What Is Figure-Ground and Why Is It Associated with Selection - Assignment Example

Running Head: DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY Design and Technology: Chapter 5 and 6 [The of the will appear here] [The of the will appear here] [The name of the Professor] [Course] What is figure-ground and why is it associated with selection? The concept of figure and ground was developed by Marshall McLuhan in his Gestalt theory. According to this theory, communicating a message clearly demands the designer or the instructor to understand how a message is understood by the viewer in terms of the visual context. Figure and Ground is one of the principles of Gestalt theory whereby the foreground (figure) should be separate from the background (ground) so as to make the message clearer and thus more communicative. In order for a figure-ground to be successful, a designer needs to focus on two details. Firstly, the image where the attention should be directed and secondly, the part of image from which the attention should be directed away. In this way, the attention of the viewer should be focused on a part where the designer or the instructor wants the attention to be directed. This is the reason figure-ground is associated with selection. By effectively using figure-ground, the designer selects the parts that he wants to focus on and is the main part of the message. In this manner, the important information is highlighted while the unimportant information is kept in the background. What kinds of instructional problems relate to figure-ground? There are three kinds of instructional problems that relate with figure-ground. These are: 1) A competing figure-ground, 2) Figure-Ground Reversal and 3) Optical Illusion created by Figure-Ground. In a competing figure-ground design, the viewer is confused as to what he should focus on. The figure is not distinguishable from the ground and this makes the message unclear or difficult for the viewer to grasp. This occurs when the designer or the instructors gives equal importance to the figure and the ground and they begin competing with each other for attention. Thus the viewer becomes disinterested in the message and the design fails. Another problem associated with figure-ground is that the figure becomes and the ground and the ground becomes the figure. This usually happens when the designs tries to play with the color or the font of the design and forgets the visual flow of the design. For example, the designer may reverse the black and the white so that the font appears in white and the entire background is black. In this case, the background becomes heavy and shifts the focus from the foreground. The third problem associated with figure-ground arises when an optical illusion is created. Here the figure and ground are employed in such a way that they create two images within one image. This creates confusion in the minds of the viewers who do not know which image to focus on when understanding the message of the design. The key message of the design is lost as the viewer’s mind switches from one image to the other. The aim is to make the figure stand out and when this is not accomplished, the design fails to impart the right information to the viewer. How do you improve figure-ground perception for instructional formation? In order for an instructional design to be successful, a balance between the figure and the ground should be maintained. The designer needs to be able to help the viewer in understanding by distinguishing between the figure and the ground. This he can only do when he himself understand the relationship between figure and ground and the problems that can arise when using figure and ground. One can improve the figure-ground perception by making the figure stand out from the ground. The message of the design should be the figure of the ground. Also unnecessary information needs to be eliminated so that the viewer would only focus on one figure rather than many figures which again confuse the viewer in understanding the message. This requires organization on the part of the designer who should understand the visual flow in the communication he is presenting. Overall, the designer needs to understand that the background serves the purpose of supporting the figure which is the actual message and the background should serve its purpose. It should not compete with the figure and neither should it be too heavy that the figure becomes lost in the ground. What is hierarchy and how does it relate to organization? Hierarchy is the levels of importance different elements have in the same piece of design. In every piece of design, there are elements that demand more attention that others and for this reason hierarchy needs to be created. Hierarchy prevents the different elements from competing from each other for attention. By making small elements bigger and bolder, the designer aims to call attention to them first and then slowly direct the attention to the less important elements in the design. Hierarchy relates to organization as it allows for the sequencing of the elements with a design piece. In order to organize the elements in the proper form, the designer needs to create hierarchy. For example, in the case of a sale advertisement, the designer would call attention to the word sale first and then towards the brand. This is because the designer intends to organize the two elements in such a way that the most important element gains attention first. It a way of navigation through which the designer allows for the reader to access the given information without any confusion or delay. Do visuals have level of importance? Ideally all visuals must have levels or layers or importance. This is important to guide the reader or the viewer to access the information the way the designer or the instructor wants him to access. The levels of importance are developed through the use of cues or signals that are used as tools to direct the attention of the reader from one element to the other. How do you use tools and actions to create visual hierarchy and organization? Three tools and actions to create visual hierarchy and organization are 1) Chucking Information 2) providing entry point to the instruction and 3) using horizontal and vertical planes. The action of chucking information involves the clustering of different elements or pieces that are in any way related. This clustering of elements is known as chucking information. If the information is continuous and without any breaks the reader would find it difficult to assimilate the information. Furthermore his interest in the information would also be lost. For example, in a recipe book, the ingredients are separated from the method through the use of chucks. The ingredients are one chuck while the method is another. If we combine the two parts, the interest of the reader would be lost and he may make mistakes when following the recipe. In order for chucking to be successful, the designer should create a chuck of minimum two and maximum seven elements. The use of white space separates one chuck from the other. Another method of creating visual hierarchy is by providing entry points to the instruction. This involves the use of figure and ground to allow the reader to assimilate one element first and the other next. The element of selection plays an important role here. What the viewer selects as the first element is how hierarchy would be created. The way a reader views the design is by how he enters into the instruction. This can be done through contrast, use of color and type and through the figure-ground relationship. Another way of determining entry point is by understanding how the eye moves in a piece of design. In the western culture, people enter the design from the top left and move towards the bottom right corner. In eastern cultures, however, the eye traditionally moves from the bottom to the top. This is a tool employed by the designer to define the entry point of the instruction. The third tool for creating visual hierarchy is by using the horizontal and the vertical planes effectively in a design. In any piece of design, the mind seeks to understand the relationship of line, space and contour and this the designer could use to his advantage. Since the eye moves from the top to the bottom, this can be used to create visual hierarchy. A good use of this would be for instruction of steps to follow in a program. Similarly, in the case of horizontal alignment, the designer should be aware that the eye moves from left to right and this could be used to direct the movement of the eye. However, in the case of eastern culture, the eye moves in the opposite direction and the designer here could have to reverse the hierarchy in order to improve comprehension. Web Activity 1 Smoking is the most preventable cause of death in our society. Read below to find out more “TOBACCO FACTS”. The earlier people start smoking, the harder it is to quit when they are older. People who start smoking in their teenage years run the risk of becoming lifelong smokers. One-third to one-half of young people, who try cigarettes, go on to be daily smokers. It takes an average of five attempts for an adult to successfully quit smoking. Challenge Activity 1 Web Activity 2 Challenge Activity 2 Optical Illusion Read More