Visual Techniques

http://collider.com/the-iron-lady-movie-trailer/130968/

sharpness
asymmetry
variation
transparency
simplicity

http://www.unstage.com/2010/02/150-creative-movie-posters/#!prettyPhoto

boldness
exaggeration
depth
randomness
variation
complexity

For the first poster graphic interprets the basic information of the movie. Even though I have not seen this movie I can conclude that it is about a historical woman in London. By using the city outline of London on one side and the image of the actor Meryl Streep this graphic creates visual interest. The sharpness on the points of the building give the feeling of harsh and hard on the graphic, the tagline, "Never Compromise", indicate a very dictatorial role. Looking into The Iron Lady, I found that this film was based on the Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister of the UK during the 1970's. With this graphic you get an idea of the setting and character that are portrayed on in this movie. For the Inglourious Basterds movie poster the various characters are displayed on the graphic. Comparing it to The Iron Lady poster also give that poster a feeling of power in the single character shown.  The use of various characters gives a complexity to the graphic that makes the viewer look closer to examine all the the different people on the poster. Using red in various parts of the graphic also give it a boldness all around the poster. Using scale also gives a sense of importance in characters, like actor Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent. Depth is displayed in the title, using a black background under the red title gives it a sense of three dimensions.  

Contrast

http://chasemor.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/on-to-bad-graphic-design/

This is an example of a website with a lack of contrast in its design. The use of the background creates an unappealing design. The "confusion and ambiguity" makes this webpage ineffective. The repetitious background causes for the viewer to not be able to identify the features like the content on the webpage.
"Ambiguity is its natural enemy and must be avoided if the process of seeing is to function properly" (Dondis). If the text in the page had a solid color background  behind it this design could be more efficient. In the headline of the webpage "Mama's Cheesies" is much easier to read because it has a solid color background behind it. The absences of contrast and repetitious nature cause for this to be a failure in design.

http://shop.tangyauhoong.com/product/autumn-s-fall

This graphic created by Tang Yau Hoong is a good example of contrast. This technique sharpens the image in a well defined and creative graphic. To create a balance between contrast and harmony, Tang had to use different tones in color to separate the background from the foreground.  In this image you can see that the empty space is just as important in creating this graphic as the patterns created from color are. The scale used in the different patterns also cause for contrast in the shapes. "The contrast of tone is as vitally important as the presence of light in the process of seeing. Through tone, we can perceive patterns that we simplify into objects with shape, dimension, and other elemental visual properties" (Dondis).  By creating polarities between the the tonal patterns Tang Yau Hoong was able to create a more complex meaning into his work.

Implied Motion

http://accad.osu.edu/womenandtech/Storyboard%20Resource/

This is an example of a storyboard for a scene in a movie or TV show. The designer faced problems of clearly depicting the motions that the camera needs to make. Another issue that comes with this design is showing the motions that the characters must make in each shot. The different boxes that are presented follow a story and it is important to read them correctly or the story might become lost to the reader. By using arrows, this design implied motion to the action of the characters and motions of the camera. Also for the characters motion the use of motion streaks are create to suggest motion. The viewer is guided from left to right of the page because the boxes are numbered and the use of arrows. To also convey motion the background images in each box are different referring that the character had to have moved from point a to point b.

http://visualgraphic.tumblr.com/

In this design motion is also implied and created. For the user to move through this graphic they much read from the top left to right, moving down and across back to the left. The use of variation in scale helps create motion and focuses the attention of the user. In this graphic arrows are also used to create motion but not all to help guide motion. For this graphic the problem occurs when arrows face the opposite direction the reader is intended to read the words. By using 2D in some words it creates the sense of forward motion. The word “around” also creates its own for of motion because of its swirl design type. The arrow under “once in a while” gives the implied motion of a circular movement.

