PersuasionShop Window DisplaysThese are a perfect example of images used to advertise and entice. Windows can be designed to attract the attention of target audiences.

In the Western world where consumerism has replaced tradition we look to designers and trends to indicate what lifestyle choices we have to choose from today.

Photo from Bing licence filter used for “free to share and use”https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=shop+window+display&view=detailv2&qft=+filterui%3alicense-L2_L3_L4_L5_L6_L7&id=0BEEFD9F9E1A00AA673D395061CE6400727B45EC&selectedIndex=5&ccid=2iJU43ep&simid=607986319825699664&thid=OIP.Mda2254e377a9433af4a8ffe0c08b764do0&ajaxhist=0

(Accessed 26.10.15)

Online advertising feedsBefore I can log into my emails I have to wait for the BT Home page and it's advertising to load. This is to draw my attention to the things I need but just haven't realised it yet. In this instance a Land Rover!It doesn't stop there, once I get in there are ads down the side and one at the top of my inbox that looks like and email.

We live in a capitalist society we may think the internet is free and full of information but there is a cost that's currently being footed by the advertising industry. Without these annoying ads, we'd have to either pay for the information or find that there's a lot less of it.

Image is screen print from my home computer.

Public InformationThe British Heart Foundation's Eatwell plate is used to inform the public about about what a well proportioned meal should look like. By making meal planning simple it is easier to persuade people to eat healthier. Cards with this image are given out at the local Libraries and can also be viewed on the NHS website.

This particular image shows the growing awareness that we can take charge of our health without medical intervention by making the right lifestyle choices.

https://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-matters/healthy-eating-toolkit/eatwell-plate(Accessed 22.10.15)

InformationMaps

Provide pictorial information of the lay of the land and streets. For those of us who frequently get lost having access to information like a map is a lifesaver.

Gone are the days when people were born and lived all their lives in the same small village. The population is more mobile and maps (paper & interactive) play an integral part in both long and short journeys.

Photo taken of a page in my atlas.

Online newspapersVisit the homepage of an online newspaper like the Evening Standard and you'll find a mosaic of images with headlines that link to the full write up. The images are more prominent that the words but the words are there if you need them.

We recognise that news doesn't only happen just before the newspaper comes through the front door in the morning. Newsworthy stories are happening 24/7 and those who want to keep abreast can now do so with online newspapers and live feeds.

Evening Standard homepage screen print from home computer taken 26.10.15

Road signsThis is an instance when a message must be delivered quickly and accurately. The meaning of the signs may be obvious but to be sure every driver is taught the “code”.

We are a risk averse society and we'd rather have signs that state the obvious when it comes to safety rather than leave the matter to chance.

Identity DesignCorporate LogosThese are used to brand an organization i.e. publicize their identity in one image.

When I see certain familiar logos I don't think of the lines, colours etc that it consists of rather I jump to the products I know they stock and the price range of those products. This is a recognition of the identity the retailer wants to project.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/multimedia/archive/00001/tesco_66565604_07_620_1394c.jpg (accessed 26.10.15)

Coats of armsCoats of arms are used by titled gentry as a form of identification. The Royal Coat of Arms (right) can only be used to identify the Sovereign Head of State for the United Kingdom.

Of old you could only use one of these if you were born into the right family. Now as we become more commercially minded titles are up for sale to those who have the funds.

http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Symbols/Coatsofarms.aspx (accessed 26.10.15)

UniformsUniforms show what institution the wearer belongs to and sometimes what capacity the operate in.

These show what role or organization the wearer belongs to. The code used to interpret the police uniform depicted can be different depending on who see it. It's a sign of oppression to some whilst a sign of reassurance to others.

Authorial ContentMusic videos These set moving images and story lines to popular music and brought the music industry to our televisions.

We look for concepts even in popular music and by introducing associated videos musicians and songwriters can offer a concept for their lyrics to enforce their intended message and sometimes mood.

Michael Jackson: Remember the Time (1992) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeiFF0gvqcc

Magazines (paper & online)

These combine images and articles in an easy to follow layout.

In recent years most magazines have become available online for a subscription fee. However, the paper copies haven't disappeared. In my opinion we like the linear quality of the paper copy.

This is a photo of that I got that was being distributed free at kings Cross train station with The Evening Standard.

BooksBook covers are designed to give a snapshot of what's good about the content of the book and the typography of the inner pages is designed to make a pleasant reading experience.

Despite the old adage “You can't judge a book by it's cover” I think that even though in our heart of hearts we know this to be true we still judge books by their cover and this is reflected in the book design industry.

Photo of my copy of We are all Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler.

Interactive designInteractive BillboardThe Women's Aid interactive billboard used facial recognition technology to register the number of people that looked at its image of a battered woman. The more people that looked at it the more the wounds of the woman in the image healed.

Despite being surrounded by a wealth of information, there are still some issues and images that we'd rather not acknowledge, think about or see. To me this billboard is saying -not only is it okay to look and acknowledge domestic

violence but by doing so you will actually help its victims.

Image from http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03220/canarywharf1_3220229k.jpg (accessed 31.10.15)

Article can be found at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11449803/Domestic-violence-interactive-advert-How-you-can-heal-victims-bruises.html (accessed 31.10.15)

Graphical User Interface (GUI)This is a standard feature of most modern IT, communication and electronic equipment. It represents the options available as icons i.e. pictures that the user has or will come to associate with a function. Selecting the icon takes them straight to the represented function.

As the digital age has now fully established itself we have come to expect one device to perform a wide range of functions and we want to be able to easily access these functions with as little thought and effort as possible.

Screen print from my own Windows 10 GUI.

Graphic design and drawing ProgramsThese programs allow the user to produce 2 and/or 3D images on their computer screen. The uses range from engineering and architecture to hobbies and play. What was previously done on paper with set square and compass can now be done on screen.

Because these programs have established themselves as the norm skilled draftsmen/designers have had to go back to school to learn their respective industry standard program to be able to qualify for the same jobs they've always done.

Image of Sketch Up Make: A screen print from my own computer.

Alternative Messages

The Colour Pink for Women's CancerIn recent years the wearing of the colour pink as clothing, wristband or ribbon has come to indicate that the wearer supports the quest to find a cure for Women's cancer, usually breast.

This shows that we live in a society where it is believed that a cures for diseases can and should be found and we're willing to help as much as we can.

GraffitiThe illegal painting for urban architecture usually with spray paint has long been seen as vandalism or a sign of anti social behaviour.

Recent rethinking of Graffiti as youth culture now sees towns and cities incorporating graffiti walls into their centres and inviting youth groups to come and decorate bare walls. The arrival of Banksy has taken graffiti into the fields of social and political commentary and high end art auction houses. Public opinion however, is still split.

“Vis Coms” image created using an online graffiti making program http://graffiticreator.net/ (accessed 27.10.15)

Messages to Alien Life FormsThe Pioneer Plaque was placed on the Pioneer spacecrafts in the 1970s. It shows images of the human form the course the spacecraft took and directions via quasars on how to get to earth. As the alien “code” of interpretation isn't known to earthlings there is no guarantee that aliens will understand the message.

This shows that as our own exploration of space expands we have come to believe we are not alone in the universe and that this feeling exists even on the scientific level. A 2012 poll revealed that more people now believe in aliens and ghosts than God. http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/352286/More-people-believe-in-aliens-than-God-reveals-poll

Image from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00cqz6v

(accessed 01.11.15)