Research notes into information design, graphic design, motion design
"One of the most important but least recognised aspects of the design profession is the organisation and presentation of information."
The creation of indents - an exercise in logo design, or in information design (as in the indents for the belgium channel 'Prime' in who's ident the content of its shows is paired down to single still scenes of arranged toys figures.
"Information design in it's widest sense is about the selection, organisation and presentation of information to a given audience"
"Information design as a discipline has the efficient communication of information as its primary task, and this implies a responsibility that the content be both accurate and unbiased in it's presentation. Unlike much of advertising and marketing design, in which the object is to persuade the user into a source of action."
Idents - a cross breed between information design and marketing? Defining the channel as different, showing off some quality or specific nature which the channel adhears too but in a way that draws in the audience? - Marketing has information design inherent.
Wildbur, Peter and Burke, Michael. 1998. Information Graphics, Innovative Solutions in Contemporary Design. London: Thames and Hudson
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Forward (pg 7):
"Design is the prime ingredient in the effectiveness of graphics"
"The successful communication of any message requires a visualisation that is based not only on the application of graphic techniques but also on the expression of meaningful values and to achieve this, graphic artists must make use of the valuable contributions of other disciplines, such as psychology, symbology and iconography"
"All symbolic communications, even the contemporary trademark, are based on the earliest representations of mystical signs: the cross, the circle, the triangle, particular numbers such as three (the unity of the trinity), as well as conceptual symbols such as the star, the labyrinth and the spiral."
1 The sign and symbol in graphic art (pg 9)
"In looking at a sign we can, for analytic purposes, say that it has three elements. It has form (how it appears), it has objective definition (is it a cross or a dagger), and finally it has significance (a meaning in the particular context in which it appears)
"It appears characteristic of the human mind that it thinks in terms of analogies or metaphors. Thus, some objects are more readily understood in terms of others. the dome of the sky is likened to a bowl. The Milky Way becomes a huge python or a spray of cosmic sperm."
3 The strategy of communication (pg 87)
"Art in advertising has many roles to fulfil. It may be required to communicate an idea, a though, or a message. On another level, it may have to act as one of several elements designed to achieve a degree of persuasion. Or it may simply be required to be remembered, to be remembered on its own. But above all else, its principle function is one of interpretation."
(pg 91)
"effective advertising is widely used to stimulate a person's latent desire for something he may grow to genuinely want, could probably do without, but will eventually buy."
4 Psychology and the graphic message (pg 133)
"In all graphic communication, visual language is the common factor. It is therefor essential, if this process of communication if to be understood and utilised to its greatest effect, that the principles of perceptual psychology be applied in the design of the graphic image."
Philosophical studio of aesthetics (Voltaire, Kant, Hume, and Ruskin) developed into the more practical application of psychological ideas (I. A. Richards in the 1920s being one of the first to do this.)
"one particular school of psychological thought - gestalt - has been of more fundamental importance than any other to the graphic designer."
Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, and Wolfgang Kohler
"A simple analogy makes the Gestalt theory clearer: the structure of a melody cannot be explained either by the qualities of its single elements or by the relationships between these elements - for instance, the pitch of the individual notes can be changed while the melody, which consists of the relationships of the notes to each other, remains the same. The notes represent the elements and the Gestalt, or whole pattern, is the melody."
(pg135 - 139)
"The crucial findings of the Gestalt school as they apply to design have been formulated by John W/ Cataldo into a series of perceptual laws to "provide the graphic designer with a reliable psychological basis for the spatial organisation of graphic information."
The first law is the law of equilibrium, and is based on the innate tendency of the cognitive processes of the brain toward simplicity and equilibrium and cohesion. This law involves the universal striving of all physical organisms for perfect balance, and is in operation when, for instance, a drop of water settles itself into a sphere, and the after-image of a square with sharp corners gradually takes on a rounded shape.
The second law, the law of closure, involves another aspect of perceptual structuring emphasised by the Gestaltists. Closed areas are perceived as more stable, so there is a natural tendency to close gaps or complete figurations that have been left open. Conversely, incomplete or broken images arouse hostility, which, if coupled with an emotional message, can be used to great effect in advertising.
