Lecture 1

Good Visuals Tell A Story

-when you think about creating visuals, think about the background behind it

Things that stand out from Video

*More than just a pretty face

*Targeted advertisement

*Sense of realism

*Real? 

*Looking for a reflection of self

*Understanding of Demographics

*Persuasion - we have to know who we are targeting

*Perception is individual

Images don't always fit to the natural structures of logic

Example: Dad takes daughter to McDonalds, they eat their meal and are happy. Does it make sense? 

-Good designers spend more time in the evalution stage than the creation stage

Iconic Images

CNN's most iconic Images of the past century 

What do these images mean? What's the story? What's the feeling? 

Why are they iconic? There is a story associated with it

Iconic Images are timeless

And sometimes become subject to hilarious visuals:

Here are some funny iconic images, redone by John Malkovich

Why do we Create images? 

-For ourselves

-To create meaning

-Think big!

Evaluating Images - October 6

Image Evaluation
- Every image has a meaning
- Triangle of meaning of meaning
     -Verbal, tactile,
     - Language of clothes
    Everything has meaning embedded within it
- Semiotic message (PPT)

1. What is natural about this image?
2. What are the political interests of the image?
3. What social systems are privileged?
4. What does the image really mean? 

Stripping off the cultural ideas of the image, and focus on the social ideas that are transmitted through the image.
   
Taste

• Saturation 
• what is one image that drive you crazy when you see it? 
• Want to connect to trends, but if you do it too much it is not a good thing
• Cultural reception
• What point do you try and connect to your target demographic? 
• Cultural backlash - racist designs
• You want to be sensitive to what is going on.
• Branding - identifying with consumers
• Creating a visual that corresponds with product
• A priori perceptual meaning 
• Making judgements about a visual before understanding why we make that judgement
• We create a perception or judgement about an image within half a second
• Sideways art 
• The best art and designs are the ones that create an image that makes you think
• If there is no thinking involved, there is no meaning behind the image 
• Allow people to have their own perception and interpretation

Image Theory

• Picture memory bias
• Create pictures to make lasting memories
• Baby-face bias 
• Less threatening
• Body-face ration
• The more you focus on the face, the more intelligent , vice-versa

Form and Structures

• Spacial relationships (Chapter 7)
• Triangulation
• Take your eyes to a direction
• Examples
• https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYqrz4Y_RaDmfVBJ66krix1FS68N2_oshXRivnR00BD_4RP9lPR0URHfQxU-KApx2lVgDm9Dh1QNMku8jXj81vGzWrqbCU5zaomOJGJDudHBY9ZON-ACbmNlHuTNxjOuyz792RbrePS0/s1600/Pinar+&+Viola+TRIANGULATION+BLOG+19.jpg
• http://www.asce.org/uploadedImages/CE_Magazine/Articles/Featured/2013/07_July/Photos-1_CityFormLab_1_ART_with-copyright.jpg
• https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8470/8392368294_0c73bc5681_z.jpg

• Balance
• Asymmetrical - 
• http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f1/7d/d9/f17dd9d0e75c0bfb5992e479dce70f51.jpg
• http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/e9/3a/ce/e93ace121b5523bcf35976ca5ff9e6c2.jpg
• https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6171/6255853824_096530b819_z.jpg
• http://indiandigitalartists.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Other-Composition-Rules-Balancing-Elements.jpg
• Symmetrical - 
• http://beikenberry.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/balance.jpeg
• https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwijRJ_BHZ3H-TZLzVl28-qKcALvB0loP3duE3__Ux9YZB6ah3BNjUgPFMhbmCrOmgSe6Bv5rmtRGtcLobd7X_IKXCwSIY-1wbjdzJbUqqPg4Oy1QYd8WTzkjrxcmFxcpKLloFaCGZIrM/s1600/Design_Axis.jpg
• http://netdna.webdesignerdepot.com/uploads/2013/06/Old_Pepsi.jpg
• Perspective 
• Sight lines
• http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/files/2013/05/Photography_composition_tips_camera_ideas_NIK19.zone_7.newperspective02_03.jpg
• Emphasis 
• What is the focus? 
• Grids
• Golden Mean
• Rule of thirds
• Fifths
• and so on

5 Principles of design

• Consistency - not haphazards
• When you design visuals, create an idea of consistency so they can tell where it is coming from
• Alignment
• Putting things on grids
• Proximity
• Things that are close together are seen as "the same"
• Group things in logical manner
• Headers, columns, roles
• Contrast
• When two related elements are different
• Color contrast
• Hierarchy 
• things go from most important to least important

Elements of a good individual designers 

• Education
• Understand what makes images great
• Ability to be artistic 
• Take creative chances
• Know your tools
• Design programs 
• Know your industry and market
• Work Hard
• Design Smarter
• don't be afraid of white space

What not to do

• Not considering the impact of the Visual Design
• Lack of Unity
• Too many things going on and they are not connected
• Graphics don't match
• Confusing use of contrast
• Misuse of fonts

It takes .o5 seconds for users to form an opinion about your design