Blog: visual arguments are everywhere

[benmiller314]

For homework after lesson 9, I've asked you to find and photograph an example of an argument being made through graphic or visual design. (Note that arguments can be explicit – right there in plain text – or implicit, even subtle. Often both kinds of claims will exist in the same artifact, and will interact.)

Once you've found one, post a picture of it here, and tell us more about the image. What is the argument it's making? How does the design function in terms of positive and negative space, dominance and hierarchy, or rhythm and movement? Would you say the artifact is effectively designed for making the argument you've identified?

[christyh310]

An email I just received from the University Store had an advertisement for the new series
of Apple Watch. This ad is an excellent example of visual rhetoric.
To start, the negative space used between the three watches and in the background makes the watches themselves stand out, and there are no 'distractions' from these focal pieces.
The small amount of negative space between the sleek screens gives the audience a short
breather/contrast between the bombardment of information you can get from the screen(s).
This ad uses size, value, and color in interesting ways. First, all of the watches are the same size, but the displays and straps of the watches vary in color. This helps the ad get across one of its main themes - that even if you have the same watch as everybody else, it's somehow unique/individual/yours. I suspect that the designer of this ad made intentional choices to make the watches the same size, to display that each of these versions are spectacular, and one is not better than the other, but has a bit of variability in the texture and display to create rhythm. To continue with this point (that each watch in this new series is valuable/desirable) the designer actually keeps the characteristics of proximity and density the same throughout the image (the spacing between the watches is the same).
Lastly, the designer creates visual unity by applying repetition in this ad. It really creates an expectation in the reader/viewer's mind that watches that are desirable are this shape, this size, this glossy, this style. The movement created is through the displays on the screen: where a ticking tock, a circular icon in a game, or a time/distance of running makes the viewer feel as if movement has happened, even if there is not true movement in the arrangement of the watches in general.

[tessasayers]

When I was walking to class today, I was looking at a board in Posvar with a bunch of different flyers on it. This one in particular really caught my attention. It used images in repetition to create an appealing visual effect. The pictures used also caught my attention because they were all different types of people, allowing the message to relate to anyone. The different colors in the pictures and the highlighted section allow it to flow well. The gray and yellow is also a very effective color scheme, highlighting the parts they want to stand out, but not overpowering anything else. There is meaning in the different pictures, text color, highlight color and text size used. It is also telling a story and telling meaning through the images that are being used. While it may be simple, I think it is very effective.

[mpalko]

Today after class, I went to this new coffee shop. As I was waiting for my coffee to come out, I liked the scene and atmosphere, so I decided to take a picture. I think what caught my attention about this picture was the brightness of the yellow background juxtaposed to the blackboards with white lettering. I liked the consistent font of the different types of Espresso and Handmade Flavors while the actual titles themselves were bolded for differentiation. The pink lettering was also a stand out under the House Coffee and Today's Espresso. I think the meaning of the photo is implicit in the sense that the coffee house has a very different but busy lifestyle. Everyday, some things in the photo stay the same and others change.

[jlherrle]

This evening I went over at my friends house to study and do homework. I noticed when I was sitting across from my friend Maddie that she has stickers on her laptop. I always enjoy looking at peoples stickers on their computers because I believe they are truly a representation of their beliefs, passions, and what they believe in. They always grab my attention with the bright colors, words, and sayings that are posted on the outside of peoples laptops. When looking at Maddie's stickers there were a few that stuck out to me. For instance, a couple of her stickers are examples of arguments such as the "Pittsburgh is stronger than hate". This specific sticker is to fight against distribution especially with the recent events in Pittsburgh. Another sticker that represents an argument is the "love is love is love". This sticker expresses the argument that every relationship deserves the same rights. I would say that the two stickers that I mentioned both are effectively designed.

[abrous]

Today I walked into my World Music Class and found the headphones sitting on top of the piano keys. What caught my attention was the obvious and natural negative and positive space. The black and white keys draw your attention down the entire keyboard towards a darker part of the piano; where the headphones are sitting. While this was not designed or done on purpose, this gives an argument of playing the piano for all to hear, as that is its intention or to play but not allow anyone to hear. The keys also show the depth through the photo along with the blur/focus pulls the eye across the image.

[laurasosovicka]

I was scrolling through Instagram last night when this picture posted by Hailey caught my eye. The negative space behind them really makes Hailey and Winnie stand out. Also, the contrast between their skin tones sends a message of diversity, which is becoming more popular in the modeling industry. Their facial features and hair color really stand out against the white background, highlighting unique assets. The combination of colors they are wearing - mostly the navy and gold- are appealing to the eye and draw attention to the ad in an undistracted way. It is interesting how there are no words to go off of, so the viewer must figure out what the message is through the models. I think the most powerful part of this ad is where WInnie puts her arm around Hailey and she holds it. That to me celebrates their differences yet shows equality and acceptance of each other. Overall, this ad did a really good job at getting its message across and used strong editing skills.