The third law deals with the organisation of visual perception, which is such that a curved line is likely to appear as part of a circle and a straight line to continue as a straight line even though alternatives are possible. This factor is known as the law of good continuation. Related to this law is the stroboscopic effect fundamental to film technology
The fourth law is the law of similarity and requires that "visual units which resemble each other in shape, size, colour, and direction will be seen together as a homogeneous grouping." This law is based on the tendency of the eye to organise visual stimuli into an ordered pattern, a tendency which is closely allied with:
The fifth law, the law of proximity. "in visual perception what is closest together tends to unite." Images of objects that are close to one another form groups and are seen against an empty space. This ties in with another Gestalt principle, which states that the nature of the perceived figure is dependant on the character of the surrounding field, even if this includes other figures. This factor has particular relevancy in topography, where words on a page are defined by the spatial relationships between the various parts."
"Colour … can be instrumental in altering the perception of shape when the actual form is unchangeable." - research done by 'op artists' Vasarely "who based their theories on the well-observed fact that colour values alter in relation to the adjacent colours."
Bob Hyde - experiments on the effect of colour and pattern on the appearance of objects, wimbledon college of art, beginning of the 1960s
5 The graphic object (pg 163)
"For centuries man has labelled himself, has created an identity within which he can live and be known as he would like to be known. It is not a new phenomenon, but rather an ancient ritual, designed to express the differences between one group of humans and another."
"In the field of visual communication as it relates to industry, this need for an instantly identifiable personality is nowhere more important than in the packaging and presentation of products. for, by the careful use of visual communications techniques, through the intelligent use of the visual language of communication and graphics, every product - good, bad, or indifferent - can be cloaked in an identity which, to the consumer, will establish that product's desirability, its function, its value. And its personality." - the ident is effectively packaging for the channel
"many of the best examples of packaging are to be found in nature. The egg, for example, in its natural state in packed in a shape that virtually cannot be improved upon." easy production, content protection, it naturally rolls into a position designed for an easy birth for the chick it might hold.
Japanes artisans working to . "they simpley could not resist the desire to perfect their craft, driven by two considerations: an aesthetic philosophy holding that everything could and should be made beautiful, and a value system declaring that all objects - large or small, expensive or cheap, - were of real intrinsic value
Booth, Edward. 1980. The Language of Graphics. London: Thames and Hudson
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the 'desktop publishing revolution' - "The form was dictated by the machine, and so, surprisingly, was some of the content
roughly ten years later, the 'desktop film-making revolution'
the third revolution - the world wide web, the 'distribution revolution'
"While technology continually makes progress, the same cannot necessarily be said for literature, art, religion, culture or creativity. There is a misconception that graphic design is the mastery of graphic design software. Leaving behind the content, composition, typography and colour choices that make up the foundation of good design
History of motion graphics:
Saul bass
Martin Lambie-Nairn mid 1980s
Harry Marks US motion graphics in broadcast
Chris pullman - head of the Public Broadcasting System's Boston network design department.
Gene Mackles
"Once television had created a vehicle for motion graphics, the craft was brought to a new artistic level in film titles."
"My initial thoughts about what a title can do was to set a mood and the prime underlying core of the films story, to express the story in some metaphorical way. I say the title as a way of conditioning the audience, so than when the film actually began, viewers would already have an emotional resonance with it." Saul Bass, interview, Film Quarterly (Autumn 1996)
Stephen Frankfurt - to kill a mockingbird
Pablo Ferrom Maurice Binder, Robert Brownjohn - James bond titles
Richard and Robert Greenberg of R/Greenberg associates.
"The beautifully calligraphic type styles within film created by the Belgian designer Brody Neuenschwander took motion graphics in another direction."
Todays practitioners - Hillman Curtis, Garson Yu, Troolback + Company, Kyle Cooper (Prologue films) - 'seven' opening titles "set off a new wave in title design, influencing cinema motion graphics for the decade to come"
, Troika Design group and DIGITAL KITCHEN
"Television motion graphics tend to have in-your-face visuals and eye catching layouts. Cinema motion graphics are more about image making and storytelling."
"While TV motion graphics are intended for fast reading, cinema motion graphics encourage the contemplation of a story that unfolds slowly"
"The audio element is essential. It takes 51 percent music and audio effects plus 49 percent picture to create a complete emotional sensation."
look up broadcast design
"Today a seasoned broadcast designer is expected to command a baffling array of professional abilities the include, amount others, the typographic chops of a print designer, the motion and timing smarts of an animator, the stylistic rendering talents of an illustrator, the narrative skills of a writer or editor, the music sensibilities of a composer and the cinematic and live action directing abilities of a film maker."
Spencer Drate, David Robbins, Judith Salavetz. 2006. Motion by Design. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd