Memo: Journal Preface
To: Julianne Newmark
From: David Hudson
This 'scrapbook' of images and analysis of images is designed to show various aspects of visual communication in media. Some of the pieces chosen are famous throughout American culture, where as others are not well known - often chosen by grabbing examples of specific imagery from image search engines. All of the images are chosen to illustrate a particular topic as determined from the project rubric.
Each entry in this scrapbook is designed to communicate a specific aspect of visual communication, and taken as a whole they represent an analysis of a varied sample of the different types of imagery that we see in media and throughout our lives.
Analysis of each individual image in this scrapbook is representative of a class of imagery, and is useful both in the case of the specific example provided as well as application of the concept highlighted in the entry in general.
There is far too much visual media in general to represent all visual communication as a whole in a small collection such as this, but this smattering of analysis provides the reader with the kind of logic that goes into analyzing visual imagery in general.
Some entries are, by their problem descriptions, more opinionated than others. I have made an attempt to avoid injecting my bias into the analysis of the visual media that are analyzed here, but ultimately some entries will still contain it to some degree. This is the nature of this assignment, and as such the reader should take that into consideration during the reading of these articles.
Terminology that is used in this scrapbook attempts to focus on the terminology introduced in class. This may make the entries difficult to follow when the terminology becomes dense. However, an effort has been made to explain each usage (at least the first time) in a way that the reader can follow, and allow them to gain an understanding of the term before moving on.
Entries are arranged from most to least recent. Titles and numbers of entries are taken from the project description, which should allow the reviewer to easily sift through entries during grading.
This blog was designed using a (lightly modified) template in Google Blogger.
21 - The Costco Photo
 |
| Source: J.Newmark, Scrapbook Instructions, 2011 |
While the artwork is out of place in the scene, it also provides the viewer with the material-focused mindset of the location. The prices detract from the general 'beauty' of the artwork by attaching a value to each one. This makes the viewer feel that each piece of work is worth, at best, the dollar value below it. This is true in many art galleries:
 |
| Source: tomorrowlounge.blogspot.com |
Referring again to the Costco photo, this detraction is taken from all of the artwork by not only the price tags, but also the surrounding scene. The image was taken in a way that detracted from the general flow of the art display due to its centering. This portrays the artwork as not only less valuable due to the price tags, but also because the photographer has directly shown us the area where it is held. This induces a feeling of importance of the surroundings over the actual display in the viewer, and allows them to consider more than just the display alone.
20 - User-Centered Design
 |
| Source: http://www.docstoc.com |
The key behind this format is to break up content in easily digestible chunks. This allows the user to gather a general understanding of what is happening that requires their attention without hunting for the aspects that affect them in a large wall of text.
The key to design of a user-centered document is to draw attention to what the particular users of the document need to be aware of rather than creating general documents for the entire workplace (given that the workplace is large), or to indicate sections that each user can refer to rather than expecting them to sift through unnecessary information to locate the piece that affects them individually.
When focused on particular users, the creator can employ techniques of organization much easier, and draw attention to sections by utilizing color. Further, the general rhythm of text can be utilized to draw attention to critical aspects (using indentations and headings in the text) to convey key points in a glance. The overall goal of documents that are to be viewed by the entire workplace should be scan-ability; the user should not have to read the entire document to have a general idea of which key points are being conveyed.
19 - Document Design
 |
| Source: Energy-Delay Tradeoffs in Smartphone Applications, Moo-Ryong Ra et. all |
The issue with this format is that it is designed to fully document many aspects of a piece of research and cite many sources, but does so all in a condensed, overly wordy way. This forces the reader to take in a massive amount of information in a single display, and as such, detracts from the end goal of the author; namely to convey information about the research done.
Because of the attention to detail, the reader is forced to reference many separate pieces of information in each section. Instead, it would be far more effective if the author presented a single aspect utilizing info-graphics and other key methods of communication to draw attention to each section rather than cramming the text into two columns. Each page should be viewed as a communication of a single aspect of the research to keep the context firmly in the reader's mind rather than simply referring to a source and continuing on as if the reader was deeply familiar with the source.
As such, this argument applies to all standard format papers rather than this particular, singular example.
18 - Color Theory
 |
| Source: www.chick-fil-a.com |
The color gives the viewer a feeling of emergency, and the chicken-shape of the C that induces a "dang, I'm totally hungry" thought is the goal of the logo. This is particularly effective on those who have a lack of time. The red, hasty font is capable of describing this urgency in a very strong way due to the target audience: those who need to eat on the go and are familiar with the restaurant chain.
The font is particularly readable, despite the nature of the scrawl to allow viewers to easily pick out the sign from the road. While the font is designed to depict urgency, the 'classy' feeling to it due to the cursive also helps to indicate a quality to the product.
17 - Remediation
Youtube is a powerful tool that has refashioned video viewing today in comparison to how it was handled in the past via broadcast television and TV Guide media.
Youtube is a reinvention of the spreading of video media to the masses. It has changed the content provider to the hands of the many rather than the few. Video content is brought to attention by means of general popularity rather than purely the endorsement it receives from large corporations.
The actual delivery system is not the only aspect of this revolution that has changed via Youtube. The content is directed at a lower attention span, and the length of videos have been condensed for content rather than drawn out time periods.
This effect has propagated throughout the media. Many shows have adopted smaller timeslots (seen through the common cartoon length of 15 minutes vs. the previous norm of 30) to accommodate the new attention span induced on audiences through this distribution system.
16 - Website Ethos
This website utilizes poor ethos in its layout. This is evident through the 'wall of text' that makes up the general style of the website, yielding to poor rhythm throughout the design. Users are greeted with a large list of links and small descriptions of the article, along with the voting system to the left of each article.
While the functionality is all very well introduced throughout the page, there is a lack of order and separation between each article. As a counter example, the next screenshot illustrates digg.com on the same date, a website with the same general functionality that displays much better ethos:
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)