Mini-Course in Visual Communications

7/31/2019 Mini-Course in Visual Communications

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Visual Communication

10-inch square railroad boardand ten 1-inch black squares.At least two weeks doingcommunications using the 1-inchblack squares.

Choose words such as pressure,flight, conflict, tumble or any

word that lends itself to visualcommunication. The squarescannot touch or overlap theintegrity of each square must beretained. Student examples:

1 Tumble

2 Pressure

3 Conflict

4 Flight

5 6 Fear

Color as Communication

10-inch square railroad board andten 1-inch squares using color ofstudents choice.

Choose words where color plays

a communication role such asgrowth, sorrow, or any words thatt this problem. Students shoulddo color communication forat least two weeks.

7 Growth

8 Happy

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Mini-Course in Visual Communication

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Visual Communication part I


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Word Communications

Simple word communicationswith free imagery in colors of thestudents choice on 10-inch squarerailroad board. This works quite

well if students are given wordswith opposite meanings.

Hot & cold, wet & dry, soft & hard,gigantic & small, or other compa-

rable opposites. Words can thenvary and are made more difcult.

In order to ensure success withlater problems, it is necessary tobe extremely demanding at thisstage of the course on all threecriteriaconcept, formal valuesand craft. When warranted,

students should be made to redoproblems until they reach areasonable performance standard.

It should be strongly stated tostudents that they are expectedto continue rening the workon their own for end of thesemester reviews. Part iii should

continue for six to eight weeks.Student examples:

1 4 Hot

58 Cold

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910 Wet

1112 Dry

1314 Hard

1516 Soft

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9 10 11

12 13 14

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1718 Magnetic

1920 Transfusion

2122 Full

2324 Impact

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20 21 22

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2526 Squeeze

2728 Hide

2930 Decay

3132 Protect

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25 26 27

28 29 30

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3334 Pain

3536 Birth

3738 Paradox

39 Assist

40 Gigantic

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36 37 38

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A Tool:What it Looks like

and What it Does

This problem is done in a largerformat of the students choicemore of a poster size. I prefer asquare or vertical composition.Students choose a simple tool;they must communicate whatit looks likethis may involvemultiple images.

As this problem has several levelsof communication, students mustprioritize each by size, placementor color. Sequence of images isimportant to the communication.Simplicity and directness of com-munication are important. Alsothe formal values, use of color and

craft. Student examples:

1 2 Tools

A Scientific Principle

Visually explain in a posterformat a basic scienticprinciple such as displacement,fulcrum, etc.

3 5 Scientific

Metamorphosis

In a poster format, explain someform of metamorphosis.

6 8 Metamorphosis

Visual Communication part II

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Travel Poster

In a poster format, design atravel poster without words.Incorporate as much informationas possible. Should communicatewhere, attractions, etc.

On this and succeeding problems,it works best to have the studentsput up their solutions, critiquethem, have a student critique anddiscussion, and then do them overfor the following week. On some

of these more complex problems,it may be necessary to put themup for critique more thantwice it is up to the teachersdiscretion. It works best to dotwo or more of the followingproblems in succession.

1 Alaska

2 India

3 Switzerland

4 Sydney, Australia

5 Egypt

6 Quebec, Canada

7 Italy

8 Las Vegas

9 Japan

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Historic Event

Choose some historic event, andin a poster format, communicateas much as possible about thateventwhere, what, significance,etc.The date can be incorporatedas a design element.

1 1929 Stock market crash

2 Sinking of Titanic

3 Fall of Troy

4 First man on the moon

5 Wright Brothers first flight6 Ford assembly line

7 Hindenburg disaster

8 Invention of artificial heart

9 Fall of the Third Reich

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Symbols

Design symbols for each of thefour seasons in abstract forms.Divide a 10-inch square into fourequal areas denition of theseareas should not detract fromsymbols. Student examples:

1 3 Nature in abstract forms

Design symbols for each of thefour seasons using natural forms.

4 6 Nature in natural forms

Design symbols for each of thefour seasons in a professionalcontext such as sports track,baseball, basketball and hockey.Students worked with suchprofessions as photography(aperture openings), nature(according to seasons), insectextermination, etc.

7 Sports

8 Insect extermination

9 Photography

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On several occasions I gave

applied problems in visualcommunications. One was basedon a current program by theCity on Signs That Guide andProtect You. Another wasfor television newcasts. It isa common practice to showsymbolic images relating tocategories of news stories.

Students identied several ofthese situations and developedcommunication images.

At those schools whereGraphic Design incorporatedphotography and we hadfacilities, I would give oneproblem where photographs

were used in place of constructedimages to communicatespecic words.

Highway Signs without Words

1 Divided highway

2 Stop

3 One way

4 Caution

5 Detour ahead

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Symbols with

Two Communications

1 3 Peace and War

4 5 Peace and Love

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Mini-Course in Visual Communications

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Transcript of Mini-Course in Visual Communications