Photography

The way text is used to influence our emotions

Images and text can go hand in hand. But sometimes text can be used to make the image more powerful or easier to understand. But also good uses of text can our influence our emotions, making use want to take action or feel a different way.

Below is an ad for McDonalds, this plays with our childhood emotions. The ad is very simple and clean, it lets the text and the images do all the talking. It features an image of homemade sandwiches wrapped in McDonalds packaging. Without the text, the ad could have many meanings depending on its context. But the text makes it more clear and easy to understand. The text ‘Nice try Mom’ evokes our emotions and memories of our parents trying to disguise food. However in this case it’s a mom disguising food in McDonalds packaging. The ad is persuading the audience to go and buy McDonalds activating our hunger emotions.

How can you add text to change what an image means

As a designer you should never under estimate the power of text. Text speaks to us directly and gets our opinions across in black and white; people don’t have to make their own random assumptions of what it means.

But we can also use the power of text to change what an image means or make it more personal to us. Depending on its audience and context, text alongside photography can work very well and explain what the picture is saying.

Below is a poster for Levi’s. It features a man made out of copper wearing Levi jeans. But without the text I wouldn’t have been able to known any of this information.  By just looking at it, it looks like a film poster. But depending on its context and audience people could make other presumptions about it.

Advertising

William (Bill) Bernbach was born in New York City on the 13^th August 1911 and died in 1982. He was a famous advertising director and one of the co-founders of DDB (Doyle Dane Bernbach Inc.). He has created many famous ads and had a long lasting impression on advertising. He was known for his simplicity in design but also humour and an unorthodox style.

During and after the Second World War, the American government wanted Americans to think big.  They were sold a life which they were expected to aspire to, but it was all false. These big ways of thinking and ‘The American Dream’ were especially prominent in the way in which they advertised. Many of the ads of that time were very over the top and glamorous, they also expected its audience to spend lots of money. These ads didn’t appeal to most of America so it wasn’t talking to its audience. DDB (Doyle Dane Bernbach Inc.) were commissioned by VW to create an ad for its new VW Beetle. Bernbach broke all the rules of advertising and changed it for the better with this simple ad. It featured the phrase ‘Think Small’ which was the complete opposite to what the Americans were told to think. The car in the ad was also small with a lot of blank space. This weird and new to American advertisements and they never seen anything like it. But by having the car small and lots of blank space, it creates a better level of visual hierarchy; with the car being the first thing that your eyes are drawn to. 

Imagery is not the only important thing to think about when designing ads; you also have to think about the use of language to sell a product. Many of Bernbach’s ads for VW also showed a great skill of Visual language, this sometimes was more powerful than the imagery itself. One of the most famous ads featured just the word ‘LEMON’ and above it was an image of a VW Beetle. In America Lemon is seen as an insult, but Bernbach turned it round and made it humorous. This was a great use of visual language making the audience gasp and maybe be insulted. But at least they would remember the ad.

By looking at Bernbachs work it has inspired me greatly. It has taught me to think outside the box and try and break the rules when designing. You shouldn’t follow the current trend of design; you should create your own trend.

My Favourite Expert

Modern Graphic Design should be constantly pushing the boundaries, challenging the idea of what classes as Graphic Design today. Rezea Abedini is at the forefront of this movement. Hailing from Iran, his cultural heritage can be clearly felt in his work. Fusing illustration, Persian typography and Graphic Design, he creates work which is instantly recognisable and sits in its own category.

Abedini’s work has inspired me to be more creative and use my culture to influence my work. By using culture in your work, it has more personality and truly expresses who you are. It will also have its own identity and won’t be similar to anyone else. People will also be able to learn more about you, and see what influences you. By looking at Abedini’s work you can tell that he has been inspired by Persian typography and Iranian history. The colour pallet which he uses is more earthy and natural, colours which are widely used/found in Iran. 

In particular I like the way in which he uses Persian typography in his work. No other design uses typography this way. The type instantly catches your eye, and makes you pay attention even though you can’t read what it says. He doesn't use the type as text but more as imagery, making it the focal point of his work.

Rezea Abedini is my favourite expert simply because his work is so unique. He incorporates typography, photography and illustrations, making it all flow seamlessly. He inspires me to push the boundaries and be more experimentative with my designs. 

Restating Problems

For my latest assignment; I have been given the task of redesigning the information booklet, which was handed out to new students. This assignment can cause many problems due to the fact it has to have a certain amount of information included. It also has to reach a very wide target audience, catering to people of all ages, genders, races and nationalities.

So for the first way of restating the problem, I have thought about playing around with different types of media. For example instead of having a leaflet packed with information, I could develop a mobile phone app. This would be a more modern approach and aimed towards a younger audience. The information would be clear and understand, it also would work in context with the phone. However this would not be suitable for people whose mobile phones can’t access apps. Another way I could approach this problem is by designing a different type of leaflet. For example the leaflet could invite action, by popping up or cutting and folding to make a different shape. This idea would reach a wider audience but might not seem very interesting and using modern media to its advantage.

The next time I encounter a problem with my work, I’m going to try and approach it from different angles. For example looking at it from the target audience’s point of view. This way I can come up with as many solutions as possible and then pick the best one.

Developing Ideational Fluency

As a graphic designer, it is very important to be spontaneous and be able to come up with fresh ideas. This way the mind is always working and you don’t always go with your first idea. By coming up with many ideas this shows you have looked at all the possible avenues; taking in target audience, use of media and the context. One way which you can do this is by using mind maps. Mind maps allow us to look at all the possible strands of our first idea. We can also visually see how some of our thought link up or are similar to one another. Mind mapping is also good if you can spontaneously come up with ideas which link to your first idea. 

How do Illustrators amplify the ‘meaning’ within a message?

Being an illustrator allows you to convey your message through medium, text and different types of media. A simple image can convey a hidden meaning. For example you can find out about technology used at the time, culture influences and what was happening in the world at that time. 

Looking at two types of media of the same subject can make my point clearer. For example Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was originally written in 1964, and since then has been adapted many times. It has been made into two films with and illustrated countless times. But the most famous Illustrations are by Quentin Blake. These illustrations were made in the 70’s and show a freeness and self-expression. The images are very loosely drawn and the characters are very animated and quirky. This gives it a more playful feel, so it appeals to its target audience of children more. He has painted the images using watercolours to give it a more handmade finish. This shows the use of media at that time.

In contrast the most recent Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film has a completely different look and feel to it. It is more vibrant, colourful and overtop; a typical Tim Burton style film. Also his signature dark gothic style is also their; with some of the characters and set. The film also shows the use of technology, with the use of props and CGI. But this film also caters to its target audience of children with the settings and staging, Children will wish they were at the Chocolate Factory.

Both versions are great examples of how illustrators can interpret their own meaning within in a message. 

What are the platforms that Illustrations are used to affect the communication?

Being an illustrator you no longer have to restrict yourself to pieces of paper in order to communicate. Your illustrations can be applied to a variety of mediums reaching more people and communicating the message more effectively and efficiently.

I have been looking at graphic designer/artist Keith Haring who died in 1990, and how his work is still living on in different forms. His signature bold lines and active figures have been applied to everything from trainers to art installations. All the time his art is still communicating to people, and delivering his message of ‘unity’ and ‘active life’. 

This shows how an illustrator can be adaptive and promote their self’s through other forms. Whilst he was still alive his pattern was applied to many things and used in different contexts. In 1989 it was used for the paintwork of a BMW. This was one of the most famous examples of his art taking on a different platform. This was a good way for him to promote himself, and get his art out into the wider audience.

 Most recently his art [background, costume] were used in the music video ‘Rude Boy’ for Rihanna. It created a stunning, simple visual experience and exposed and communicated his art to a whole new younger audience. Rihanna has also been pictured wearing a Jacket with Keith Haring's signature print.

Keith Haring’s art is still living on many years after his death; this is due to his self-promotion and his art taking on different platforms but most of all coming up with a timeless piece of art. 

Show how an example of how video information gives visual form to hard facts

As a graphic designer I should look at more interesting ways in which I can visual data. We shouldn’t restrict our self’s to pie charts and bar graphs in the way we show hard facts. We should think out of the box, and experiment with different types of media and look at the context in which the data is collected. We can also look at the audience for the gathered information, and how we can make the data more interesting so it can appeal to them even more. 

Whilst researching how hard facts can be given visual form, I came across a digital cartographer called Eric Fischer. He has used data from the latest US census to create visual maps of different States, which shows the racial divisions in the US. Each dot represents 25 people and each colour a different race. White people are represented by pink, Black people are represented by blue, Hispanic’s represented by orange and Asians by green. These maps are very visually striking and also very clear. There is a clear segregation between the colours, and this clearly represents the racial divisions in the US. By using the colour dots it makes the information more clear, and gives it more visual realisation. If the collected data was in a bar chart, it wouldn’t work as well and wouldn’t look as visually stunning as these images do. You also wouldn’t get a sense of what the information represents.

This data has inspired me to be more creative when I’m giving visual form to hard facts.  I should also think about the audience for the data and try and use different media.    

Identify a three act structure in a recent film

After learning about the three act structure which is used in most films, the first film which came to mind was Batman The Dark Knight. This film uses a three act structure well, with a clear beginning, middle and end.

 In the beginning of the film we establish the background and carry on from the previous film. Gotham is in a state of equilibrium; the ‘bad guys’ are off the streets and crime rates are going down. Batman is identified as the protagonist and has joined forces with Lieutenant James Gordon, and the new district attorney Harvey Dent. At that moment everything is going well and they seem unbeatable. Then the crisis in the middle begins; The Joker enters the frame with his psychopathic criminal state of mind and upsets the equilibrium. This then leads to series of events which form the main part of the film. The Joker is identified as the antagonist, and as a result has forced the protagonist to make a life changing decision. Batman has to either reveal his true identity or risk hundreds of people being killed. As a result this forces batman to act in ways, in which he has never done and the audience see him stray between the lines of good and bad. The film also features an inner story which is a love triangle between Batman (Bruce Wayne), Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent. Rachel Dawes thinks that the only way she can be with Bruce Wayne is if he stops being Batman, and let the police take care of Gotham.  Bruce Wayne knows this can never happen, so decides that she would be better off with Harvey Dent. At the end of the film the crisis is resolved. The Joker is captured and Batman is seen as a criminal and is on the run. The crisis/antagonist has caused Batman’s life to change as he is now seen as a criminal. But order is also restored with Gotham back under control.

Utilise Your Creative Brain

Our brain is split into two distinctive half’s; which are the complete opposites of each. The right side of our brain is our most creative side. It is almost childlike in the way it likes to work, its innocent, imaginative, free, curious and playful. Well as the left side of the brain is more conscious on how it works and creates things. It has a more sensible approach and likes to be organised and know exactly what it’s creating. 

  

For example the image below of a child’s drawing is free and innocent; it also has been drawn unconsciously. When children are drawing they are doing it for fun. They aren’t aiming at a particular audience or thinking what the context of the image means. However they like to experiment with different types of media and see what the results are. This is evidence of our right side of the brain being used to full potential.

To create the best RVJ or illustration that you can; you have to have both sides of your brain working together. Your work has to be creative, experimental and imaginative. But you also have to have a concept of what you are creating, what the intention of it is and also ask why you are doing it.

Working By Hand

As a creative designer, it is essential for us to work by hand. This allows us to get our ideas out of our head, and straight onto paper.  It also allows us to utilise the right side of our brain, and be at our most creative and free. People don’t have to see theses sketches so we can be as experimental as we like and develop our ideas even further.

Take for example the illustrator Jeremy Dower. He is very creative with his mark making and you can the right side of his brain in action. These sketches are free and experimental, and show how the designer works. He has experimented with different types of media and shape and form. You can also clearly see his ideas/thoughts on paper through his sketches. There is also a clear connection between his hand, eyes and brain. This is evident in some of the characters being drawn again and being improved. But he has also used the sketches to help him design his final illustrations. He now has a target audience, a clear concept and final type of media chosen.  

This is a great example of how if we get the right connection between our hands, eyes and the right side of our brain; we can be more free and imaginative sketch some of our best ideas. This in turn will allow us to create our best illustrations.