Visual Techniques

Economy and sharpness are the most evident visual techniques here.

Balance, symmetry, understatement, and exaggeration are the visual techniques most evident here.

















Andy Warhol who painted the Campbell's soup can has been my biggest inspiration to be in visual communication design. Economy and sharpness were the most evident visual techniques used in the can. There is very little excess decoration and it is not intricate at all, it is very simple(economy). Also the colors are very sharp against the background, which makes it very easy to read. Economy and sharpness in the first image make the advertising very clear, easy to read, and short and simple. The second image I chose because I am also very inspired by typographic design. Although the second image is not as clear and easy to read as the first, it stills conveys its own message. It is balanced and symmetrical making it very easy on the eye. We find a sense of  normality in it. Also, some letters such as ones on the left are more exaggerated than some of the understated words on the right. The larger, more exaggerated font tells us where to look and what to pay attention to in the piece.

Poor Contrast

This is a great example of poor use of contrast. This heart is made up of letters, words, and further decoration. The use of only one color makes it almost impossible to read what is written without another color contrasting the words from the decorations. Secondly, there is no contrasting size anywhere in the heart. All of the letters and the swirling decorations are exactly the same size and so nothing particularly stands out to the eye. In order to successfully display contrast in this design, I would make the words different colors, and change the size and shape of either the font or added decorations.

Successful Contrast

I think that this demonstrates a successful use of contrast. The whole thing can be read if the reader wanted to do so- the contrast of the black letters on the white background makes it extremely legible, and so does the size of the font- never getting too small to read. However, if one wanted to briefly look at it without reading the whole thing, one could read just the larger print, contrasting with the smaller print, and still understand the overall message. I like how the artist included about five different sizes of type, contrasting the more important words and slogans with the lesser important words or slogans. However, if I were to remake this same design, I would contrast tone and composition. The black on white makes it legible however not interesting, so by adding color to certain words, would give this poster more of a personality. By slanting, italicizing, etc. different words, the composition would be more interesting than just the linear composition it has now.

Implied Motion in Design

This is a very good example of implied motion in a photo. We can tell that this car is in motion at a high rate of speed because the edges of the lines of the car are blurred. The background is also extremely blurred expressing that the car is moving through its environment. We can also see the wagon wheel effect in this photo. The wheels look as though they are moving backwards although the car is moving forward.

Implied Motion in Design

I really like this example of implied motion in design. There are two ways that we can perceive movement in this image. First we can see that there are three separate groupings of ballerinas starting in the top left corner and moving down to the bottom right corner. This is implying that the same ballerina is moving across the page. Secondly, in each group there are three overlapping ballerinas. These overlapping ballerinas are an example of stroboscopic movement because the ballerina has appeared to move forward even though it has not. Both ways together show movement across the page because it forces our eyes to dance from one corner to another in a forward fashion.

Dimension/Depth/Space/Scale

I think this poster does an excellent job at depicting the illusion of space. We see multiple things overlapping each other and this tells us which objects are closer to us, and which are further away. For example, everything is overlapping the Parcs sign, which tells us that the Parcs sign is the furthest thing away. The relative size of the people also depicts the illusion of depth. The people in the back are smaller and thus further away than the larger and closer people in the front. Relative height is also apparent in this poster. All of the people are below the horizon line, and the people higher in the field of view, such as the people in the back, appear farther away. Finally, linear perspective, such as the converging parallel lines on the field, depict the illusion of depth because they converge as they get farther away, with greater convergence indicating greater distance.

Tone and Color

I think that this poster does an amazing job at utilizing tone and color. We can best see tone at work in this poster in the different blue tones. We can see that the darkest blue represents the mountains, then the sky, then some of the low clouds. We are able to clearly tell the difference between the mountains and sky because of the juxtaposition of lightness versus darkness. Because of tone at work in this poster, we are able to see the expression of depth- that the darkest mountains are at the foreground, and a shade lighter of the mountains, indicates they are behind the darker. I think shape is interacting best with tone in this poster, because the tone in each shape gives that shape depth and dimension.

I like the chosen colors in this poster because they are surprising, visually interesting, and make the poster pop. I think it's interesting that only secondary colors are used with tonal differences. We seem not to know which is brighter, the pink or the very saturated gray, even the placement of the centered, large green cloud jumps out, so our eyes bounce across the poster in a pleasing way. These bright colors also get us excited. They are very loud colors as well, perfect for a poster advertising music. I think the lines compliment color best in this poster, because the excess of lines coming out of the larger shapes, allows for detail and a sense of movement.
http://www.pixelelement.com/great-poster-designs/

Poster Design

 Line- The lines in this poster portray energy. The lines moving in all different directions make our eyes bounce throughout the poster. The varying thickness of the lines brings together both a delicate sense, as well as a harsh, bold idea. Each of these individual lines which create the whole poster is analogous to what design is, "something greater than the sum of its parts".

