Transcript UNDERSTANDING VISUALS

UNDERSTANDING
VISUALS
WHY STUDY VISUALS?
 Communication
 Oldest form
 Universal
 Immediate
 Increasing Technology
 Manipulation Awareness
TYPES OF VISUALS: Still
 Advertisements
 Billboards
 Internet
 Newspapers &
Magazines
 Brochures
 Cartoons
 Collages
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Comics
Drawings
Flyers/Leaflets
Paintings
Photographs
Posters
Signs
Websites
TYPES OF VISUALS: Moving
 Advertisements
 Commercials, Trailers, Spots, etc.
 Films
 Multimedia Presentations
 Plays
 Television
 Websites
 Videos
COMMON TERMS & TOOLS
PURPOSE
 The effect the artist hopes to
achieve with the visual.
 It may be to persuade, to inform,
or to manipulate.
 Artists usually consider under
what circumstances the visual will
be viewed.
AUDIENCE
 The artist usually
considers to whom
s/he is directing the
visual.
 Age
 Culture
 Education
 Interests
 Sex
 Visuals may be
designed for certain
groups of people:
 Sexuality
 Religion
 Race
 Occupation
 Social Status
AUDIENCE
MEDIUM
 The medium is the vehicle by which the
visual is conveyed, such as an illustration,
a photo, a collage, or even a video.
 Medium may also include the materials
used to create the visual, such as oil paint
or digital photography.
TONE
 The attitude of the artist.
 A visual may have, for example, a
silly, serious, scary, or sad tone.
 Artists use tools such as font style,
colour, shape and placement to help
establish tone.
TONE: What tones are felt
here?
BALANCE
 The way shapes are arranged.
 When shapes are balanced, they create a
feeling of order or harmony.
 When shapes are not balanced, they create a
sense of tension.
 Think of balance as visual symmetry.
BALANCE: A Little Trick!
Balanced = harmonious
Unbalanced = tension
COLOUR
 Colour is made up of hue, intensity, and value.
 It is used by artists to represent the way
things really look and also to create feelings.
 The effects of colour on the viewer may be
stronger than any other element.
COLOUR: Hue
 (or tint) refers to the name of the colour, such
as red or blue.
COLOUR: Intensity
 the purity and strength of a colour, such as
dull red or bright blue.
COLOUR: Value
 the lightness or darkness of a colour.
EMPHASIS
 Drawing
attention to
something by use
of colour, size, or
placement.
 Closely Related to
Focal Point.
FOCAL POINT
 The main area of
interest
 It is usually that
element of the
visual to which our
eyes are
immediately drawn.
FORM
 The height, width, and depth of a structure,
all of which can create perspective.
HARMONY
 The quality that binds
the parts of a visual
image into a whole. It
is often created
through simplicity and
repetition.
 Closely related to
Balance.
LINE
 The basic unit of any image that has both length
and direction.
 Straight lines often suggest order.
 Jagged lines can suggest power, fear, or
confusion.
 Curved lines may suggest motion or softness.
 Diagonal lines can suggest motion or tension.
LINE: Impact on Mood?
MOVEMENT
 A sense of energy in a visual, determined by
the spaces between shapes and by the shapes
themselves.
PROPORTION
 The comparative relationship between parts
in a visual.
SHAPE
 A space that is enclosed by a line.
 Almost anything can be shown using three
basic shapes:
 Squares
 Circles
 Triangles.
SPACE
 The distance or area between, around,
above, below, or within things.
 Space can isolate an object or make it
stand out.
 It can also create tension between
objects.
TEXTURE
 The quality or feel of an object’s
surface, such as roughness or
smoothness.
 Can be “felt” with the eyes and
sometimes, literally, with the
hands.
TEXTURE: See and Touch
CONCLUSION
 Don’t get overwhelmed.
 Set a clear goal or purpose.
 Focus on what tools best help achieve that
goal or purpose.
 Experiment.
 Have fun!
 “Art is an experience, not the formulation of a
problem.” –Lindsay Anderson