Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
painting, and even type—that perform different functions. Images provide a visual
counterpoint to text, helping to engage the audience. Images also offer a visceral con-
nection to experiences described by written language. They can help clarify very com-
plex information—especially conceptual, abstract, or process-oriented information—by
displaying it concisely: “at-a-glance.” They can add interpretive overlay in juxtaposi-
tion with literal text or images. It's foolish to think that simply picking a photograph of
a particular object will alone solve a communication problem in its entirety. The relev-
ance of an image to a design solution isn't simply wrapped up in its subject matter. An
image becomes relevant when its composition and production technique, as well as its
subject matter, are working in concert with other material to create an integrated mes-
sage.
Abstraction and Representation
An image might be mostly representational or mostly
abstract, but it always will be a mixture of the two. Purely visual, abstract images (as
we have seen) communicate ideas that are grounded in the human experience. In the
right context, a yellow circle becomes a sun. A composition of lines in dynamic rhythms
might communicate a subtler message about movement or energy, not necessarily refer-
ring to some literal object or experience. Even a photograph that purports to represent
something real is an abstraction on some level—it depicts a state of activity that is no
longer happening and flattens it into a two-dimensional form. Portions of it might not
even be real, but instead, contrivances set up by the photographer or by the designer dir-
ecting the creation of the photograph. Using the intrinsic messaging of abstract form
described in
Chapter 1
to influence a photograph's composition will enhance its mes-
saging potential. Similarly, suggesting concrete, literal experience within an abstract
composition will help ground the message in reality for a viewer, making it more ac-
cessible without sacrificing the abstraction's simplicity and visceral evocative power.
CLEVER USE OF LETTERPRESS
elements and punctuation to create the gun icon evokes potential
conceptual ideas about language and violence.
Sagmeister
United States
Real, Unreal, and Otherwise
Media and Methods
