Final Project

I'm excited about completing my final project because I am doing something I probably wouldn't have done on my own. I'm creating a cookbook of recipes for my sister, who will be moving out of state. All of the recipes I am using are meals I have made for holidays or special occasions. I want to ulitize the design elements I have learned this semester in putting together an aesthetically pleasing design. So far I have all the recipes and tools compiled, I just need to concentrate on the layout and finishing touches.

Chapter 9

I really liked this chapter in the PL about science being a voice of authority and I think Chris' presentation helped to reiterate that we shouldn't always trust science, but that we have to be smart visual interpreters and decide if the information we are presented is accurate. I would agree that medical information is still guarded but I think we will see a change in this in the near future. More information is available to the public as far as conducting research or diagnosing symptoms, wheras before this information was reserved for medical journals or reference books in the library. I think people are beginning to realize that we have to make informed decisions about our health, that medical information shouldn't be privleged, and we have a right to choose what medications we want to ingest.

Document Design

It is difficult to define document design because there are so many different medias in which document design occurs. Basically the goals of document design are to know the intended audience and to create a usable design that gives the reader the information they need. The document should always be socially responsible which means the designer needs needs to know about the ethics of the company they are writing for as well as how their document will be perceived by different audiences.

Branding

In the article, "Keeping Promises," Holland says that brands developed with the turn of the century and industrialization. Mass production brought about competition in marketing goods and this is when the drive for brand recognition began.

The three links to the different products incite different responses to each but they all have one thing in common, the desire to identify with a brand and belong to the marketed culture. Hummer offers us power and adventure while the Agent Provocateur site is selling swimwear and lingerie that makes the buyer want to look as sexy as the models displaying the items. The third link, Microsoft is selling the newer desire to possess technological knowledge and be a "geek."

Holland encourages us to be smart consumers and to research the companies so that we know what our money is supporting when we buy products. Holland also talks about the power that consumers have and that we should exercise that power so that corrupt corporations do not get away with deceiving consumers. There is an appropriate phrase that refers to this, it is that on average a satisfied customer will share a their experience with one other person, but a dissatisfied customer will share that experience with ten other people.

Blog read around assignment

I enjoyed reading everyone's blogs and I was impressed with how creative some people were with their posts. I liked how Katrina gave examples of things she was experiencing around her, such as the trip to the museum and the Mall of America, and relating these things back to the class readings.
I found Joe's blog to be insightful as well since his comments and perceptions on the readings helped me to understand the concepts a little better.
I thought Lisa P's blog was really creative with the references to artists and examples of photographs. I haven't really explored art since I took a humanities course but I see the connection between art and visual rhetoric so I'd like to learn a little more about art when I find the time.
I'm really glad we did this assignment because I learned even more from reading about my peers' experiences and I enjoyed seeing how creative they were.

Anti-brand activism

The following link is for an anti-drinking ad. It's a chalk outline of a vodka bottle to represent a body outline from an accident. While Absolut commercials use popular culture to show "the absolute man" or "the absolute welcome," the anti-drinking adds uses parody to show "the absolute end." Absolut likes to sell an image of partying and being hip and this anti-brand ad shows the truth about what the results of drinking can be.


http://lifestyle.indiainfo.com/2009/05/02/images/drinking_01.jpg

Postmodernism Continued

While postmodernism is full of pastiche, parody and remakes, the movement has also brought about indie media and postmodern approaches to marketing. Artists have found inventive ways to market their work without relying on the large film and music production companies. Some successful artists have taken advantage of the benefits of technolgy to do their marketing online and offer downloads, which consumers can easily access.

Postmodernism is seen in architecture as well, with the combination of different design styles. Pastiche is seen in the architecture formis "free-floating and detached from the original historical or functional context." Elements of playing with functionality are seen in the way designers create mock hallways or Greek and Gothic designs. Sturken and Cartwright give the example of the Beaubourg building in Paris, in which the fuctional elements of the building, such as stairways and plumbing fixtures are placed on the outside of the building.

Postmodernism

According to Sturken and Cartwright, postmodernism began in the 1980s as a way of understanding the relationship of humans in a globalized society, as well as the effects of postindustrialization, computerization and communication technologies. I would argue that our popular culture still adheres to this belief that nothing is new and that reinterpretation is a new art form. Visual culture is full of "remakes" from movies and TV shows to art and fashion.


The postmodern subject has moved away from the human to the animated or robotic replication of the human. Computer games and popular media reinvent real life by using animated characters and giving them human qualities so that we can identify with the technologically capable subjects.


