Rhetorical Observation
Comparing and Categorizing Designs
Based on the comparing and categorizing design activity (Wysocki, 179-180) my partner and I examined nearly 50 different designs from various magazine sources. Many were ads, but some were features. We separated our designs into several categories including,
Real people v cartoon people
People (real or cartoon) v. no people
Pictures with food v. pictures without food
Big designs v. small designs
Advertisements v. feature articles
Black & white v. color
Nature views v. non-nature
Historical figures v. celebrities v. real people (non-hx or non-celebs)
Males v. females
Glamorous v. work oriented
Descriptive images v. images that were not related to the text
CATEGORY: I chose to write about the designs that have no people in them. All but two of these designs contain images with very few words. The text draws a lot of attention because it is both large and “isolated” on the page. In the two with a lot of text I felt as if there is a conflict between the design itself and the words, as if the image is only there to provide a background. The two designs with a lot of text use the text to emphasize multiple aspects of the design. One is an office with text all over the page explaining what is in the office, on the desk, in the cabinets etc. The other is a group of concentric circles with text in each circle suggesting layers of ideas.
TEXT: Even though most of the designs in this analysis didn’t have much text, you can see that the font or typeface used can either highlight the subject or can go against what you might expect. A sans serif font or a curly type font seems more playful than a typeface like Times New Roman or other traditional serif fonts. Sometimes a designer might want a font that seems less serious when dealing with a serious topic, if only to grab a viewer’s attention. However, it might give you pause to note that the font does not always match the expectations of the subject.
PLACEMENT: The placement of the elements of text is such that most of the designs feature the text in the center of the design, demanding the attention of the viewer. The designs with the text NOT in the center of the page have other ways of grabbing the reader. One design has the text in an upper quadrant rather than centered, but the text is enormous and white, compared to the rest of the page which has smaller text and symbols in gold-on-gold colors.
COLOR: Five of the designs with only a small amount of text also use only two or three colors, while some of the busier designs use multiple colors. The effect of only a few colors seems to be more sophisticated and calmer, while the very colorful designs appear more youthful, casual, exciting and fun. I think that a small amount of text and only a few colors makes the design seem very focused and intentional.
CONTRAST: The amount of contrast in the piece also seems to affect the viewer. I think a lot of contrast such as black and white makes has an overall effect of attention-grabbing and strength, while a low degree of contrast seems weak or vague, yet also relaxing. More contrast in this particular set of designs also made the text easy to read in comparison to the pages with less contrast.
UNIFYING ELEMENTS: Designs that had some kind of theme or repeating element made the example pieces seem more deliberate and thoughtful. The unifying element may be a color, font style, line, shape, space, or item, but whatever there was, it made the piece seem pulled together. Pieces that lacked this unifying idea felt arbitrary and dull.
This activity gave me a chance to analyze and consider all the aspects that a designer must pay attention to in creating even the smallest project. I also started to notice the types of elements that I am attracted to while working with text and images. Ordinarily I would have said that color and placement are the most important design features, until I started this project. However, I notice that I am also aware of and attracted to contrast and proportions when I am making something. I like to see a good deal of white space on a presentation as opposed to cramming a lot of text and images on to one page-even if that means using more paper L
It’s become more obvious that an image and all its features can carry an idea just as well as a lot of text and with the busy lifestyles of people today that saves time and energy that we would rather spend doing . . .
Comparing and Categorizing Designs
Based on the comparing and categorizing design activity (Wysocki, 179-180) my partner and I examined nearly 50 different designs from various magazine sources. Many were ads, but some were features. We separated our designs into several categories including,
Real people v cartoon people
People (real or cartoon) v. no people
Pictures with food v. pictures without food
Big designs v. small designs
Advertisements v. feature articles
Black & white v. color
Nature views v. non-nature
Historical figures v. celebrities v. real people (non-hx or non-celebs)
Males v. females
Glamorous v. work oriented
Descriptive images v. images that were not related to the text
CATEGORY: I chose to write about the designs that have no people in them. All but two of these designs contain images with very few words. The text draws a lot of attention because it is both large and “isolated” on the page. In the two with a lot of text I felt as if there is a conflict between the design itself and the words, as if the image is only there to provide a background. The two designs with a lot of text use the text to emphasize multiple aspects of the design. One is an office with text all over the page explaining what is in the office, on the desk, in the cabinets etc. The other is a group of concentric circles with text in each circle suggesting layers of ideas.
TEXT: Even though most of the designs in this analysis didn’t have much text, you can see that the font or typeface used can either highlight the subject or can go against what you might expect. A sans serif font or a curly type font seems more playful than a typeface like Times New Roman or other traditional serif fonts. Sometimes a designer might want a font that seems less serious when dealing with a serious topic, if only to grab a viewer’s attention. However, it might give you pause to note that the font does not always match the expectations of the subject.
PLACEMENT: The placement of the elements of text is such that most of the designs feature the text in the center of the design, demanding the attention of the viewer. The designs with the text NOT in the center of the page have other ways of grabbing the reader. One design has the text in an upper quadrant rather than centered, but the text is enormous and white, compared to the rest of the page which has smaller text and symbols in gold-on-gold colors.
COLOR: Five of the designs with only a small amount of text also use only two or three colors, while some of the busier designs use multiple colors. The effect of only a few colors seems to be more sophisticated and calmer, while the very colorful designs appear more youthful, casual, exciting and fun. I think that a small amount of text and only a few colors makes the design seem very focused and intentional.
CONTRAST: The amount of contrast in the piece also seems to affect the viewer. I think a lot of contrast such as black and white makes has an overall effect of attention-grabbing and strength, while a low degree of contrast seems weak or vague, yet also relaxing. More contrast in this particular set of designs also made the text easy to read in comparison to the pages with less contrast.
UNIFYING ELEMENTS: Designs that had some kind of theme or repeating element made the example pieces seem more deliberate and thoughtful. The unifying element may be a color, font style, line, shape, space, or item, but whatever there was, it made the piece seem pulled together. Pieces that lacked this unifying idea felt arbitrary and dull.
This activity gave me a chance to analyze and consider all the aspects that a designer must pay attention to in creating even the smallest project. I also started to notice the types of elements that I am attracted to while working with text and images. Ordinarily I would have said that color and placement are the most important design features, until I started this project. However, I notice that I am also aware of and attracted to contrast and proportions when I am making something. I like to see a good deal of white space on a presentation as opposed to cramming a lot of text and images on to one page-even if that means using more paper L
It’s become more obvious that an image and all its features can carry an idea just as well as a lot of text and with the busy lifestyles of people today that saves time and energy that we would rather spend doing . . .
