Blog Post 3/27

Graphics and culture, what does it mean when we think about these two terms as a whole? We have to think about our audience and their perceptions first. The audiences’ perception of cretin visual elements can make or break a document. A designer must have the ability to recognize and implement these visual perceptions in order to cue the readers mind into the topic of the document. One way to cue the mind of the reader is by use of graphics in a document. The intent of graphic use in document design is used to “show ideas or information” with in the document. The use of graphics also allows the audience to use their own visual rhetoric. The document has to be appealing to the audience in order to capture the attention of the audience. A designer must be specific though when choosing certain graphics and how an audiences and their culture perceive those graphics.

Understanding cultural perception is very important when it comes to designing documents. Your audience has a database of cultural receptors and meanings stored in their mind and it’s up to the designer to be able to recognize those receptors and meanings. The designers’ job is meant to capture that audience and inform the audience about the message that is being brought to their attention. With the understanding of theses factors, graphics can be implemented to help the audience understand the information in a more concise clear manner.

In class on Tuesday I decided to take on the project of redesigning the cover for the movie dazed and confused. When thinking about the audience of this specific movie I can see myself using graphics that tend to be more psychedelic in nature. I also want to be able to implement the use of the “peace sign,” as well as the “yellow smile” that is used in the original cover. I am going to try and implement a sense of carelessness and freeness that the characters strive for in the movie. With the use of graphics, I believe that my audience will be able to understand what the movie is about, even if they haven’t seen it before.