Reading Response 6

The chapters assigned from Digital Foundations about layouts and attracting attention on a page got me thinking about all the different eye patterns I have learned throughout my coursework. I have encountered three different patterns in three different courses. This semester I am taking an E-Business & E-Commerce class in which we are learning about search engine advertising. A controversial activity many companies like Google and Yahoo are incorporating into displayed search results are "Paid Inclusions". Many search engine users believe that the list of links generated on a page are entirely the result of an organic algorithm. This is not always the case. Many search engines sell rankings based on a proven "F" eye pattern.

The pattern suggests that the majority of users will read the first 2-3 links while continuing to scan down to the bottom page. Based on this diagram, companies agree to participate in paid inclusion ranking which will guarantee that the link to their site will appear in one of the "hot" areas as illustrated on a Google results page below.

The other pattern I have encountered in class is the Gutenberg Diagonal. In a course I took called Advanced Professional Communications, we learned about design layouts for content which is evenly distributed, like a block of text in a professional document.

The Diagonal proposes that the the content can be divided into four quadrant which the eyes sweep down and across. Gutenberg explained that the weak and strong fallow areas are outside of the natural reading gravity and receive the least amount of attention. In this pattern, the most important information would be placed along the reading gravity path; so perhaps a logo in the upper left and contact information or a link in the lower right.

The last pattern I have come across in my studies is the "Z" Pattern. While taking an advertising course we briefly went over layout design when the content is not just text and there is a visual hierarchy for which the designer is aiming.

This pattern is used when there is information the designer wants to be easily seen first (aka the start of the visual hierarchy). The idea is, if everything on the page is equal than nothing will in fact stand out and the message is lost. So while taking this "Z" eye pattern into account, the designer usually incorporates three visual levels. The first is the primary level which should draw the reader in and capture attention, like a headline or tagline. As the eyes continue to move along the pattern, the primary level should lead into the secondary level. The purpose of this level is to continue drawing the reader's attention toward the main context which is located in the tertiary level. Chances are if the reader has engaged with the primary and secondary levels enough to make it to the tertiary level, he or she is interested enough in the topic to also engage with this level and consume the details of the message.

It will be very interesting to hear the patterns associated most with web content (other than search engines) and if there is another emerging eye pattern specifically for a scroll-able computer screen.

Reading Response 5

Of all the readings this week I was most intrigued by “A Note for the New Millennium”. When I think about corrupt corporations the first thing that comes to mind is the company’s logo, slogan, or brand in general. The visual presence becomes so intertwined with the company that it takes me a moment to remember that someone had to create that image which is now synonymous with greed, unethical behavior, or whatever the offense may be. There are several logos that immediately come to mind as representations of bad company behavior...

These logos were all designed by individuals hired to perform a job and deliver a high quality design to their employers. According to Stuart Ewen, the author of the article, "Designers must come to reflect upon the functions they serve, and on the potentially hazardous implications of those functions". Well, if designers began to create logos as true representations of the company for which they function, we would be seeing things more like these...

 

However, now that design has, "become a corporate profession", I doubt design reform is anywhere in the near future. Mass media has proliferated too deeply through society for us to be able to change quickly. With more and more individuals gaining access to programs such as Photoshop and illustrator, altered logos such as the ones above are becoming increasingly commonplace and these alterations are done at just as high a quality as the original logos. It may be cynical to say that those with the money have the power... but I think that so long as corporations are willing to shell out big bucks for designs that, "regularly mask destructive patterns within our society" or "aestheticizes hazardous ideas" there will always be someone looking to get paid. So I suppose as Ewen states, "Only by critically confronting this concern and by integrating it into a conscious, ethical practice of design will meaningful alternative be possible."

Reading Response 4

This week while reading about the elements of motion and time I couldn't stop picturing a music video by the White Stripes from 2002 entitled "Fell in Love with a Girl". The video was shot frame by frame using Lego Building Blocks. Each shot required the blocks to be rebuilt and formed together to give the illusion of movement.

It is obvious that the blocks were not rebuilt in order to capture every individual movement of the characters and their ensuing actions. There are gaps in the motion, but our mind is able to fill them in automatically in order to give us the illusion of fluidity. It would be really interesting to see every individual frame used in the video in a storyboard form laid out on a wall. From studying the video, I think that in storyboard form the viewer would still be able to visualize the tempo and beat of the song. The director primarily used red, white, and black Lego Blocks and manipulated change in color to enhance the appearance of movement. In addition to this, layering the blocks created change in depth and allowed for a more 3-dimensional feel despite the fact that the blocks were photographed.
Now shifting gears...

 

...to the TED talk of Jonathan Harris. What strikes me the most about WeFeelFine.org is the simplistic design of such a complex algorithm. On top of that, the organization of  the resulting content is so elegant and evocative. It almost didn't feel right that a lot of the circles I clicked on just stated some mindless chatter about feeling guilty about wanting a new kitchen or feeling like using Nutrisystem for a diet was the greatest decision ever made. It seemed like for every 20 blurbs I read there was only one or two that were of any real emotional substance. However I think this site is a great commentary on the concept of Noise. The internet is jammed full of content and only a fraction of it would appeal to any one individual. As I found myself clicking faster and faster through the circles I realized I was dismissing sentences as irrelevant to me after glimpsing only a word or two. This action is very reminiscent of our everyday lives. We travel through the world all the while quickly dismissing things we deem irrelevant to us when in actuality we have made that judgment in a split second. As designers we need to constantly be thinking of the world as that cluster of circles; sometimes it is only coincidence that a person clicks on or comes across our content, but when they do we need to be sure that it has the ability to capture one's attention long enough to delay dismissal and instead provoke the user to interact with or at least consume our message.

Visual Response 3

Layering and Collage
While doing the reading for this week, Chapter 9 of Digital Foundations specifically caught my eye. Here's my go at it...

 

Visual Response to Readings for February 3rd

Beyond the Copyright
- Point, Line, Plane. Layers. and More

 

Visual Quickstart Chapters 5-8 Response

Workspaces, Panels, Pixel Basics, and Layer Basics.

 -A screenshot trial run

Visual QuickStart Chapter 1 Response

The Importance of Color Management

-As told through the words of the world's best manager, Micheal Scott













"Fool me once....

... strike one.

Fool me twice...

..................

... strike three."