one side against the light text on the right, just underneath, and incorporated into the whole (balance). It is divided into thirds with the strike of orange color in the middle
3. Because the image and text is in the same general area, there is a more immediate and intense interaction. The text and the image and the combination of the two attract each other. (attraction and grouping)
4. This poster reminds me of yin-yang constantly moving in a circle to the white and dark sides of the poster. There is a small amount of white in the dark area just as there is a small amount of dark text in the white area. Also, the black in the lower left and stark white in the upper right form another yin-yang (positive and negative). 
5. The mixture of the text across the bottom of the image, the extension of text into the right side, along with the dip in the orange shape provides stability to the otherwise floating image. (stress)

No.

 Poster found here

1. This poster is divided in half with text on the left and an illustration on the right. The fact that it is in half is visually unappealing. (balance) There is no movement towards the text and the text is too small which is also inaffective. The only movement is up the tree on the right back to the large text at the top then back down the tree.
2. There is a sense of stability with the mountains in the background but again, the poster is divided into halves horizontally as well which isn't appealing to the eye. (stress)
3. The text is in the bottom left but its way too small and frankly I don't want to read it since my eye is still lost between the tree and the heading at the top. It would be more effective if it was larger and if it extended 2/3 into the page (preference for lower left)
4. There is no clever grouping of text and picture. (grouping) The colors don't go together and since they are complimentary, they buzz on the page. 
5. The negative space on the poster doesn't flow. It is scattered through the poster and doesn't lead the eye to the information. (positive and negative)

WEEK 4 - Visual vs Symbolic Language

This picture shows an old man in his late 70's early 80's wearing a metal army helmet that looks like a bowl. There is a brown leather worn strap keeping the helmet on fitting snug under his chin. He is wearing an old olive/ camel green uniform that looks cushioned and has a few pockets on the front. He has a slightly wrinkled face and glasses and a big nose. He has wrinkly hands and he is lightly clutching a large flag folded into the shape of a triangle. The blue part of the flag is showing with white stars. It is a close up portrait picture of the man but you can tell he is standing in the front of a crowd of people.

somber, dutiful, nostalgic, memory, proud, loyal, lifetime,

flag in triangle- patriotism honor
helmet- protection
uniform- team,

The fact that the picture is very close up makes the feeling more serious. It is like a portrait of the man's life and how he woule be painted and the painting be hung up for all to see reflecting his life. It is very personal and straight to the point. it focuses on his face and how it looks like he is remembering the past.

WEEK 2

This poster brings water conservation into awareness. In this poster we see a too-large fish trying to breath inside of a too-small bowl. This advertisement was commissioned by Hartman Design Studio in Calgary for the United Nation’s water for life campaigns’ website.

A real fish being inside water is representational of how fish are in their natural habitat, but this advertisement is different. It is the change in the fish’s representation from a comfortable to a harmful place that ensues the stress and concern from the viewer. The representational aspect of the real fish being in the real water is abstracted by the size of each of the objects.

The abstraction is the idea and what makes the advertisement have more impact. Viewers may be stressed and feel called into action to explore what the ad is about in order to save fish. The impact of the uncomfortable abstraction immediately leads to the symbol text at the bottom and also commits the image to the viewer’s memory.

The obvious symbols are in text form in the bottom right hand corner indicating the purpose or where to find the purpose of this ad. Due to there only being a short website and no fact, slogan, or call to action this ad and the text leave the viewer anxious to look for a solution or immediately visit the website. The two words in the website’s name is the only immediate solution- to be aware of water use. The symbols are the solution represented by the abstract visual.

WEEK 1

Representational

This is a representational study of a bottle.  The characteristics  of the bottle were observed from reality and recorded.

Abstract

This is an abstract print of a painting of the important attributes of light and reflectivity that bottles have. The painter concentrated on the importance of this subject's properties and reduced the image of an actual bottle to a few basic characteristics.

Symbol

The symbol on the side of the bottle can be recognized by part of the world without explanation. Whether it is in silent films or in a picture, there needn't be a description of the contents- deadly if ingested. There is another place the skull and crossbones is a symbol and that is on a pirate flag. The context of the symbol defines what it signifies and they are both equally known.