 Direction- "Typography" in this poster is laid out to be read in a diagonal direction and conveys the idea of stability. Our eyes naturally group the white lettering together and we are able to dance through the word without much hesitation. The strong diagonal direction from top left to bottom right, along with the bold brown hues conveys the stability and rigidity of the poster.

Scale- There can be no large without small and that is very evident in this poster. We would never know just how large this tear drop is, without the very small circle in the middle. However, scale is all relative and if the teardrop were to be made smaller than that circle, we would have the illusion that the circle was larger. Scale is merely the manipulation of space.

Visual Thinking Research

 In this first puzzle we had to complete the pattern. Pattern completion deals with one's visual memory, and by playing around with adding and subtracting the different lines together, my roommate and I both found D to be the answer

My roommate and I had to count the number of triangles that created this cat. We used finding, matching, and categorizing skills to count the triangles.

Feature Hierarchy

My eyes are first drawn to the red colored stars in this poster and quickly dart to the large wing and hat on the right. The abstracted black line make my eyes dance through and across the poster. They seem to lead into his mouth as he is screaming with passion. Color which is used sparingly, is the first thing that grabs attention. Then the size of the large star catches my focus for a moment. The depth of the shaded hat contrasts the flat color of the rest of the poster. I am interested in the detail that lies within the red image in the bottom right corner. I also notice the organic lines flowing from beneath his neck.

Poster design: Anton Nelson
http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/tutorials/index.cfm?featureID=1662

Top- Down Visual Processing

My intended area of study is graphic design/ typography. Top-Down visual process is apparent in this image when the man punching himself in the face grabs our attention. I believe that the goal of this design was to show the releasing of frustration within himself. Our eyes are naturally drawn to his fist first, then to the jumbled letters coming out of his ears. Our brains are priming the jumbled letters, as if they are to make a readable word at any moment. However we still remain just as confused as the man in the design.



Design by: PopeyeFrancom
http://popeyefrancom.deviantart.com/art/Typographic-Portrait-98254239

Unemployment

Lines
Waiting
Business men
"FREE"
unsettling
order
dark
cold


It is a cold, dark, and dreary morning as the unemployed men line up down the block in their trench coats and hats, hoping today they get lucky. Their standing in a rather large, orderly line, hoping there will be enough free dougnuts and coffee to go around. After this, these men in trench coats will yet again look for employment.

Representational:
- This represents a skull
- We can easily recognize this is a representation of a skull because of its overall shape and human-like facial features
- The symbolism that the Dia de los Muertos skulls represent denotes its culture. The hair adds an abstract level to the piece and makes this a recognizable, stylized human skull.
Abstract:
- The basic shape denotes a skull, but the additional flowers, hair, eyes, and eyebrows give the skull a more living human-like quality.

- With the abstraction of the skull and it having a more human-like quality, it is more personable     and not as scary or morbid as a traditional human skull.

- The hair and facial features add to the basic representation of the skull giving it a more human-like quality.

Symbolic:

- This Dia de los Muertos sugar skull in Latin cultures, symbolizes and honors loved ones who have passed away.

- For those who know its symbolism, this skull denotes a celebration for the dead

- The representation and abstraction of the human skull, symbolizes to those who celebrate Dia de los Muertos, an offering to the dead.

Symbolic Level

This is an example of an iconic symbol of a skull and cross-bones. This is a cross-cultural symbol that many would recognize. Negative attention is often given to this symbol- it often denotes death or danger. Because this symbol denotes a human skull and bones, universally people are able to recognize and understand its meaning in a similar fashion. I think it is symbols like this, that hold the greatest meaning because of their universality, even language is not a barrier.

The Abstract Level- Understructure

This would be the abstract understructure of the composition in drawing a human skull. Here, the artist reduced the skull into its basic shapes. This abstraction was derived from the representation of a human skull. Although this is not actually a skull, the placement of these specific shapes, communicates to the viewers, that this is a skull. We are able to recognize the circular head and the elongated jaw.

Representational Form in Design

This telephone is representing a human skull. Although this is representing and expressing a skull form, it still fully functions as a working telephone. The designer of this object used humor by explicitly contrasting the representation of a skull with the functionality of a telephone. Functioning objects representing something completely unrelated, are something humans are naturally drawn to- these objects are humorous and often conversation- starters. I found it interesting that the designer chose to make it black rather than the usual cream-colored bone. I also found it interesting that the chose to place the actual telephone on top of the skull rather than       against the ear, as one would assume.