Visual Layering or Using Visual Elements - Coursework Example

Contents Contents 1 Visual Layering or Using Visual Elements 1 The Dark Half 2 Affordance theory 3 Gestalt theories e.g. for grouping functions 4 Continuity vs. Episodicity 6 Reducing Cognitive Load, using Unity, Clarity, Harmony and other methods 7 Coding similar functions using shape, colour or texture 8 Principles of Good Mapping 9 References 9 Visual Layering or Using Visual Elements Just as visual layering finds use in cartography, engineers use the same principles to colour code information displayed on the computers in a manner that it sets a perceptual hierarchy. This results in the derivation of colour palettes in an order that matches the perceptual intention of the user. That means the user sees colours or elements most relevant to his task in hand than those that aren’t. These colours appear nearer and noticeable with regard to the relevant information the user intends to retrieve. Visual layer is both science and an art and finds use in many fields, including advertising at times. A trend has recently been observed in visual layering being used in food for visual and Epicurean effects. This has earned the tag of food art and is done to appease both eye and taste at the same time; the ingredients remain the same, but the placements are engineered. In engineering visual layering is done by creating a customized situation anwareness picture by overlapping different types of layers or sets of maps. The contemporary architecture makes abdundant use of visual layering in buildings, restaurants, malls and other commercial structures for enhanced aesthetic appeal. The Dark Half The Dark Half, a film by George A. Romero (1993-2005), can be said as a brilliant example of the use of visual layering in films. Devoid of any sociological subcontext, one can see Romero filling the film abundantly with visual layering, and layers are nothing but things that are normally around us every day, like the pencils, the switchblade, twins, the car, the birds, roasted turkey and so on, which seems to synonyms with some sort of symbolism taking a dip into several halves. Affordance theory Affordance theory originated from J. J. Gibson (1904-1979) and states that we perceive in the world in not only based on the spatial relationships or object shapes but also in terms of our possible perceptions (referred to as affordances) that arise from these shapes or relationship, whereby perception triggers actions. Gibson is known to have pioneered the way human beings react to visual perceptions. He was of the opinion that perception is not just a way of linking with an object but also a means to derive some action out of it. With each object is attached a possibility for action which is momentous in nature and doesn’t necessarily need a sensory processing. The actions are immediate and follow as soon as a perception takes place – a car is for driving, a swimming pool for swimming, a knob for turning, a button for pushing, a handle for pulling and levers for sliding and so on. Consequently, affordance theory finds many implications for the field of engineering, design, hergonomics, visualization, human-computer interaction etc. Good designs, it is said, communicate explicitly of affordances. Scholars opine that affordances are animal-relative properties of the environment, which means properties derived from environment that have profound effect on animal behaviour, while ‘animal’ in this case largely refers to human beings. In engineering its application is found in modeling and simulation, though that is considered more of a solution to an engineering problem rather than a scientific problem. The current generation of simulation systems and modeling and other environments such as The Sims (2002) and AI-Implant (Toth et al.) makes use of affordances, particularly sensory-perceptual affordances. These are considered to be the best suited for meeting the subtle demands of the environment vis-à-vis its immediate surroundings. Gestalt theories e.g. for grouping functions Gestalt theories evolved from a group of theorists in Germany in 1920s. They were Ernst Mach, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and particularly of Christian von Ehrenfels and the research work of Kurt Lewin, Wolfgang Köhler, Max Wertheimer, and Kurt Koffka. Gestalt means the organized whole of parts which when analysed individually have different characteristics. Tree is a common example used to explain Gestalt theory. When a tree is looked at, one recognizes the tree (the whole) and not its trunk, stem, branches, leaves, blossoms, fruits etc (the parts). Here the consciousness focuses of the tree and not the parts. Vase/ face profile is the commonest and the most remembered gestalt example used. Gestalt theories rely more on structuralism than ' reductionistic/ elementistic'/ decompositional approaches to analyse mental processes into elementary sensations and focuses on concepts like holism, emergent properties, and context. In engineering and particularly in web interface design Gestalt theories find abundant use in terms of several of its concepts involving grouping, alignment, shape/scale similarity, color similarity, style proximity, and style similarity. Continuity vs. Episodicity Some common visual principles determine the arrangement of a layout or order of a visual technique. Visual techniques are normally grouped according to their similarity and rank of importance and application to a particular technique or visual. It is not possible to apply all techniques to a single platform on account of the inherent variations. Some of the techniques can be widely used; others cannot be on account of their complexity while some are very difficult to comprehend. In all, and also, their application depends on the designer’s perception of an object under creation. Five sets of techniques have been group with their corresponding characteristic components, and these are: i) physical techniques : symmetry, balance, regularity, proportion, alignment, and horizontality; ii) composition techniques : economy, simplicity, neutrality, understatement, positivity, singularity, and transparency; iii) association and dissociation techniques : repartition, unity, sparing, and grouping; iv) ordering techniques : predictability, sequentiality, consistency, and continuity; v) photographic techniques : roundness, sharpness, levelling, stability, subtlety, representation, activeness, flatness, and realism. Whatever the technique, two things can run simultaneously; one is continuity and another episodicity. In continuity parts have cohesion to the whole element, while in episodicity things are just the other way round. Episodicity ruptures the connection; it fragments the continuous and loosens the grip over the whole. Reducing Cognitive Load, using Unity, Clarity, Harmony and other methods In designing – be it engineering design or otherwise – it is important to understand and have a deep understanding of elements of the design. The present material for design needs to be mentally organized into a coherent cognitive structure before it is integrated with relevant available knowledge. But while an attempt is made at creating a cognitive structure, designers are always faced with what is termed as cognitive load. Meaningful outcomes can take place only when cognitive processing exceeds that of the cognitive load, which is not always the case. Lot of information available and being processed needs to be de-cluttered and that can be be done by using unity, clarity and harmony in designs. Most beautiful designs in the world have been observed of having least jargon attached to them due to reduced cognitive load, unity, simplification; concealment of elements, proper organization, lots of white spaces and ample proportion. These designs extend from anything as small as tableware to furniture, consumer products and scientific instruments. Coding similar functions using shape, colour or texture Color, texture and shape are considered to be the basic image descriptors, and when all three are combined using image and its complement higher retrieval efficiency is achieved. The technique allows the image and its complement partitioned into equal sized non-overlapping tiles. The features from the resulting histograms from RGB compliment and image tiles become as local descriptors of texture and color. When this information is captured for two different grid layouts with two non-similar resolutions it results in separate details of the same image. Principles of Good Mapping Maps are and have been central to cultures and communities and good mapping requires just painstaking follow up of the basic principles of cartography, like: i) having starighforward agenda with respect to a map, ii) being honest with the data, iii) portray data factually, iv) report all data sources, and v) avoid bias duing symbolization. References D. L. Van Laar, Psychological and cartographic principles for the production of visual layering effects in computer displays, Volume 22, Issue 4, September 2001, Pages 125-135 Director's Report Card: George A. Romero (1993-2005), Available at http://zacksfilmthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/10/directors-report-card-george-romero_17.html, Accessed on September 01 2011 Gibson, J.J. (1977). The theory of affordances. In R. Shaw & J. Bransford (eds.), Perceiving, Acting and Knowing. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. J. A. Toth: “Book review. Kenneth M. and Patrick J. Hayes, eds., Reasoning Agents in a Dynamic World : The Frame Problem.” Artificial Intelligence, 73, 323–369, 1995. Mayer, R. E. (2001). Multimedia learning. New York: Cambridge University Press. Read More