Visual Techniques

http://thedsgnblog.com/post/65458796521/maksim-arbuzov

Instability

Symmetry

Regularity

Simplicity

Unity

Economy

Understatement

Subtlety

Accent

Transparency

Consistency

Depth

http://lindthello.com/

Balance
Irregularity
Complexity
Fragmentation
Boldness
Accent
Opacity
Variation

Both items above showcase packaging that have intriguing and successful visual design.  The honey’s design is unstable in that the larger black bar is much more dark and heavy than the lighter white letters at the bottom of the design. The heavy black contrasted with the light white letters of the word “honey” make the design look unstable to the viewer. The chocolates have balance within their packaging through the help of the gestalt law of proximity. Because of the law of proximity, the viewer reads the text at the top of the package “Hello my name is _____” as grouped together, this large group of text is balanced with the large image of the chocolate at the bottom of the package. Subtlety is seen with the packaging of the honey because of the careful use of text and color. The design is minimal and conscious, using white space wisely and sufficiently, making it easy for the viewer to understand what the product does. The chocolate packaging is bold, containing lots of places of interest using color, text, and images. The colors used stand out because of the contrast of the black background. The text stands out with the contrast of multiple typefaces used. Images are used boldly because of the larger than life depiction of the candy placed on the package. This design is successful because the viewer is quickly interested in the product because of the bold features within the design, leading to the viewer buying the product.

Contrast

http://careerjourney.co.uk/video-game-related-career-estimated-salaries-infographic/

This information graphic showcases the different careers within the video game industry. Successful contrast of color and contrast of content play a large role in this designs use of effective communication. The color used within this information graphic is contrasted with the black background. The contrast of black with the colors used is successful because the colors stand out for the viewer. Black makes colors seem more vibrant and exciting, creating interest. The use of contrasted color also helps the viewer understand and sharpen their knowledge of the information provided. The introduction of imagery within a bar of color is used to define how much or how little something is. The simple and cohesive composition of this design along with the effective use of space with the items and information used also makes this graphic successful. The creator of this design placed the content in such a way that was deliberate and conscious about the viewer, making the design as a whole easy to read and interpret. The simplicity and pop-out effect used makes this design successful because it is intriguing and easily interpreted for the viewer.

http://www.animationcareerreview.com/infographics/2429

This information graphic about video game sales shows color in a whole different way, giving a different message to the viewer. The contrast of color and contrast of content within this design is unsuccessful. The context of color is different than the first successful graphic in that color is now placed on a white background instead of black. This changes the look and feel of the whole graphic entirely. The contrast of the colored text on the white background seems to show the text as smaller than it really is, leaving the viewer to see the text less solid or present within the image. Also, the choice to place an image in the back of some text leaves the viewer confused because of the inability to comfortably read the information provided. The contrast of content with empty space in this design is unsuccessful because there is barely empty space used to give the viewer’s eyes a rest. Also, the contrast of text and images seem not to be thought out and just thrown together. Contrast within a design is supposed to help the viewer understand and interpret a design more effectively, yet this design’s use of contrast of color and content in particular seems to only hinder it’s attempt at providing information to a viewer.

Design Success and Failure / Syntactical Guidelines

http://hifructose.com/2012/03/07/hi-fructose-magazine-vol23-preview/

The design work that I have chosen is an article on Junko Mizuno in Hi-Fructose magazine. I have chosen this image because of the design of the article’s layout. The design of this article has some syntactical guidelines put to use. There is a balance within the text of the article in that it is noticeably placed on a grid. The words are visibly horizontal, which makes them easier for the viewer to read. The article is still visually appealing because of the use of different type sizes; the larger headline type allows for attraction and grouping to take effect because the viewer’s eye is lead to that which is visually similar. Stress is being used by the separation of the image and the article. The image takes up the largest area while the article’s space seems to be battling with the image for some space because of the small width. Because of this imbalance, it creates stress, which brings up interest within the viewer to emphasize on the content of the article. Sharpening can also be seen in the headline, the title of the article is at the far right of the page while the name of the artist is at the far left of the text page, this creates stress and imbalance that the viewer sees as eye catching. With the use of these syntactical guidelines, the composition of this article succeeds in communicating.

http://ashleighmeusel.com/13902/54517/gallery/boycott-magazine

This article is from an issue of Boycott Magazine. This article is an example of a design that uses some syntactical guidelines, but they have not worked. The syntactical guideline of balance is used within the horizontal grid the text and forms being used are put on. The reader must be able to read the text, but balance fails because of the composition of the article. The left side of the article is using a lot of white space with the exception of a large pull quote while the right side of the article has a heavy black bar running vertically across the top and bottom. These different forms create an imbalance within the composition of the article and make it visually unappealing to the viewer. The large pull quote put into the left hand side of the article can show attraction and grouping through similar type size and color, yet is offset by the couple of words that only contain an outline. This large separation and additional white space creates a harsh overall image. Stress can be seen within the addition of the large black bar on the far right side of the article but because it is so harsh compared to all of the white space that the rest of the article contains. This large jump in contrast is why this doesn’t work with the overall design. Sharpening is used within this article by the large type sizes and color choices but again, does not make for an overall, uniform design for the viewer; this is why the syntactical guidelines used within the layout of this article do not work.