Lecture 5 Semiotics

Semiotics is the study of sign systems and the theory of the meaning behind the signs. A sign is something that points to a meaning and is understood by the viewer. Signs can include gestures, facial expressions, mark making, speech, slogans and letter forms.

There are different types of signs  these are iconic, symbolic and indexical.

Iconic signs look like what they represent so this image off the roundabout sign most commonly found on British roads is an example of that.

The fire exit sign is another example of Iconic sign due to it looking like the door that its representing.

Symbolic signs are something that have to be taught and understood by more than 1 person. The English alphabet is an example of this as we are taught words and letter forms from a young and and eventually understand it. So if the Symbolic sign is only known by 1 person so somebody makes up their own language it isn't symbolic until another person can speak and understands it.

Indexical signs are signs that point to an object, for example a doctor would look for idexical sign to find the meaning of an illness.

Lecture 6 How do we absorb Information?

Everybody takes in information in different ways and with all the pieces of information that we are exposed to on a daily basis it's shocking how little we actually do take in. We tend to pick and choose the relevant information and push out some of the most interesting things we come across.

Information Overload

Information overload occurs when a individual is bombarded with whey too much information causing disorientation and confusion. As a designer its best to visualise any sort of import information to make sense of it.

The way we absorb information falls down to our 5 senses.

Sight

Sight for me has to be the most important within design as I am able to see things that inspire me see things that get me thinking, I am able to visualise ideas by seeing them and interpreting them in my own way.

We see hundreds of thousands information on a daily basis, for me personally I remember information a lot better if I have seen it and engaged or got involved with whatever it is.

Sound

Sound and hearing are another important thing for me when it comes to design, i do remember things quickly if I say them vocally a few times. When I'm looking for inspiration and am stuck for ideas I often listen to music to help the process along, listening to music for me brings on emotions that help me get in the mode to design something meaningful. On a day to day journey we must hear a lot of different noises too, I find that sometimes my hearing aids me more in cautious situations.

Taste

Taste I would say is probably the least important when it comes to design, but for me I find that the emotional response I get from eating something that I like helps my brain thing of creative ways of solving problems.

Smell

Like taste smell for me is directly related to food and the emotional satisfaction I'm given from eating food. The smells that are floating about on a daily basis can trigger thoughts and does trigger thoughts about certain thing like perfume or petrol.

Touch

Touch for me in design is very important as how something feels and the texture of something can be visualised. When we feel pain that ultimately bring up emotion and this can be then transferred or has an influence on whatever were designing.

Lecture 7 Disruption

Disruption occurs when someone comes up with a new and very different idea which sometimes causes other people to try and follow or imitate the same idea, this happened with the Cadbury gorilla advertisement causing it to be spread in a viral way. Disruption is creative thinking at its best due to the designer thinking of a totally left field way to solve the brief but sometimes this can have the opposite effect and cause the advertisement to be banned.

London 2012 Logo

June 2007 saw the launch of the London 2012 logo and to most people it was a design disaster people called it 'a kids competition entry' but at the same time it has been recognised more due to this fact. When an individual view the logo if they don't like it they're going to think about the reasons for that and ultimately embed the logo in their mind. I don't actually feel the logo is a good piece of design as it does look very childish and could be executed in a much better way, but at the same time when I do see the logo again when I'm traveling around its something that will catch my eye instantly.

Old Spice Ads

In this set of advertisements the designers have given a humorous approach to solving the problem as the ads would stick in the viewers mind if they found it funny enough. Old Spice is normally associated with an older man so with them using this method they would probably get some younger customers as the ad has been spread in a viral way. 

Competition

When  an advert or idea is successful there's always going to be somebody else who wants to cash in off that success often offering a cheaper version of the same product.

To promote the Sony Bravia television Sony produced this advertisement, it show 250,000 coloured bouncy balls being rolled down a street in San Francisco. The message behind the ad is the balls are a representation of the vivid colours that can be seen while watching the certain tv, this ad has won awards for its creative concept which would naturally force competitors to want to do the same.

To promote the new Samsung 3D televisions Samsung produced this ad, within the ad tvs have been put into real life situations causing people to marvel at the screens. The idea is not 100% original but works for what its trying to do there is a loose tie to the Sony ad as they both do something that engages the people and the surroundings.

Lecture 4 Information Design

Information is an ordered sequence of symbols that record or transmit a message.(wikipedia)

Information design is the design or grouping of information in order to make it easier to view for a certain audience, this can include map/ way finding and charts/ graphs.

One of the experts in information design is Edward Tufte , he believes that even the collection of more complicated data can be visualised in a way that makes it easier to understand.

In this chart Tufte has visualised the 1812 defeat of Napoleon's army as it advanced and retreated from Moscow.

Corbin Design

Corbin design is a way finding and environmental graphic design firm based in Michigan and was established in 1976 by Jeff Corbin. Corbin design has various clients across America and Canada and has hundreds of successful working way finding projects.

On of Corbin designs successful way finding projects was for Downtown Raleigh in North Carolina. The problem/ brief that was pitched was to create a way finding system to direct Raleigh's 370,000 residents and 11.5 million tourists that visit Raleigh each year. The new system works well and gives better directions to points of interest and venues.

Things to think about for successful information design

1) Visual Hierarchy-This is important because its essential that the most vital information is picked up first by the eyes of the audience. Certain things associated with visual hierarchy are type, colour, line and space.

2) Grouping of Information- This is important so that the viewer doesn't have to look in different places to find relevant information, the grouping of type, lines and space within the layout makes it easier for the audience to view and understand.

3) Consistency- It is important that the information being presented is consistent in style, language and layout without consistency  information gets lost or the intended message isn't received by the audience.

Lecture 3 Design Ethics

Ethics are a rational study of human dilemmas based on human actions, these actions might be influenced by someones personal opinion, lifestyle or moral stance. I believe that morals are guides set out by society and in a way are codes of conduct. depending on a person's point of view any act could be thought to be immoral if that person's morals are in direct opposition of your own, a person can be a-moral if they sit in between morality and immorality.

As designers we are instruments of mass communication and have an a-moral approach to the majority of work placed before us. We can refuse to take a brief if the outcome clashes with our beliefs but most of the time designers have to make a living and give little thought to the impact of the designs.

Nazi War Posters

The person who designed the pro-nazi war posters most likely had a moral stance but probably had little choice and had to comply with whoever was in charge at the time. To the Jewish community any pro-nazi posters and the people designing them would be in direct conflict with their beliefs and way of life.

Uncle Sam Posters

The 1812 posters urge men to join the army regardless of colour religious background. It's unethical to take a person's life but in the interests of war all that is set aside, the designer of the uncle Sam poster doesn't really think about the impact his artwork will have by influencing people to go to war.

Six Feet Under Poster

This poster was published to promote the new series of Six Feet Under and appeared in Radio Times, Time Out, The Observer and the Times Magazine. The ad was eventually banned, the ad agency at the time responsible for the idea and production probably thought it was a good idea until it had a bad response from the audience. To a person viewing the ad who might of recently lost somebody close the ad could be seen as extremely offensive and also promotes death, the designer hasn't thought in depth about the impact it would have on its audience.

Its easy to design a piece without thinking about where it will end up or how well the audience will receive it, as a designer I have to make sure I know my audience and give more thought to whether what I am designing fits that purpose.