Visual Techniques

Le Corbusier chair
-contrast and harmony
-balance and instability
-simplicity and complexity
-understatement and exaggeration
-Subtlety and boldness
-flatness and depth
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CONTRAST

 The first product lacks contrast. Even though the wood and the ceramic are contrasting materials, they whole look seems very plain and lack of drama. The silhouette does not contribute to contrast of the product either. The edges are rounded with fillets, and the cutouts are composed of ambiguous curves, which made this watch lack of contrast and less eye catching. The proportion between the watch body and strap is also not surprising and placed in an expected way.

As for the second product. It is a food grater. Usually, food graters are bulky/cubic shape with sharp corners to express durability and  strength. As for this particular food grater, it is made out of one piece of silicone wrapped around the metal grind, which is a surprising material for a food grater. Also, the fact that the tool is bendable/flexible makes this design unique and the concept of contrast materials (silicone and steel) also compliments the usability. The silhouette created by folding the food grater and the curve of the steel is contrast to the fact that this is something hard and rough and it grits food into pieces. Also, the silicone is soft and harmless while being gripped by one's hand. That is also a contrast to the utility of the food grater.

week 12 Blog-Movement Motion

The first lamp on the top has the element of  "expectation" in implied motion. We are used to living in a world with gravity, and we expect liquids to drip downwards to the ground. That's why the red paint (even though it's not real paint) is dripping towards the ground, and there are some form of liquid on the floor (which in this case of a lamp design it is the support of the lamp shade). The altra shiny surface finish of the red liquid is convincing to the audience that something is spilling. Also, if we look closely at the lamp shade, it resembles an up-side down coffee cup falling from the air. The cup is not supposed to be hanging in mid-air in our world of gravity, we expect it to collaps on the ground in split of a second. The red and white contrast design also highlights the implied motion, the red part grasping attention from our eyes. The red also creates a clear and visible outline of the drip which enhance the viewer's experience. 

The implied motion utilized in this Alien Lamp is the suggestion of directional movement. The curves of the lamp indicates swirling movement of the object. It gives the viewer an illusion that this is some sort of smoke/fume rising towards the sky, or even something swimming in our atmosphere. If we imagine its bottom view, there would be swirls of circles going inwards, which is commonly used in psychedelic art work, giving the viewer illusions of circular movement. In my opinion, when the heavy (head) part is facing down, it gives it less of a movement, it seems like its just hit on the floor, which the implied motion is suddenly stopped when the viewer sees it. However, when the lamp is hanging upwards, it has more implication of movement. Judging from the wavy "tail", the lamp is moving upwards, using our experiential data on the curves (experiential data on curves of smoke, organic objects). Overall, this lamp conveyed its idea successfully in terms of practicality and form/movement.  

http://www.productplus.com/Interiors/Decorate/Remarkably-Artistic-Lighting-Designs_4463.html#.UMKGppPjksq

Dimension/Depth/Space/Scale

In this exhibit, there are plenty of depth and size cues. We can see that the camera is from an eye level of an average human. Because when you see the white slope over the other mannequin's heads, you immediately sense the familiar size cue by assuming we are similar to the height of the mannequin and we are also standing under the white slope at an eye level. Another use of the familiar size cue is that the tiny mannequins are far away. There are overlaps between mannequins, the white slope, and the chairs. If you observe the blue chairs, you can see overlap, relative size, and relative height (characteristics from the depth/size perception notes). The mannequins also perform the relative size depth cue. There is also the atmospheric perspective cue in terms of the mannequin's faces, the mannequins towards the deep end have fuzzy outlines and features.  

http://retaildesignblog.net/2012/02/08/bread-butter-berlin-2012-adidas/

Tone and Color

In the poster on the left, almost every shade of tone is utilized to design the atmosphere for the poster. There are two distinct tones (hard light and shade) on the actor's face, which creates a dark and mysterious mood. The bright tone is mostly on his hands and his white shirt. These extreme tones tells us that he is wealthy, and doesn't get his hands dirty. The other super bright tone from the back of his head is the light from the streets. This gives the viewer a feeling of impact, especially when it shines on the dark human figure shadow on the street. The bright light is also In contrast with the seat of the vehicle, giving the seat depth, and also adds darkness to the character's position. The most interesting interaction in terms of tone is with the lines. All the lines inside the car are crisp and clear, and they interact with the distinct tones in the vehicle. The edges between light and shadow creates lines, thin, fine lines giving the person a delicate and unstable mood state.
In terms of color usage in this poster, it's mainly constructed of blue and green hues. According to Dondis, blue is passive and soft. The color suggests the character of the person-passive and soft. When this trait interacts with tone, it adds dimension to the composition. The dark tone reinforces the saturation of the color blue/gray, building up the intense vibe of the story.   

http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/movie-poster-of-the-week-the-posters-of-the-2012-cannes-competition

WK10—The Basic Elements

The Shape

The bookshelf on the left is a good representation of shape in Dondis Basic Elements. The front panel is a distinctive rectangle, divided into two equal rectangles.   Because the shelf is angled towards the top at roughly 30 degrees, viewers can also notice that the bottom of the shelf is a rectangle. As for the two side panels, they are equal sized trapezoids. The negative space is also distinctive shapes to the eye. The bottom negative space creates an illusion that there is another trapezoid box there.

The Line

As for the second product on the right, lines are key to this design. The lines construct the form of the tangible object. Each composition of the four lines creates a face, therefor building up to the structure of this unique bottle.

The movement

With multiple wireframes, it creates an illusion that the object is moving. Due to the structure of the object, these curvaceous wire structures give the human eye a soft and organic movement. The attribute of movement gives the product uniqueness due to the fact that most furniture is calm, solid, and still.  

Visual thinking research