In postmodernism transformation and shape shifting are ways to describe the body. Sturken and Cartwright give the example of the artist Nikki S. Lee who changes her appearance to fit in with a particular group and then photographs herself. This demonstrates the postmodern idea that "identity is produced through performance."

Modernity Continued

Foucault argued that discourse is made up of a body of knowledge about a particular subject and the rules or practices that regulate what can be spoken about the subject during a specific time period. As our knowledge about the subject changes, so does our discourse and the rules that regulate what we say. Foucault's idea of discourse helps us talk about visual culture because our rhetoric is made up of the knowledge we have (past, present or future).

Foucault's concept of the panopticon is that we self-regulate as a response to surveillance, real or implied. Foucault gave the example of the panopticon prison structure which gave prisoners the feeling that they were constantly under the watch of a guard and in turn made them afraid to act out. Foucault believed that society is structured on this relationship between the power of the spectator and the knowledge of the subject. This relates to visual rhetoric and culture because we are all aware of the surveillance cameras around us and this implied gaze keeps us under control.

Sturken and Cartwright give several examples of how subjects subvert their relationship with the gaze which indicates a transformation in traditional gender roles. The artist Ana Mendieta photographed several outlines of her body in different settings which removed herself from the gaze, leaving behind only an imprint. The example of the film, Thelma & Louise shows the subjects photographing themselves, again giving the subject the control. They also hold the role of spectator as they gaze at a hitchhiker. Where men once almost exclusively held the role of spectator in relation to popular culture, women now have an equal role.

Modernity

The PL talks about looking as being multisensory because while we are viewing an object we are still responding to our surroundings through the other four senses. These stimuli may effect how we perceive the subject.


Modernity in visual arts and culture is seen as a product resulting from the "transition from old to new". According to Jurgen Habermas, modernity models itself on a past era that is seen as classical or timeless and embodies those same principles.

The Enlightenment period was a time of focus on "achieving moral and social betterment through scientific progress." Science was reflected in the culture and the arts and the movement concentrated on the future rather than the past. This is different from the modern movement when the population was relocating from the rural to the cities and the belief was in change for the better and hope for a more advanced future.

Color Analysis

I think the color tests work to match people's personalities only because of the cultural associations we have to certain colors. Outside of the cultural connection I don't think the tests hold much weight since everyone has their own personal response to color. Because of this I don't think the personality tests are based on sound theory or psychology. In one of the tests we had to choose colors in a random order and the results were supposed to say something about the relation between our color preference and our personality. I could have first picked a brilliant red color because I remember my mother wearing a scarf that color when I was a child. Because I picked this color first doesn't mean that I am (or am not) a high energy person, it simply means that color resonates with me. My color results were not a surprise because I could tell from the questions that the qualities I chose were directly related to our cultural association with a particular color, for example blue is a calm, collected color and green signifies tranquility.

The Debate about the Exit Sign

A recent article in the online magazine Slate, by editor Julia Turner, addressed the global argument about the use of America's exit sign. The concern is that we are the only country that uses the red lettering and people who are not familiar with the sign could be endangered. In our culture the sign makes sense but for others, the use of red in the sign can be confusing. In most cultures the color red is associated with danger and stopping a motion before it results in injury. The argument being made is that if people cannot read the word they may think the doorway is off limits because of the bright red color.

Most other countries use a sign with a green man running through a doorway to indicate an emergency exit. This is only logical, international designers argue, because green universally means go, and is the color of safety. While the U.S. faces this safety dilemma, we have to acknowledge that as a culture the red exit sign works for us because we have seen the sign for so many years. To make an overnight change from the red exit to the green running man could jeopardize Americans' safety. The obvious solution, which is already in place in the subways of New York, is to post dual signs with both the green icon and the red lettering. This is one more step towards uniting a global society.

http://www.slate.com/id/2246107/?from=rss

Color Continued

Lupton and Phillips argue that color is rhetorical because it is seen differently by people according to their personal knowledge and experiences. Color conveys information that can effect the mood or invoke feelings in the viewer. Color has cultural connotations that can cause a design to be perceived differently. Lupton and Phillips give the example of how the color white is seen as virginal and pure in Western culture but is the color of death in Eastern cultures. In this way color is subjective and unstable.

Hue is the placement of color withing the color spectrum. Lupton and Phillips give an example of red which looks brown with low saturation and pink at a pale value.

Lupton and Phillips give the definition of value as the light or dark character of the color. Shade is when black is added to the hue and tint is the addition of white to the hue. Elimnating the hue altogether converts the image to either black or white.

Changing the elements of hue and the value of a color can make an image stand out or disappear into the design. Knowing when to use contrasting or complementing colors will be essential to creating a successful design.

Color

Color works for websites because of the messages it conveys. It is a branding mechanism that evokes a feeling in the viewer and can either attract or repel the consumer. Boyle says this is one more way in which the the designer needs to know her audience because colors can be perceived differently depending on the generation of the audience. Just as color is important in fashion trends, color is as important to design and the designer must know which colors are currently popular with the intended audience. Colors have different cultural connotations as well so it is important to know the target audience and how the message will be received.

On a website text should be in a color that is readable and easy to distinguish from the background. Links should be in a brighter color to make them stand out from surrounding text. This keeps the user on the sight longer because of the contrast in text. A visited link should be darker so that the non-visited link stands out and keeps the viewer's attention.

The browser safe color palette is made up of the 216 colors that are common to Macintosh and Windows operating systems. The palette contains shades of red, green and blue since these particular colors are electronically activated on a user's screen.

This color palette is different from the CYMK model which is used in printing. The CYMK palette is subtractive and reflective rather than RGB which is radiant color. Each is important because the way the viewer sees the material can change according to the context. CYMK and RGB are interrelated because a designer wants the electronic media to be viewed the same when the work is printed. A conversion process is necessary to make this happen for the viewer.

Readablity/Legiblity

Williams argues that just because someone is accustomed to reading a certain type of typeface, doesn't make the font any more readable than another. Basically the design of a text is what makes it readable. A highly designed text can distract the reader, thus making the text more difficult to read. Serifed fonts tend to be more readable since the eye is drawn from one letter to the next. Text that is in all capital or all lowercase letters can be a problem for readers since we also read in shapes and a word that contains letters of all the same shape are seen as a square rather than seeing the ascenders and descenders that are intended to create shape.

Letterspacing, wordspacing and line spacing are all important to consider when creating a large amount of text for an audience. The author should respect the reader enough to not make them overwork their eyes with a start/stop motion when reading. Allowing adequate space through tracking, kerning, linespace and leading makes reading an easier task.

Williams addresses legibility as well, which is how easily we can read short amounts of text such has headlines or websites. When we are searching for information we want to be able to process the words quickly without spending time deciphering each letter. Williams suggests that sans serif fonts are more appropriate for short amount of text because they look clean and brisk, allowing the reader to quickly recognize their shape. The x-height and weight of the letter are both important elements for the designer to consider. Mixed caps is intended for titles only since they slow a reader down.

Williams' message is to use any sort of highly designed font in moderation in order to make text more readable and legible.

Typeface

Typefaces are letterforms that are made up of different materials used to produce and copy text with the purpose of distribution. The first typefaces were based on calligraphy but the influence of other cultures eventually brought about the fonts that we know today.

The Renaissance influenced the Roman and Italic typefaces since people preferred these more casual fonts over the previous blackletter text that had been used. Cost and class influences typography choices in publishing when comparing the materials used and to what audience it is intended for. For example, the printing press allowed for the distribution of a large amount of text which made literature more affordable to people in the lower class. The wealthy were more likely to spend money on the more elaborate texts and materials, such as gold engravings.

Anyone working with text needs to be cognizant of the rhetorical impact a font can have on an audience. Using bold or italic font may be appropriate for headings but in larger amounts of text it can make readability difficult. Lupton suggests that designers should know the history of a typeface along with the intended audience to make sure the rhetorical message is appropriate.

Application of the White Space Principles

Using the elements I discussed in the previous post regarding white space, I looked at The New York Times online to see how these elements are used and how effective they are. The articles of most importance are placed in the center of the page and the headlines are in a large, bold font that is in a blue text to make it stand out from the black body text. A one inch margin is on the left and right side of the screen but there is little sinkage since the top of the screen is used for advertisements and the title. Overall, the placement appears clean and organized since the reader can easily distinguish the topic headlines and the subheadings on the page.

The designers use a flush-left/ragged right setting which is common in newspapers. This allows even word spacing and helps with the readiblity for a page that contains a large amount of information. The amount of leading also assists in the readiblity since there is enough white space between lines to keep the reader's eyes moving along the page.

I think the New York Times is a good example of how a designer can take a large amount of text and apply the priciples of font and spacing to make the piece reader friendly.

White Space

While placement and choice of font are always imporant when creating a document, white space is an element that is just as crucial to the piece in order for it to be readable. The areas where white space are most necessary are in the margins, leading and paragraph spacing. This allows the reader's eyes to easily travel down and across the page. Even spacing makes the document look organized and clean which again contributes to the readability of the piece.

White space is also considered when determining the darkness of a text. The darker a font is can show how important the information is in relation to the rest of the work. Off-setting this with white space can help these elements stand out even more to the reader.