[jennyaimei120]

This is a picture I took over the summer in Paris, at the catacombs. Not that anything actually bad happened to these people, it was just the overflow of graveyards. When you walked underground to see the bones of over 7 million people's remains, the mood shifted. Many of us on the tour were not prepared to see what was to come. It was a crazy experience seeing this in person but having the heart made of skulls, for me at least was showing respect to everyone who was in the Catacombs. When the people in Paris started putting the bones underground, they had organized them into what type of bones to make it look nicer, and for the respect of the deceased.

[tyllerbarner]

An example of visual rhetoric that I found came from this event on Facebook for the Student Government Board debate. I thought that this was a simple use of visual rhetoric, but an effective one nonetheless. For one, the ad uses negative space to draw attention to the larger heading titled "Presidential Debate." Along with this, the title also stands out and is more dominant in the image because it is a darker and a more prominent color, versus the beige of some of the other words on the page. Along with this, the image displays a sort of rhythm with the changing of color for each line. The image starts off with the logo being in navy blue, and then the next line in beige and so on. Although this image is pretty simple, I believe that it gets the job done with drawing people in and getting the major information across, while also being visually appealing for the most part.

[jlt118]

While online shopping I came across this ad on aerie. I felt that it shared an explicit message regarding body positivity. The picture introduces role models that the brand feels will cultivate the spirit they are striving for. By including body positivity activists, paralympic medalists, actresses, and motivational speakers from all walks of life, they are spreading the message that you should be proud to be you. I think that this argument is very influential in todays world and is one that should be argued more regularly.

[jfrank1120]

When looking around for visual rhetoric in my daily life, this sign stuck out to me. I was walking through the library and it immediately caught my attention. The first thing that I noticed was the contrast of colors on the poster between the yellow and purple. I knew based on those colors being the same ones as the LA Lakers in the NBA so I knew that they worked together in a pairing. The purple outlined coins along the perimeter also help to slowly draw attention toward the middle of the image where all of the information is contained. These coins contain a flow based rhythm tat is easy to follow along when viewing the poster. From there all of the text is contained within a center channel that is easy to read top to bottom to get all of the information. The one final aspect that I noticed was the company logo at the top, it is the only part of the poster that contains colors that are not yellow, blue, or purple. This both draws attention to it and also separates it from the important information.

In terms of displaying the argument, the creator did a good job of establishing dominance for both the links that are displayed and the name of the company so that it is easily remembered even when the viewer has stopped looking at the poster.

[dashn98]

Today I saw this photograph of the free T-shirts being given out during Saturday’s Pitt. This T-Shirt design uses a lot of the visual rhetoric described in the articles. First, I noticed the negative space around the basketball hoop drawing your attention to the design in the center of the T-shirt. Next this shirt also has an asymmetrical layout. The basketball hoop is off to the left to show depth and has a different color than the rest of it the shirt. The backboard is broken to represent the strength of the basketball team. The broken backboard reminds me of a flowing rhythm. The font that is used is very strong and is overlapping the backboard creating contrast and adding to the visual rhetoric. The message displayed by this visual is that the Oakland Zoo is very competitive and strong.

An example of visual rhetoric that I found came from when I bought "Fear: Trump in The White House" by renown journalist Bob Woodward. At first, I thought the cover was really simple but effective. After examining it more closely, I saw just how the cover was supposed to impact the viewer. By using a closely cropped image of Trump's face, and then making the overlay red, he looks evil and menacing. It's disconcerting to look at. The text is simple font, all caps, on the bottom third of the cover, all white. It's simple, but certainly does a good job of catching the reader's eye. The simplistic nature of the cover has an evil undertone to it, especially considering the color red is usually associated with blood, evil, and the devil. The cover artist was trying to convey just how dangerous Trump is with a simple picture.

[bcy5]

This is an image of a color printer sign that I found in the library right above the color printer. Although this image is not depicting an argument of something controversial, it is clearly stating that the printer near this sign, and that printer alone is the colored printer. The image does a great job isolating this specific printer from the others by not only adding the word "color", but also adding a rhythmic aspect by having different letters be different colors. The bigger font of the "color printer" letters depict a sense of hierarchy. The bigger letters that says "color printer" helps student easily identify between the types of printers.