Closure.

     Closure exists as a fundamental principle of design, basing its function on the viewer’s interpretation. Closure is the tendency for a viewer to connect single recognizable parts to a larger whole. The designer must create a balance of found parts versus missing parts. Using closure, a designer can create a visual connection by removing some of its parts. As an object moves further away from its original state, the viewer must visually connect the image through the missing pieces. This concept allows the viewer to respond and interpret the image, creating an engaging experience. Closure, if used effectively provides an interactive approach to design. By removing the complex parts, we allow the reader to engage in our subject. Sometimes, transitional elements can help the viewer connect the ideas. These relating elements help the viewer understand or interpret the subject. Common examples of this are comic books or graphic novels. The images in relation to each other allow the viewer to interpret the transition of the narrative. Each image provides the viewer with a link to the next action of the scene without filling in every piece of information. Another way to provide closure and engage your reader is to separate parts of words. The viewer will automatically recognize the word even if it is split. Therefore, designers have more choices on the composition of the text without limiting themselves to the exact text. Even non-commercial art can imply closure and invite the viewer to interpret the image.

IBM logo found on Google search for “IMB logo”.

Book Cover Composition.

     I began by selecting a favorite book of mine, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by Ken Kesey. I had written a lengthy essay over the concepts of this book in high school and therefore was well informed of its history, themes, and ideas. I wanted to focus on the character, Chief Bromden, as his troubled mind narrates the events that the reader interprets. His character held a strong hate for taking the prescribed pills that the Psychiatric Ward insisted on him taking. I decided to focus on this fear of prescriptions that control the body and mind. I drew the lips (using Micron pens and Sharpies) on the front of the book as a focus point to capture the viewer’s attention. The image of an open mouth ties to the idea of consumption and also can be interpreted in ways such as laughing, screaming, or talking. Surrounding the image of the lips, I drew the text fitting nice and tight around the space provided. The drawn text of the title and author on the front cover provides an eerie sense, somewhat distorted. Relatively, the color scheme represents the psychological state of the character and Ken Kesey himself, as he experimented in programs dealing with the effects of hallucinogens and other drugs while writing the book. I drew the images of the pills in three stripes on the back cover. I intentionally drew the pills as slightly misshapen to mirror the blurred and distorted visual effect from the medication. Once imported into Adobe Photoshop, I changed the color scheme and filled in the black spaces of the text. I used Calibri font on the back cover and spine in a simple, organized manner. On the back cover and spine, I added interest with the contrasting view of distorted images of pills next to simple, black text to enforce the idea of sanity versus insanity. With the hardcover, I added flaps featuring a coordinating photograph of the author, simple summaries, and one quote from the book. I again presented black, simple Calibri text on the inside flaps to reinforce sanity. I clearly translated the internal struggle of the narrator’s psychotic mind into the drawn images and clear text of my book cover.

 

The image of Ken Kesey came from a Google search for “Ken Kesey”. The barcode came from a Google search for “barcode”. The Signet publishing logo came from a Google search for “Signet publishing logo”.

Habitus & Authorized Language.

     Pierre Bourdieu uses “habitus” to describe the destined role in which we partake in society by our daily actions and conversations. When joining a group, he believes that our role has already been destined to us by our daily routine.  Therefore, everyone has an important purpose in the advancement of society. Each person requires his or her own skills which he/she explores daily. These skills that help guide people to their later occupation is described as “habitus”. It is generally a sense of knowledge within some field, which predestines you to that role. It cannot be reached through consciousness, but rather your daily actions and body language contribute to the formation of your “habitus”. An example of habitus is provided by the image below. Here we see a comic book, “Draw!”, which shows a young boy drawing in his room. This reflects an artistic passion which displays the boy’s true habitus.

 

     Authorized language requires an authorized speaker or writer. The use of language is not arbitrary, but instead full of reason and meaning. Someone of authority or knowledge of the field uses authorized language to inform others of the topic in which they are speaking or writing. One must be well versed in a field to obtain a role of passing on this knowledge through language to others. Therefore, knowledge of a field is passed on with authorized language. This spreads the knowledge from knower of the field to outsiders of the field, where all can profit from authorized language. The image below reflects the use of authorized language from the authorized speaker to the audience.

Top image came from Google search of “comic book”. Bottom image came from Google search for “presentation tutorial”.

Collage Composition.

     The collage corresponds well with the text composition. The diagonal lines leading your eye down the composition mirror the lines of the text in the text composition. Each image relates to the words provided by the classified ad. The composition is mostly in black and white. The only presence of color is the strong directional red lines and the purple marking in the figure with the headphones. As in the text composition, a strong downward push results from the image of the man with headphones as the red line engulfs the back of him. I left the background black because it provides a dark and empty space. This feeling relates to the image pairing of the head looking down and observing the figure below. I played with scale to bring the head in the top left hand corner abnormally larger than the bottom figure. The head holds the largest scale and detail which catches the viewer’s eye as the focus of the composition. The movement brings the viewer’s eye down as one follows the line of eye sight to the figure of the man with headphones. The scale of the figure with headphones is smaller and holds less detailing. The figure with headphones looks down as he attempts to block out what is overwhelming him. The white and red diagonal lines physically stand for this overwhelming feeling. All of the images lead the eye down the composition. This bottom heavy composition reflects the text composition.

