Implied Motion

The above billboard for Mammoth Mountain shows implied motion in several different ways. Prior experience tells us that snowboarders are constantly on the move as they race down the mountains or fly off the jumps. We perceive this event is happening because it reminds us of actually being on the mountain watching the boarders on the halfpipe. We also experience implied movement expectations as everything that goes up must come down. We expect for gravity to set in and the boarder to return to the snow below. The billboard could have just been a photograph of a snowboarder riding the halfpipe, but the separation of the person from the main area of the billboard makes it look like he/she is floating in mid air, just as it would look in real life for a few seconds.

Above is another example of a billboard that exhibits implied motion. The illusion of direction of the rear vehicle toward the bent, folded part of the billboard implies movement toward the truck. Prior experience tells us that the little red car has been in an accident due to the damage, which is emphasized by the appearance of damage to the billboard itself. Event perception is strongly utilized as most of us have either been in an accident or have witnessed one, and what we see reminds us of a similar situation. The depth and dimensional qualities added by the squished sign makes is look like the accident actually took place right there on the billboard. The implied movement appears to have caused the damage to both the car and the sign. The fact that the implied movement is headed in the same direction as we read helps to lead us through the information being presented.