Chart Junk

I found an interesting article, Chart Junk vs. Eye Candy: What's the Difference? The article makes the argument that chart junk is just a badly designed graph while eye candy is a graph that can be considered a work of art.

http://flowingdata.com/2009/09/25/chart-junk-vs-eye-candy-whats-the-difference/

The article provides a link to GOOD magazine to give examples of what "eye candy" would look like. From this example I have to agree with the author that graphs can be highly designed and still provide information to the audience. The examples shown are effective since they interpellate the reader but still display the information in a way makes sense.

The author of the article asks for the reader's opinion as to whether they agree with the fact that there is a difference between chart junk and eye candy. My response is that I agree a graph can be highly designed and still be effective. My definition of chart junk would be that a graph is so overly designed that the information becomes misleading.

Tufte

Edward Tufte is a well-published information design theorist. His idea of an effective design is that it should not display "chart junk" or be excessively designed. He believes a design should be without distraction in order for it to be functional

I think the proper format of information design depends largely on the intended audience. In a professional setting, the use of too much design can distract from a presentation. In a less structured setting, I think more design is appropriate.

A centralized network contains a common point in which the network branches out from. A decentralized network has a spine with radiating elements.

The "Tuned In" diagram in the GD is most similar to my own culture identity map because the nodes have a special significance according to their placement and the the connections between them are demonstrated with lines.

Blog 2

The photos of Haiti on Boston.com shows a country that is suffering unfathomable tragedy. From an outsider's standpoint we see an already impoverished culture struggling to survive and working tirelessly to locate loved ones and help the injured. The photos provided interpellate viewers to feel compassion and pain for the people of Haiti and intent of the photographer is to provide viewers with real images of the disaster in order to inform the audience.

The encoded message in the photographs is a cry to viewers for help. The lack of medical supplies and sterile triage areas is shocking in the photographs where the injured are sitting in pools of blood that is not their own. Recent news articles have been full of stories about how doctors have had little or no pain medication to administer so they were doing procedures on people without. The photo of the young girl receiving care reminded me of these stories since her eyes seem to be so full of pain. The only way to decode these images is through dominant-hegemonic reading since the suffering and pain is so obvious, no one should be reading these images in a negotiated or oppositional reading.

The photo of the young men praying in Connecticut is symbolic of the world's reaction to this tragedy. The empathy that has been shown to the Haitians has been impressive; however, there is still so much work to be done to assist the survivors in moving forward with their lives.

Week One

1. In the PL the authors claim "our lives are increasingly dominated by the visual" (p. 1) since we depend on our electronic devices to make us feel connected to our surrounding culture. Even though we rely on images, we know that they cannot always communicate the whole story so we depend on print to fill in the rest of the information. While images have different meaning to each viewer, print is less open to interpretation since the author has a better opportunity to explain what she means.

2. Culture is defined as "a whole way of life" (p. 3) and classifies people according to their activities and interests. Visual rhetoric is made up of the images that are exchanged within a culture. In order to understand visual rhetoric one must understand that different cultures may perceive the same image in very different ways.

3. Sturken and Cartwright offer three approaches to their audience as ways to understand the text (p.). The first is to use theory when studying images and meanings. The second uses psychology and social patterns to examine responses to visuality. The third approach mentioned encourages us to look across cultures to see how the meanings of different media change.

4. Connotative meaning describes how an image can be interpreted different ways depending on what the image means to each person, according to their cultural makeup and historical knowledge of the image. The denotative meaning of an image is more specific and less open to interpretation since it is a literal meaning of an image.

5. Ideologies are a culture's system of beliefs. Sturken and Cartright argue that by darkening O.J. Simpson's skin tone Time was influencing the public because the same practice was used in the entertainment industry to portray villains, during the nineteenth century.

6. An image is considered to have value if it has social, cultural or historical meaning. Social value refers to the popularity of the work and the image's monetary worth. An image is culturally valuable if the audience is able to relate to the work and feel that the image has a significance in relation to their set of values. When an image captures a historical moment the work is considered valuable to that culture as well.

7. There is no fail proof way for a producer to ensure their message is received as they intended. Some of the variables that prevent this can be how the ads are juxtapositioned against others, or the context in which a viewer receives the image.

8. According to Karl Marx, the people that "own the means of production are also in control of the ideas and viewpoints produced and circulated" (p. 69).

9. Hegemony means that "power is negotiated among all classes of people" rather than being upheld by one class over another (p. 70). For a society to have hegemony there would have to be negotiations regarding meanings, laws and social relationships.