Visual communication: conveys ideas and information using visual elements
- Relies on range of visual elements (drawings, illustrations, shapes, colors, photos, etc)
to communicate a message or concept.
Things that influence how we see things:
- Culture
- Mood
- Personal Experience
Difference between elements and principles of design
- Elements of design: basic building blocks of a composition (Color, line, value, space,
form)
- Principles of design: refer to how the elements are used (Balance, Pattern, Movement,
etc)
Perception:
- Process of selecting, and subjectively interpreting sensory data to make sense of
something)
- Perception involves both bottom-up and top-down processing
Gestalt Principles:
1. Figure ground relationship: According to this principle, we tend to segment our visual
world into figure (foreground) and ground (background) figure is the object that is the
focus, and ground is the back.
2. Proximity: this principle asserts things that are closer to one another tend to be grouped
3. Similarity: according to this principle, things that are alike tend to be grouped.
4. Continuity: law of continuity suggests that we are likely to perceive smooth flowing lines
5. Closure: principle of closure states that we organize our perception into complete objects
rather than a series of parts
6. Parallelism: elements that are parallel to each other are seen as related
7. Uniform connectedness: elements that are visibly connected are perceived as related
8. Common regions: elements are perceived as part of a group if they are located within
the same closed region (inside an enclosure related, outside separate)
9. Common fate: elements that move in the same direction are perceived as related than
stationary or different directions
10. Focal points: this principle suggests that our attention will be drawn toward contrast
11. Law of pragnanz (Law of simplicity) people will perceive and interpret complex images
as the simplest forms possible
The more you SENSE the more you SELECT
The more you SELECT the more your mind will PERCEIVE
The more you PERCEIVE the more your mind will REMEMBER
The more you REMEMBER the more your mind will KNOW
Representation: means using language to say something about or to represent, the world
meaningfully to other people.
It involves language, signs, and images.
3 Key theories:
1. Reflective: reflects existing objects, people,etc
2. Intentional: Intended message based on what someone wants to say
3. Constructionist: things don’t mean we construct meaning
Approaches:
1. Semiotics (influenced by Charles sanders, etc)
2. Discursive Approach
Your thought processes ‘decode’ your visual perception of an object
Representation: is the production of meaning through language (to depict or describe
something)
Two systems of representation:
1. Mental representation: objects, people, events, are correlated with set of concepts
2. Construction of meaning: We are able to communicate because we share broadly the
same conceptual maps.
We must be able to represent or exchange meanings and concepts, and we can only do that we
have access to a shared language.
- Language is the second system of representation involved in the process of constructing
meaning
- The general term we use for words, sounds, or images, which carry meaning is Signs.
Visual Signs are called Iconic signs
Written or spoken signs are what we call indexical signs
Symbolic Sign
Codes: fix the relationships between the concepts and signs
1. Metonymic code: collection of signs that cause the viewer to make assumptions
2. Analogical code: a group of signs that marks viewer that make mental comparisons
3. Displaced Code: a transfer of meaning one set of signs to another
4. Condensed code: several signs that combine to form a new meaning
Cognitive TheoryL
- Primarily focuses on understanding how humans process, interpret, and remember
visual information
1. Memory: is our link with all images
2. Projection: a person’s mental state is ‘projected’ onto a generalized statement
3. Expectation: having preconceived expectations about how a scene would appear
4. Selectivity: most of visual perception is an unconscious, and automatic act by which
large amounts of images enter and leave the mind.
5. Habituation: The mind ignores a lot of visual stimuli that is part of our everyday life
6. Salience: a stimulus will be noticed more if it has meaning for an individuals
7. Dissonance: too much distractions will make it difficult to focus on 1 visual message
8. Culture: determines the importance of the signs
9. Words: many of us think with words, it affects our understanding and long-term recall
Denotation: simple basic descriptive level
Connotation: connects signs to broader themes and meanings and what we call culture
Visual Persuasion:
- Emojis are ways societies around the world communicate
- Ex: Are images on instagram persuasive? Are the images meant to persuade? Etc
Memes are specifically created from an audience standpoint; and like other forms of
communication are culturally dependent and designed to persuade
Memes are a unit of social and cultural exchange
Composition is the process of designing the content and technical aspects of an image.
6 compositional priorities that determine where they looks fit
Movement: if something is moving our eyes look there first
If nothing moves, we look at whats in focus
If everything is in focus, wwe look at which is difference
Then we notice, brighter, bigger, and what is in front.
Aristotle says persuasion has 3 components:
- Logos: refers to logical arguments
- Ethos: refers to source’s credibility
- Pathos: refers to emotional appeals used in the persuasive argument
Persuasion is a socially accepted way of attempting to change attitudes
Propaganda: meant to propagate an idea to a large population
Now it is thought of as misleading or false information.
Best definition: use of spoken, written, visual, etc to influence thought and action.
Signifier and Signified: both are required to produce meaning, but it’s the relation between them
fixed by our cultural and linguistic codes.
Signs are members of a system and are defined in relation to other members of that system
Saussure divided language into 2 parts:
1. The underlying structure of rules and codes was the social part
2. Individual speech act was the surface of language
Semiotics: or signs, is an approach of not only words and images, but objects themselves can
function as signifiers when producing a meaning
Fashion: basic code which links a piece of material which s cut and sewn in a specific way (
signifier) to our mental concept (signified)
Barthes called the first descriptive level, denotation and second connotation.