Success and Failure

I found this flyer for the Enid First Assembly church online and was immediately attracted to it. The perception is that the large text at the top, emphasized by color and abstract design, is the important message. "Not your typical church," along with the design of the flyer as a whole communicates the idea that this is not a traditional church. In a world of growing diversity, this is an important message to a large part of the population who are looking for a more modern and accepting place to worship.

The composition of the flyer is balanced with symmetry as there are  are three separate sections where the top and bottom are the same size and the middle just a bit larger. The natural vertical construct is established with the size and direction of the flyer. The vertical element is also emphasized by the first being at the top of the page. Overall the design is level and sends a friendly message.

At first glance, this flyer for a graphic design program at a community center is intriguing. When I looked closer I found some design flaws that stopped me from receiving the intended message. The overall composition of the body text is confusing. There is some stress throughout the information due to the strange alignment of bulleted items and the flip-flopping of color between text and bullets. Although there seems to be a positive/negative play with the color choice, turquoise being the important details of the event, the placement confuses the viewer. Not only is the alignment distracting with the bullets but the information above is aligned with anything else. The main image as well as the title text is centered and appears balanced, but the rest of the page would benefit from some leveling.

Being that this flyer is all about graphic design, it lacks the aesthetics that would attract someone who is actually interested in design.

Visual vs. Symbolic Language

Mom and daughter
Sadness
Garage sale
Moving day
Children's furniture and toys
Scattered belongings
Alone
American Flag
Small older house
Mature landscape
One vehicle













The short description of the photograph is two people standing on the grass in the front yard of a small house surrounded by contents that presumably were once in the home or going into it. In the foreground of the photograph a woman is hugging a young girl. Although you can not see the woman's face, her head is turned down against the child's head who is also looking down and not smiling. It looks as though this is a mother trying to console her daughter. Right in front of them is an open cardboard box. It is what is in the background that really tells the story of the photo. It appears that most of the front yard is filled with belongings that should be inside the house including a dresser, stuffed animals, a bike helmet, a box of hangers, lamps, full plastic bags, a bookshelf, and other unrecognizable items stacked up on top of one another. Beyond the piles and stacks of belongings is one vehicle parked in the driveway. Only part of the house is visible, but it looks to be a one-story, older home painted red with white trim. Still hanging on one of the posts near the front door is an American flag. Surrounding the house and yard are tall mature green trees. Based on the assumption that this is a mother hugging her upset daughter and the amount and type of items sitting in the front yard, the photo seems to show two people who are moving out and one if not both are not happy about it. Further speculation would make me guess that this is a single mother since there is only one vehicle in the driveway and no one else in the photo.

Meaning 2: Interactions Between Three Levels

I found this poster in an issue of Communication Arts. It is a promotional piece for the (RED) Nights concert series that raises funds to stop HIV and AIDS in Africa.

In the poster, there are several representational images of speakers, amplifiers, and chords. Immediately these images let the viewer know that this poster is music related. Not only do these speakers and amps communicate the idea of music, but they have been placed strategically on the page to be recognizable as the shape or symbol associated with Africa. The representation of music and the symbol it creates is enough for the viewer to make an assumption about what the poster is promoting without having to rely on the text.

However, the small red box with text is just as important. The (RED) project has become a recognized symbol made up of symbols. (RED) was formed in 2006 with the sole purpose of raising funds for HIV and AIDS programs in Africa and has partnered with top companies such as Gap, Nike and Apple to help build the association of the symbol with the project's intent. When a viewer sees the (RED) symbol, he/she knows that the product or event is helping to fight HIV and AIDS.

The abstract elements of the poster are very few but make a big difference. The gray background and black images that create the shape of Africa make the (RED) Nights stand out, which is important due to the size of Africa in comparison. Although the red box is the only color and might attract the eye first, the structure of the page has created an equal ground for all elements. The speakers are just as strong as the shape of Africa and both are just as strong as the (RED) Nights. All three levels are working together to communicate the idea clearly.

Meaning 1

Representation

This is a photo of a paperweight that was designed to look like a crumpled piece of sheet music. Without being able to touch it and feel that it is stiff and heavy, it is clearly recognizable as music. The symbols provide the details of the music. If I were to look through a book of music, this is what I'd see  on the flat, non-crumpled page. If I crumpled a piece of paper it would look very similar to this object. Someone who can read music might even be able to recognize this as a particular song. It is not unlikely that you would see exactly this on the floor of a songwriter's room.

Abstraction

This photo shows a picture of a wooden bird. Although there isn't a bird in nature with as few details as this, it is still recognizable. The head, body and beak provide enough information to determine what it is. The other details such as feathers, feat, realistic eyes and wings are not included. The basic shape of a bird is highlighted while the finer details are reduced to create an abstract figure.

Symbol

When you give someone the "evil eye", it usually means that you are glaring at them with negative intentions of some kind. The history of the evil eye and the powers it can have on people has been around for years and in different cultures. The blue eye that is frequently found in jewelry has become a symbol of protection against the curse of the evil eye. Although it resembles an actual eyeball, the meaning of the symbol has little to do with the representational eye. The fact that we can see with our eyes is much different than the idea that we could cause harm by staring intently at someone.