Information Design and Visual Communication - Week 5.2 PDF

CM4203 Visual Communication and Information Design Review: Visual Communication a problem-solving practice which uses image and text to communicate an array of messages that can be personal, cultural or commercial.  The key elements of visual communication are typography, illustration, phot...

CM4203 Visual Communication and Information Design Review: Visual Communication a problem-solving practice which uses image and text to communicate an array of messages that can be personal, cultural or commercial.  The key elements of visual communication are typography, illustration, photography, interactivity and the moving image. Review: Visual Literacy  Visual literacy is the ability to both create and interpret visuals.  Like words, visuals often carry connotative or symbolic meaning.  Nearly every aspect of visual design is governed by conventions that set audience expectations.  Brandscapes – we consume signs as much as commodities  We Must all Be Design Literate:  We can’t rely on in-house design teams to do everything. Canva’s research showed that most business leaders prioritize design literacy for their employees. Sixty-one percent expressed that employees in non- design roles are expected to have extensive design skills. Visual Rhetoric includes: The use of images as an argument; The arrangement of elements on a page; The use of typography (fonts, etc.); and The analysis of existing images and visuals. Encoding your own communication  Visual Communication:  Audience  who are they; what do they know already?  Purpose  think of it as your goal  what should this communication accomplish?  Context  the communications environment  Intertextuality – how has an image been used before  where and how will the users receive the communication? The solutions to all these questions are tackled using the graphic designer’s tool kit.  “Thebulk of my time as a designer is spent on objectives and target audience, not on graphics. Graphic design is a communication language, not art. Goals and objectives in hand, we now move to graphics.” How should I approach visual communication? When a graphic designer approaches a job, be it a poster design, book design, web design, advertising, s/he has to start with asking the following What fundamental is the objectivequestions: of the communication What needs to be said first and then next and then after that? (levels of hierarchy) How do you want the eye to flow through the page? What is the tone of voice? Who are you speaking to?  Learning from Graphic Design The term graphic design can refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines which focus on visual communication and presentation. Various methods are used to create and combine symbols, images and/or words to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-S2Y3SF3mM (3 mins)  Visual Communication Design Tools 1. Layout 2. Colour 3. Image 4. Typography Layout and Compostion  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5KYlHN KQB8  Visual Rhetoric and… Text elements How type functions and choosing appropriate fonts Headline versus body text Color Visuals and graphics Illustrations and diagrams Graphs Photographs and manipulated images Typography is crucial to almost all design projects. It is important to identify the best fonts for a project. The concept of ‘anchorage’ – how a piece of text grounds and delimits the potential meaning of an image.  How Type Functions Type has different “Personalities”: There are formal and informal fonts The consequences of font choices: Consider the effect of each font What is the selected font’s personality and appropriateness?  Choosing Appropriate Fonts Your font choice can either build or harm your ethos (credibility) as an author. The context and purpose of the document is important. The cultural and visual associations of the fonts should fit the purpose of the document. Font Choice: Example 1 – Appropriate fonts Font Choice: Example 2 – Inappropriate fonts Headline versus Body Text How text functions: Type of text dictates font choice: Emphasis and attention Information Sustained readability Function of ‘Visual Rhetoric’  guide readers through document  focus attention  cluster visual & verbal elements  organise overall page (or screen) design  show context of concepts  increase impact  manipulate & operate There are text and type differences between print and the Web. When choosing type for the Web, consider: Accommodating users and browsers; HTML standard fonts; and Screen readability. Serif vs San Serif fonts Typography  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sByzHoiY FX0&t=80s Helvetica Trailer  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkoX0pE wSCw Below are examples of Visual Communication  Visuals can help create understanding where words alone cannot.  Theycan help bridge the gap between concepts and words, especially when appealing to an audience with diverse needs and backgrounds. For example: The CDC in the US recommends the use of visuals to boost understanding of health information for external communications in healthcare. These types of visual guides aren’t just helpful for external communication. Similar tactics can be used to remind staff of workplace best practices, like patient safety and infection prevention practices. How We Read  “F-shaped” pattern  Focuson headlines and bulleted info  Scan/skip “promo” looking bits http://www.useit.com/eyetracking/ How We Apply Rhetoric in Visual Communication  Consciously through heuristics (some general strategies that emerge from research or known to persuade readers in a particular way) or  Intuitively (what feels right, even if it cannot be explained) Intuitively Applying Rhetoric Experienced designers have internalised the heuristics. Inexperienced designers have access to tools for design but must develop an understanding of visual rhetoric Principles of Visual Rhetoric  Arrangement: the order or organisation of elements.  Grouping: or chunking content  Emphasis: those elements that receive prominence over others.  Clarity: strategies for helping readers easily “decode” a message as quickly and completely as possible, and react without ambivalence. The golden curve & imagery The rule of thirds  What is the rule of thirds?  How does it apply to the image to the right? Rule of Thirds Rule of Thirds Rule of Thirds Rule of Thirds  https://youtu.be/9CiS3SU4lk0  Why is Visual Rhetoric Important? It matters because… We use visual thinking as a major part of our cognition (thinking process). We live in a visually dominated world, so… We must be able to read, dissect, and produce effective visuals. Graphic design is a business communication language, (not always about art). Summary Visual communication and graphic design are important tools within business communication – key elements are typography, illustration, photography, interactivity and the moving image. Midterm Exam on Thursday, 17 October 2024 @1pm  Theexamination window opens at 1pm and closes at 1.35.  These are MCQs and ‘Select all that apply’ style questions.  30 questions in 30 minutes Topics  Fundamentals of Communication  Perception / Intrapersonal Communication  Emotional and Social Intelligence  Workplace Communication  Semiotics / visual communication Sample Question: