Reading Response #4

jtirrell's picture

After reading "Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade" in The Thomson Handbook, "Desktop Publishing and Graphic Design for Writers" in The Thomson Handbook, and Instructor Blog: Design, respond to these works in a comment of approximately 300 words. You might think about how The Thomson Handbook discusses using visuals, or you might identify any confusion you have about its information on desktop publishing. Alternately, you might locate statements in the instructor blog with which you agree or disagree. Make sure that you point to specific parts of the readings in your response, and use concrete examples (of instruction sets, of experiences with images or desktop publishing, etc.) to support your statements.

Reading Response #4

While reading the instructor’s blog, I found the five qualities of design that were listed very interesting. The statement “good design is invisible” really sounds simple, but it is so true. I took that statement in for a minute and thought about what “invisible” exactly meant. It was an interesting point about how a successful design isn’t really thought about or noticed, until it has a flaw…”only when there are problems with the… design…you would notice the design.” The second quality of design is that it is persuasive- it draws the audience in and presents something. That is so true and I am fascinated that this is all done effortlessly on the audience’s behalf, without them thinking about it. They don’t actually have to stop and think about what they are processing. The third quality of a successful design guides the eye.

The fourth quality of a good design is that it incorporates whitespace effectively. I really was interested about this one because when I first read white space, I just figured it meant the “empty” areas on a page. When I went to the A Lists Apart’s article on whitespace, I was blown away by all of the thought and design behind white space. I was shocked to learn about all of the roles white space can play as a design element. It was so interesting to read about how whitespace is frequently used in upscale brands by designers for to create a feeling of sophistication and elegance. That was really neat to think about. The last quality of a good design is that it requires careful attention and I really enjoyed the design example about what to do when encountering a bear. The example emphasized the importance of revision, revision, revision in design.

barefoot's picture

#4

I was really excited when I got to the point in the "Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade" reading where it told the reader how to site images. I had been a little worried about doing it because I have never done it before. I also liked learning about all of the differnt graphs that are out there, I just don't really understand how we could use them for an intructions manual? How do you use a graph to explain how to do something?

In "Desktop Publishing and Graphic Design for Writers" I found the type of fonts to use very helpful. I knew that for a formal paper it was necessary to use a more professional type of font, but they go into much more detail than that. I had always just thought of using either Arial or Times New Roman font on all papers to turn in for anything important, but having a list of other fonts to choose from gives me more of a variety. Also, the tip on the font size was also helpful. Now, I know that I need to focus on not only the personality groups in my instructions, but the age as well when creating every part; not just the writing but the size and font of the writing as well.

While reading the Instructor's Blog I found out a lot of things I did not know. I didn't realize that it was ugly to the eye to have pictures different sizes(although, thinking about it now it does look much more professional to have consistancy). The example given about the bear also helps going along with consistancy. I did not even notice the necessity of putting bullets or capitolizing all of the important facts instead of just the "do not run". It also did not occur to me that DO NOT RUN needed to be at the very beginning, although it is obviously the most important information. I can only hope that when I sit down to do my own instructions that I put things in the correct order and have consistancy as well as I should.

nma1740's picture

response 4: design

In instructors blog I encountered new concepts and viewpoints on the way designs on products will influence consumers. Thinking that Pepsi would revert to the old design on Tropicana's can because of customer response. I'd like to think that I would never judge a drink on the way the can design looks, but thinking about it twice I realized that I definately do think twice about soda because of the design.

I find it interesting how much attention needs to be payed to the way a document is designed. I had never taken into account the amount that white space will influence the way a person reads/disregards a document. I agree completely with the statement that it is breathing space for the eye.

I agree completely with Mr. Tirrell's opinion that pictures and boxes on a document should all be roughly the same size. Documents that have pictures in awkward spaces draws to much attention from the overall content of the document.

While reading the informational text about images as arguments in the Thomson Handbook I thought more about the way images influence the way that I read a document. If a picture doesn't fit with the text it is very hard to take the article serious. However if the picture is a distinct opinion about the article it does add what the article is saying. The picture can give someone a quick insight as to what the article is proposing or defending.

Reading Response #4

I found the instructor’s blog to be very helpful because even though I had thought about design, I had not given it the proper amount of thought. Consistency in sizes of pictures is a small detail that could change the look and feel of a set of instructions dramatically. After thinking about this it would look more professional and organized. Also I have found that the placement of pictures within a directions set is crucial. I once encountered a set of instructions that ran through directions on one page and had pictures on the next. Even though the directions told which pictures each step went with, it was still confusing and frustrating to get halfway through a step and have to flip the page over to see what I was supposed to be doing. I also agree that although lighting in a picture is a very small detail, it is extremely important. If the lighting and backgrounds in all of the pictures are not the same, the viewer may realize something has changed but unless they are paying extremely close attention, might not realize what it is and the readers are likely to get confused and think they might be doing something wrong.

I also found many things useful in the Thompson Handbook. Among them was the advice that as a writer you cannot assume that everyone will interpret the images in your instructions in the way you the writer meant them to be taken. This is just the same as if you think something is basic and not necessary, it is still important to include it because someone somewhere might not know this information. The main point that I took away from this is to remember to reread and revise your instructions over and over again and that no detail is too small.

WritingK18's picture

Reading Response #4

While reading Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade I was surprised to read about images as an argument. I had never really thought about the impact an image has on the person who is looking at it. Reading the chart on different visual forms was very helpful. To read what the functions and productions of photographs, illustrations, charts, graphs, design, and layout elements was helpful to know what I should consider using for my project. One of my questions about the project was how to give credit when using a picture or icon; I found the answer in the Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade. I can give credit by using a captain below or above the picture with the title and artists name.

I found the Formatting an Essay or Research for Submission checklist very helpful in the Desktop Publishing and Graphic Design Reading. Using this checklist shows a publisher or professor that I can manage complex tasks in the future. I am confused on how to change page layouts using certain programs as far as margins and pica lines. I feel that this reading is something I can use as a reference in the future because it gives so much detail for page layouts for all kinds of professional writing.

I agree that design can make or break a product. If the design is unappealing to the audience, it will not sell. Personally, I have always noticed a design that looks “cheap” and one that looks professional. I also agree that good design guides the eye when I compared the two design examples about what to do when confronted with a bear. The second one is much easier to read. The bold and capitalized points make it easier to read the steps of most importance. I also agree that when using photographs it is important to take all of them in the same light so they flow together. I am confused about screen captures and how to use them. I also am not sure how to bring photos into my work and what program would be best to use the photos in.

Blaze's picture

Reading Response 4

After reading the Instructor’s Blog I have found several things I agree with in it, however the most notable was the section on the concept of “white space.” I agree with this section because I am a mostly a visual learner. This was tested by my counselor in my freshman year so I know in fact how far on the visual side of the scale I am. I have also learned that there are different types of visuals that I learn better from. One of these types of visual aids is “white space.”
When words are close together they tend to blur and blend in with the others instead of standing out where they can really make a statement. Many people out there find that they can concentrate on the words individually and absorb them more readily as they read. Another example is when teachers write on their black boards in class. Even though it’s not “white space between the words, if a professor does not regularly erase and keeps writing till the words bunch up together, they can blur together and the students will find themselves spending extra time finding their last place when they look up from writing their last note. The bunched up writing is also something that the students will find themselves not wanting to put in their notes , thus many will find themselves spending extra time, energy, and thought in translating the messy notes into the form that works best for that student.
Mark Boulton made some excellent points and suggestions in his article about ‘white space” and how to solve some of the problems created by a lack of it. One such easy suggestion was that from the Economist newspaper, where the problem was lessened drastically by a simple design change in setting the body content with a light typeface. This suggestion and other points of the article were very interesting and potentially useful making a highly agreeable subject.

Blaine15's picture

Reading response 4

When I read the readings for this week, and after discussing the relevant instruction sets that we brought in, I cannot help but think that the use of images in documents (in our case, instructions) is essential when used correctly. The “using visuals to inform and persuade reading” says that visual content plays two roles: one, it presents additional information and arguments itself, and two, it includes design elements that convey relationships between images and surrounding text. In our instructions set, if we use visuals, they will do both depending on what type of instructions you are to use. For instance, if you are giving instructions for a workout routine, an image or series of images showing how the exercise is performed can be very useful for a reader who has never performed that exercise. But also, for a avid weight-lifter, the visuals might show correct form so the reader does not hurt him or herself.
These readings also make me think about our class discussion on the context of the images or visuals according to different cultures. For example, the candy wrapper or Sprite ad (here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFi1zlctlYI ) may be somewhat or completely appropriate in certain countries in Europe, but horribly offensive and shocking in our culture. This makes me think about how careful we must be with the images we select in certain documents according to who our audience is. An image of a girl in a tight bikini might be okay for an ad targeting young men, but offensive to middle aged women or older generations. For our instructions, I doubt any of us will use provocative images or visuals, but the images we use still must be appropriate to our audience depending on age, knowledge of the subject, or gender.

Principles of Design as Illuminated by Magritte

The Thompson Handbook brought up an intriguing example when discussing how to use images appropriately. I found the relationship between images and text in the painting by Rene Magritte interesting. I can think of several explanations for the seemingly contradictory painting. One: the phrase and the image are two arbitrary and opposing expressions. Two: what the audience is seeing really isn’t a functional pipe, but rather it is an image of a pipe.

My first theory is that Magritte thought it concerning that audiences assume visuals are supposed to go with their captions. The Thompson Handbook, “Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade” states that “Rene Magritte… is well known for pointing out the unusual nature of visual perception and the sometimes illogical presumptions we make about the visual world.” In other words, audiences assume that if an image is presented with text, they must correlate. By presenting the image of a pipe and then saying “This is not a pipe,” Magritte shatters the audience’s assumption and makes them reconsider what they know about the relationship between images and text.

The second theory is that Magritte wanted to illustrate that we call objects represented in paintings by the same name as the actual object. For example, a painter may paint a still life of a vase. In general, people comment by saying, “Look at the pattern on the vase.” Margitte may be trying to say that we should be commenting “Look at the pattern on that painting of a vase.” If this is true, what the audience is really looking at in The Treachery of Images is not a pipe, but rather a two dimensional symbol for a pipe. In this case, the text is not contradictory at all, but rather the painter uses it as a clarification.

What both theories have in common is the attention the work brings to how images and text correlate when sharing a space. Usually, when someone is designing a document or other means of visual communication, he or she wants the images to work “in concert (560).” That is, the images and text should play off one another and support each other, not contradict each other. Also, a designer must realize that telling the audience that an image is not actually the real thing would be redundant and confusing. Audiences have been trained to use images as models. This process of interpretation is so ingrained in the audience’s psyche that reminding them that an image isn’t real will actually be more confusing.

In the design world, as opposed to the art world, one should adhere to the cultural presumptions when incorporating images into a design. Following those guidlines will help ease the communication between the designer/writer and the audience.

Ked7230's picture

Reading Response Number Four

A picture is worth a thousand words, that’s how the popular saying goes at least. If a picture is worth a thousand words then there would be no use for words in advertisements. Rene Magritte made a marvelous picture with his The Treachery of Images picture, that picture said more in words than the Mona Lisa. Images in written mediums are used for clarification, newspapers use them for visual assurance of the story and advertisements are supposed to direct the eye. Those pictures in both mediums usually have gotten some form of consent for the pictures. Models for advertisements get compensation for their pictures and there is a written consent from anyone who is put in the newspaper. In my opinion there isn’t need for flair and pizzazz in school work, professionalism aside, there is no need to paste pretty pictures and lines for a formal paper. If there was need to display the work in a similar style of one of these mediums then yes, I can see it being necessary but outside of that not so much. Timing and placement can in certain cases, for formal papers at least, can make a difference (see picture below). Sometimes images are put into the appendix instead of in the middle of the paper, it does alleviate some of the eye in the sense that the person that has to sit and grade them would find it as a break from the monotony of small lettering. In the instruction sets we have been looking at in class have showed that images can help for understanding. Even when it comes down to papers it’s all about how you market the idea you, the writer, is trying to portray. Pictures are worth a thousand words but I’m sure a teacher isn’t going to take a picture as a substitute for a paper… Trust me i've tried...

demetri's picture

i thunk

I personally found "Using Visuals to Inform and Persaude" in The Thomson Handbook to be very useful as far as informing the reader on how to use visuals properly, but I felt that it had the wrong take on the relationship of visual to textual information. My opinion may be biased because I produce art myself, but I feel as though visual information is at least equal in value to textual information, if not more valuable. "Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade" describes visual information as only a sort of addition to textual information, although I feel that because it is an image, it is automatically more memorable and more striking to the reader. The article at one point even describes visual information as important and dynamic because it is "taken in at a glance" by the reader and sticks out in their mind. On this note, I appreciated that in the beginning of the Instructor Blog, visual information and design was described as "not merely something that dresses up information", but something that conveys its own message. I also found two other points in the Instructor Blog to be useful when considering design and visual information, and these were the use of grayscale in photographs and the importance of white space in design. It was suggested that when using photographs in a document, the lighting should be kept as consistent as possible, along with the size. A suggested means of accomplishing lighting consistency was to convert the picture to grayscale, which I had not thought of before. I think it is important to be careful when using grayscale however, because it can become blurred, confusing the reader, and sometimes the colors of a picture are important in helping the reader identify what they are looking at. It was also suggested that when creating a design in a document, white space is equally as important as the design itself, described as "breathing room for the eye". Although I don't have much experience with design for documents, I still didn't really consider white space to be as important as it is. I didn't have any problems understanding the readings or instructions for our project so far, but as far as the visual aspect of it goes, I was wondering how serious a document or presentation, etc. has to be before copyright permission for images used is needed. For example, if I use a picture from Google in a document or regular class paper, do I need copyright permission?

lrg3821's picture

Images & White space

I agree entirely with “Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade.” Pictures and illustrations really can help explain a concept that might be otherwise difficult to grasp. In the section labeled ‘Images as Arguments’ it gives the example of computer age ending literature and shows a picture of a CD destroying hard copies of books. Not only did this example really hit home, because this is something I think of a lot, but also it got me thinking of other ways I would be able to present an argument and make it more effective through visual elements. While the text states that images such as these (ones that help an argument) can stand alone and ‘speak for themselves,’ I do believe it would be ten times more effective to include an image with an argument. I do see a flaw in only providing images without any textual basis; it is possible that someone will not understand what the picture is trying to say and then disregard the argument because they do not understand it.

When reading the instructor blog, one sentence really stuck out to me and started to get me thinking; “good design incorporates white space effectively.” This reminded me of a time when I was on my high school newspaper and was helping edit the layout of the pages. All I can remember was my teacher making sure that we didn’t leave a lot of room for white space. I think that ever since then I have thought of white space as something negative. In my brain, every time I see white space on a page I want something to be there to cover it up. After reading the article provided in the instructor blog on white space, I realize now that it can provide a breath of fresh air from too much clutter.

These texts really opened my eyes to a new way of including images in my writing, arguing and even in my personal life.

packman40's picture

Response 4

In my opinion the Thomson Handbook discusses the different aspects of visual content in a very simple and easy to understand manner. It names four visual formats that I think are very important and useful in design. It names the first visual form to be photographs. One of the functions of a photo is that it allows the audience to actually see what you mean. I think this is very true, telling someone a story is one thing but when you show them pictures of the story while telling it helps the audience visualize the intended context. Another form the handbook mentions is illustrations. Illustrations are used as’ visual interpretations of textual content.’ Illustrations help simply text and make the point of text more clear, appealing, and easier to understand. The third visual form is charts and graphs, which are important for showing the relationship between different variables. A graph/chart can visually represent data. The fourth and final visual form is the one that I think is the most important when comes to design and that is the design and layout elements. The design and layout element helps the most important information stand out to the audience and show the mood and tone of the information. I think these four different ways represent visual content are very interesting and useful. You can literally take any information and use one these strategies to convey your message and purpose in the most effective manner.

Another part of the Thomson Handbook I enjoyed and found quite interesting was how it explains that you can use visual content as an argument. Using a visual representation combined with words can help prove your point and persuade the reader in the manner you intended. I also found it very interesting how you can use visual content as evidence that something has happened. I find this strategy of design to be quite important, because it allows you to use visual context to show where you stand on certain subject with as little as a picture and phrase.

Reading Response 4

The instructor blog pointed out many things which I had never before given much thought to. One being "good design is invisible", being able to look at a poster and picking out all the necessary information without giving any thought to it. When a design is so well organized and thought out it is almost as if people never get to see all that hard work put into it because the main point is so easily accessible. I also agree with the statement, "design matters, because design is product interface." Some people claim that information is information so it does not matter if you "dress it up", or leave it be. Hopefully those that have that mindset are not in retail, because design is what sells. This I know from experience, I always pay attention to the design details of products and if I look at something with a not so interesting design I think twice about buying it. Before starting the instructions project I did not think about the difference using paragraph form or bullets could make. In the instructor's blog there is an example of what to do if you encounter a bear, after reading both forms of the product I was amazed at how much more accessible the second form was. Design is all about the details and thinking, and re-thinking, over plans and how they can/will be perceived by an audience. Making design, in my opinion, a big game of hit or miss.

forreal87's picture

Reading Response #4

Between all three of the readings, I feel that they all have interesting and significant information to help us in our project. For instance the article, “using visuals to inform and persuade,” is going to be very useful in my instructions, due to the fact that I am planning on illustrating how to apply and remove beauty facial products for younger and older women. I’m sure a lot of women already know how to apply and remove facial products. But for the ones that over use make-up or women or who don’t like facial, it will show them how it can also be helpful and prevent dramatic aging. I will be showing in two different instructions (one for the younger and one for matured women), how to apply beauty facial products, including pictures and writing text. I think that the illustrations will “Explain complex tasks, equipment, or objects and overall clarify on concepts and the processes.” A lot of the explanations of why I will be doing this will be identified in the postmortem.

As it says in the instructor’s blog, a lot of the understanding of these instructions comes from the quality of design, “good design is invisible, design is persuasive, and good design guides the eye.” Which I totally agree with, if someone is trying to instruct someone, you can’t be skipping steps or confusing the person with them misinterpreting the instructions. The person that is reading the instructions should not feel confused and any moment while reading them, (like I have in the past). For example, I remember trying to put together some sort of object where the instructions just kept on making me confused finally I just gave up and figured it out for myself. I hope I will be able to come up with a great set of instructions for my ladies who need a little help on how and when to apply certain beauty products.

nbb1931's picture

RR #4

After reading Using Visuals to Inform and Display, I was surprised to learn about captions in pictures. On page 561, there is a checklist for “Tips for Integrating Images and Tables into a Text,” one of the bullet points that I do not think I have noticed before is “Leave enough padding (white space) around the image…” I do not think I have ever thought of adding white space to a document for a specific purpose, even though it makes perfect sense to help guide the reader’s eyes and create a sense of order. In the Instructor Blog: Design, the author mentions a study done by BBC News, and when the human eye views something, it takes pictures and then organizes the images in about 1/20th of a second. So making a good first impression is about as stereotypical as you can get. In reference to white space, I was looking at a magazine while I was working on this assignment and I opened the magazine up to random page and noticed that white space and ambient lines a huge part in how you process the information. One example is a spread in Outside magazine, there are different colored caption boxes, bolded lines to differentiate between topics, various pictures in various sizes, but all of the pictures follow the same format in picture shape and relative size. I noticed that even though the pictures are more for the visual aspect of the work, all have captions to draw the reader’s interest to that specific detail on the page. I also noticed that there were various lines in the backgrounds of the pages that I had previously not noticed. I guess that when I was reading the article before, I saw the lines design aspects but did not think that they were significant so I wrote them off as unimportant and took in the author’s textual information. What I do not think I realized at the time, was that I was using all of the design cues to understand the author’s message and to take in the material. I guess I never thought about how places with nothing on the page such as white space could be so important.

sweetcheeks18's picture

response 4

I found The Thomson Handbook useful and informative in its description of using visuals. I’m not that familiar with using visuals in professional work as the majority of work I did in high school focused on writing essays. We occasionally did work involving visuals, such as creating brochures or posters, but these visuals were never directly incorporated into an essay. After seeing some of the examples provided in The Thomson Handbook, it makes a lot of sense to use visuals in professional writing to reinforce a point; as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

The Thomson Handbook brought up issues that I hadn’t even considered when designing a work. It discussed spacing, font size, line spacing, and justification. I have never really had the opportunity to play around with these as in high school the specifications for work (which was primarily essays) were very specific. It is interesting that there is a definite difference between 1.5 and double spacing that makes the reading experience (and therefore the effect on the reader) very different. I liked that they pointed out the need to change font and font size depending on the target audience (I had not really considered that). I found the difference between left and full justification and the noticeable (and potential awkwardness of full justification) interesting.

Another idea that was presented was the necessity to actually use a color wheel when designing visuals. I’m not the best at matching, so this was not a factor I had really considered. It is nice that the color wheel provides a relatively simple guideline to follow; by using a color wheel, it is possible to find the color combinations most pleasing to the readers’ eyes. The Thomson Handbook also presented the differences in printers and printer paper and their potential effects on the visual. Once again, I had not even considered these to be important in the production of visuals. I have always thought of a printer as black and white or color; other than that, other than that, the differences were negligible.

Poppy's picture

Images and Brochures

The Thomson Handbook was very thorough on how to use images properly and effectively in documents. I like the picture on the "Images as Arguments" section. It is a good way to show how CDs are replacing books as mediums of information. The image is just cool to me. I like the CD being represented by the saw blade. Using images and words or just images alone is often times more persuasive than words alone. A person can look at an image and absorb the whole meaning of it much quicker than reading through a passage.

The brochure section of the Thomson Handbook reminded me of a project that I have done in my highscool computer class. Our job was to make a brochure for the Pepsi company advertising a new product. It was a very difficult and time consuming process to create a brochure. First, we had to make a new product and a label for this product. Then, we had to describe the product in the brochure. Finding or creating good images and being able to fit them in the brochure was also a difficult process. I kept messing up the alignment of the trifold and had to reprint the brochure several times. Everything had to be just right in order to print out the brochure properly.