COP1 Lecture - Visual Literacy - The Language of Design.

In our first Context of Practice lecture we looked at Visual Language which was actually really interesting. We began by talking about the use of Visual Communication and what that is, which is the sending and receiving of messages through the use of type or images which can be for a range of audiences or purposes. It is also about the shared understanding of signs and symbols. Visual Literacy is pretty similar but it is more about being able to take meaning from these images and texts more than the message. It can be images that range from past, present and even culture.

Its pretty interesting to think about the fact that most of us know what all these symbols mean after just a quick glance, because most of us will have grown up using them. However it is also strange to think that after just some small alterations the meaning of some of these symbols change completely!

For example..

A black cross which we might see as a sign for multiplication can be suddenly altered to the typical "X marks the spot symbol" simply because it is now red. 

Also if the vertical part of the symbol for addition is extended, it immediately becomes recognised as religious symbol for christianity. Its strange how the smallest of alterations can lead to us changing our perception of an image completely! This relates to Visual Syntax which is the structure and visual organisation of the way an image is put together which then changes the way we read it. for example the changing of colour, font and shape.

Another example of this would be, if you saw an egg in an egg cup you would think, mmmmm breakfast? If you saw the egg fried on a plate with all the other trimmings you would probably think, mmmmm unhealthy yet so satisfying! 

However, if you saw an egg like this with some green stuff throw in there too you would probably like, errrm that actually looks rather healthy! Its the small changes to an image like this which alter the way we read it. Its one of those things we wouldn't normally think about until we realise it, but our minds are so easily manipulated by the use of imagery.

We also looked at the use of Visual Metonyms, which is something that is used to make a reference to something else and make connections between things. 

Like this one! If I was to see a yellow taxi cab I would automatically think of New York City, because  it is very heavily associated with yellow taxis. However its actually very easy to forget that New York is not the only places with these cars! We make these connections very often and sometimes incorrectly because there is a habit of latching onto these connections. It is pretty cool to think about though! 

Towards the end of the lecture we were shown this image and were asked to think about what it represented and through the discussion I realised it is not just an image of the Apple logo, but it is a sign of all apple products and it signifies quality, innovation, creativity, design and lifestyle. There is a lot we can take from an image as simple as this.

This first Context of Practice lecture was really interesting and got me thinking a lot about how we use Visual Language on a daily basis and what we use it for. I started to do doe research on other examples. 

After comparing these two images of Marilyn Monroe, there is definitely a change in the meaning and purpose of these two. The first is clearly a photograph taken of her, most likely during a photo shoot or something like that. I would say in my opinion this represents beauty, femininity and fame. However in the second image which is by Andy Warhol, the alterations in the colour and even the fact that it is more of a close up, all makes a difference to the message in my eyes. I think the adding of brighter colours could represent modernisation and moving forward and also how people's views on looks may have changed over the years. If I was to look at this second image on its own I would be reminded of art and how it has developed over the years. So i definitely think there is a different message being given off from both of them. 

This first lecture was really interesting because we use visual communication so often, it is easy to forget and not realise that the way we see things and the messages we take from them change dramatically depending on the context, colour, shape, size, culture and loads more.