Dimension/Depth/Space/Scale

http://cargocollective.com/VTDESIGN/Graphic-Design-Is

Some visual cues that we have learned about are present in this graphic design. By using cues of depth space and scale in this graphic they have created a different sense of perception for the viewer.  Interposition or overlapping helps the viewer develop a sense of depth. Shadow convergence behind the blocks give the perception of relative space. The use of different size blocks creates cues of distance. Aerial perspective or “distance fog” is used in this graphic design by using darker colors like the dark blue and black blocks to send to the background while the red and lighter blue are features that are brought more to the foreground. The size of text also create a sense of scale and size. By using larger blocks at the top of the graphic the viewer uses that as a familiar size and use it as a reference for comparison. The growing spaces between the blocks create a sense of dimension as well.

Tone and Color

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lcq3awdx9U1qc2eojo1_r1_500.jpg

How TONE is operating

• Most of our textural experience is optical, Donis tells us.
• In this example, tone creates texture by the various tone values.
• By mixing black and white it creates gray tones that also give the image texture.
• The smear-like method gives depth with the light and dark tones. 

http://www.manydesign.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Poster-Design-001.jpg

How TONE is interacting

• Tone is interacting with dimension by using darker red behind the white type.
• By using the various tones of red it creates dimension.
• As Donis explains, the use of tone gives us this perspective by creating “the sensation of reflected light and cast shadows” or "chiaroscuro".

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzetvrooRu1qaz991o1_500.jpg

How COLOR is operating

• Color is operating through color coding.
• As Ware explains, color is used to create visual distinctions between one another.
• Color “stands for” the different  things that “people at the ’10 Items or Less” line at the supermarket have”.

http://a1.s6img.com/cdn/0008/p/1646438_1528843_b.jpg

How COLOR is interacting

• In this image color is interacting with line by creating them through different colors.
• The use of the colors black and yellow help to separate the yellow background from the black lines created.
• The space between the black colored lines show how color creates visual interaction with the yellow color.
• In this example it also confirms that line describes shape as Donis had suggested.

Visual Communications Basic Elements: Movie Posters

Tone

http://buildingatlantis.wordpress.com/2010/12/23/black-swan-movie-review/

In this poster for the movie Black Swan there is an example of the basic element of tone. Without "tone information" this image would not have dimension. In this image the white ballerina inside the black swan is given an illusion of dimension and depth because of the "variations in light". With the use of black and white you can see "the juxtaposition of tone, the intensity of darkness or lightness". Without a white background surrounding the black swan it would be impossible to distinguish between the background and swan.

Color

http://collider.com/movie-poster-rolling-roadshow-2010-there-will-be-blood-dirty-harry-jackie-brown-robocop-olly-moss-movie-poster/41535/

In this poster of the movie Dirty Harry, we can see an example of the basic element of color. When using color it is important to know that it "has stronger affinity to the emotions".  In color there are many factors like hue, saturation and achromatic that affect the way we see. By using color we can direct viewers into "associating meaning" and evoke a feeling to them. With color we are able to create a larger vocabulary in visual literacy by being able to have symbolic meaning for the various different colors.

Dimension

http://collider.com/new-teaser-poster-for-inception/12977/

In this poster for the movie Inception, we can see an example of the basic element of dimension. To create a "representation of dimension in two-dimensional visual formats is also dependent on illusion". This illusion is created by using perspective. With the help of the basic element of tone we can establish dimension with "dramatic emphasis of light and shade". In this image we can use the visual clues of scale and tone to establish dimension. 

Puzzles

 For this puzzle the goal was to find all the various squares. For me the first squares I saw were the smaller ones which there were five of so I outlined them, for my friend Alex he didn't notice the one square that was not with the others (maybe because the four were in a group). Continuing to outline I then saw the larger square containing all the smaller squares inside and from there connected the rectangles on the outside of the larger square to create four more squares. Alex followed lines mentally compared to my strategy to outline.

The counting squares puzzle works with pattern-seeking. Because I used black and white ink instead of color it gave us a disadvantage at find the correct number of squares. With the use of colors and various sizes it creates distracting surroundings. By not having color it was easier to miss the differences but by following the lines it was easier to find the pattern.

In this puzzle we had to visually find out which spiral had two different ropes without tracing or touching the page. Both of us were able to follow the lines of the spiral to see that the one on the left is only one rope. For me I found it easier to find this by starting on the inside and work my way into the spiral.

This is an example of dynamic structures. By using motion visually we are working out “kinesthetic imagery”.