Image of red and white lines came from a Volcom advertisement in a magazine. The figure of the head came from Enigma. The image of the man with headphones came from an art magazine.

Anchorage & Relay.

     Anchorage provides an insight to the meaning of an image through text. This text narrows the viewer’s perspective of the image to one significant idea that the text accurately supports. This speaking, we are in accordance with Barthes’ grouping of the linguistic message, the coded iconic message, and the non-coded iconic message providing for the viewer the artist’s true representation of the image. The text anchors the response to the image to a fairly limited view. For example, without the text and product below the image of a plate of cardboard food, the viewer would be left questioning the meaning of this piece. The text or anchorage below lends interpretation to the image of food as tasteless without the use of Heinz ketchup.  

    Relay refers to the interpretation of an image separate from the meaning of the text. The text does not necessarily function to represent the image, but rather to imply a separate meaning to the image. The relay identifies the message by providing text for the viewer to understand in relation to the image. Comic books are a common example of relay. The image below is a page out of a comic book. Each image is portrayed by the action presented, but the words help to further illustrate the action of the scene for the viewer.

Both images come from Google’s image search: a Heinz advertisement and comic book.

Motivation & Convention.

     Motivation is a means in which images directly represent their subject. It is similar to the term “iconic” by standing for the actual object.  Motivation also indirectly relates to arbitrary signs. For example, symbols are unmotivated in that they do not directly represent their subject at hand. An example of a motivated sign commonly read in the current American culture is the peace sign, as presented below. 

     Convention is a term used to describe the response of a symbol. Some symbols have little convention, requiring them to be iconic in order to be easily understood. Other symbols have much convention, capturing the viewer as he/she recognizes certain elements of the sign. These elements included the type of text, the clarity of the image, or the speed of the film. These elements are simply the basic elements that hint to the correct meaning of the symbol. An example of a symbol with  great convention is a letter which has been typed by an old type writer, as presented below.  

Both images come from Microsoft Word text tool and clipart.

Text Composition for Image Pair One.

     My text composition has the same crowded feeling as the image pair composition of the elephant and man. Both compositions present dense, black positive spaces intruding white negative spaces. They present an underlying message given to the viewer in the simplest sense. Since all the other words are screaming at the viewer, one tends to focus on the smaller, less obvious words, “you can’t refuse.” These remain in roughly the center of the composition. The piece has a vertically mirrored effect from the middle of the composition. The angled words on the bottom left and right corners seem to be broken ground as the large “v” of “advice” intrudes the surface structure. This gives a very bottom heavy feeling to the piece as mirrored in the image pair composition. The rest of the letters of “advice” stand firmly on top of the “v”. This gives “advice” a sense of stability and power. “Advice” overwhelms the viewer so that the focus of the piece becomes the less noticeable forms in the center.

Image Pair Two.

     This black and white image pair displays a very large foot hovering above a town in sketchy outline. I chose these two images based on their relations to nature. The image of a human foot with a town is simple and logical. It represents the connection between human and nature as your feet walk you through your surroundings. To completely alter the meaning, I chose to exaggerate the size of the foot in relation to the city. This makes the viewer pause in observation. Even more altering, I placed the foot image right above cloud outlines from the town image. I cropped the foot and town images outside of the 10²´10² composition. The viewer then can hold many different associations to the images based on his/her critique. I chose to invert the color of both images in order to allow the viewer to focus more on the small white lines and less on the large solid black background space. This catches the eye of the viewer and presents a more compelling composition.

 

Image Pair One.

     I began by choosing my image pairs: an elephant spraying water out of its trunk and a sketchy image of a man with glasses and a beard. For interest, I enlarged the elephant and cropped his body mostly out of the composition. His head and trunk are visible in the piece. The man sits at the bottom left hand corner of the composition with only the top right view of his head shown within the space. This brings attention to the black figure of the face at the bottom even though its size would make it seem unnoticeable in comparison to the elephant. The elephant’s trunk blows water out seemingly into the top of the man’s head. The sketchy quality of the water mirrors the sketchy quality of the man’s face. This creates a great relationship between two differing images of size and line quality. I hope this piece causes viewers to create multiple meanings based on their own artistic judgment. 

Both images come from magazines.

Icons & Values.

     People accept icons almost easier than words. These are simple physical representations that stand for a certain place, person, thing, or idea. Some icons are easier to interpret than others, depending on how often it’s used in society. Icons directly relate to the symbols placed on objects by an agreement within a society. People create iconic images to provide a quick and convenient way to communicate. Street signs are commonly used icons because they quickly display a symbol that is understandable to the viewer.  The symbol below represents a bicycle. It is understood to be an icon because its physical description matches the actual physical nature of a bicycle. People can easily identify this symbol and relate it to the word, “bicycle.”

     Value relates to the understanding of signs. The association of a word to a sign allows for the viewer to interpret. Value can be other words that the viewer associates to the symbol, but are not actually the symbol itself. Value represents all other associated words to the symbol based on a viewer’s interpretation. Some viewers can interpret one symbol as many different things. The symbol below represents a physical apple. Someone unfamiliar with software systems would see this object as an icon in its physical state, being an apple. Most others familiar with technology would easily identify this symbol as Mac or Apple computers. Value can change drastically according to the viewer.

Bike image comes from Microsoft Word Clipart. Mac/apple symbol comes from www.apple.com.