Memorandum
To: Dr. Newmark
From: Carley Pettigrew
Subject: Final Scrapbook
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide you with an overview of my final scrapbook.
The Project
I have assembled the remaining ten scrapbook entries. Each entry both visually and verbally articulates the principles we have learned over the semester.
Entries 11-15
The scrapbook begins in the world of typography. With websites like dafont.com, free downloadable fonts are readily available. The versatile fonts offered to graphic designers, allow creative projects to come to life. Scriptina is one of my favorite fonts and was used on my wedding announcements. The twelfth entry, film credits and titles is a rather new development in Hollywood. Pioneers like Saul Bass, lead the way for credits and titles to visually set the mood for a movie. James Bond movies have become notorious for their titles, Golfinger is a classic example. The thirteenth entry, delves into informational graphics. The information provided by Linda Walsh’s chapter five makes you think, “Is this graphic worth a thousand words?” As a visual communicator a graphic produced must articulate visually, those thousand words and not obfuscate the intended purpose. Entry fourteen describes my favorite animated TV show, “The Simpsons.” The social satire and consistently well written script keeps audiences loyal to the program. Although visually, the cartoon is low-budget, it has become an American icon. Entry fifteen, expounds upon photojournalism ethics. There are six principal ethical philosophies used to analyze a picture: categorical imperative, utilitarianism, hedonism, golden mean, golden rule and veil of ignorance. Eddie Adams is known for his photographic portrayal of the Vietnam War. Using both categorical imperative and utilitarianism, he chose to have his graphic photographs printed. Many credit his decision as the turning point in the war.
Entries 16-20
Website ethos is the topic of entry sixteen. Ethos refers to a source’s credibility. Wikipedia is widely accepted as a credible source, but contains citation flaws. Entry eighteen involves color theory. When creating logos and visual media it is important to know the color theory and their effects on emotions. Many fast food restaurants make use of these emotions in their logos; Burger King is one of them. Entry nineteen is document design. Finding this entry was extremely difficult. I chose a Medicare PDF. It demonstrates poor design in regards to its target audience. Entry twenty researches user-centered design (USD). USD if used properly can ensure the success of a document designer.
Reflection
In the process of creating my scrapbook, the terminology and principles we have studied in the semester became applicable in the real world. Each entry requires knowledge of design tactics, visual ques, stereotypes and what is visually pleasing to a viewer.
I completed my scrapbook in the online blog site, BlogSpot. The blog dashboard is easy to use and the creator has free reign on design options. I used the font Arial for all of my entries. On my first ten entries I used similar frames to keep a sense of continuity and style throughout the page. Unfortunately, I think they were somewhat distracting, so I opted not to use them on the last entries.
Conclusion
I feel like my understanding of what a visual communicator should look for in images has increased. I have a background in design and photography. I know that I have been able create better educated designs as a result of this knowledge.