Celia Wilson
VISUAL LITERACY
Lecture Eight - Your Visual journey
SARAH JOYCE
Human beings have the ability to perceive things in terms of foreground and background. M.C.Escher in his picture Mosaic 11 (1957) demonstrates some of the paradoxes of foreground and background. Curious in his suggestion that what we regard as foreground and as background is in some ways a matter of choice.
Areas to consider:
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Colour
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Line
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Shape
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Value
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Texture
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Scale
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Space
Social rules dictate that the top hat should be combined with the suit and the baseball cap should be combined with the tracksuit.
For example, we ask ourselves how should I dress for an interview.
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A syntagm is any combination of things that conform to a specific set of social rules
The Guardian 1986
'Points of View' Advert
The Guardian's award winning 'Skinhead' commercial was screened in 1986 and features a skinhead who appeared to be wrestling a man's briefcase from his hands. But the camera then cuts and viewers see that he is fact trying to rescue the man from falling bricks.
Denotation - Equivalent to the sum of six and seven, one more than twelve
Connotation - Fear / Suspicion
The connotation here can be so strong that everyday occurrences are often altered to avoid there being a number 13.
Graphic designers need to be aware of the uses of particular visual signs and symbols and their common meanings within a target group.