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Analysis Written SAC
Analysis Written SAC
Learning Intention: To be able to analyse and evaluate visual communication
Success Criteria: student can understand and evaluate environmental design.
What?
What?
- Stimulus Material of Environmental Design (Plan, elevations and perspective drawings)
- Respond to the Analysis Questions
Questions
Questions
1. What might be some characteristics of the target audience for this design? (including age, gender, interests, location, socioeconomic status)
1. What might be some characteristics of the target audience for this design? (including age, gender, interests, location, socioeconomic status)
Be specific with your answer. How are these characteristics of the target audience shown in the design.
- Age: children, teenagers, young professionals, middle aged, elderly.
- Gender: female, male, non-gender specific.
- Socioeconomic status: what level of income does the audience have? Low-paid audience or highly paid professionals? Does the visual communication feature complex language that only a specialist would understand? Is the target audience required to have a specific level of education?
- Location: is the audience primarily city or country residents? Inner-city or suburban dwellers?
- Interests: animal-interest groups, sporting associations, music fans, fashion-conscious consumers, hobbies, etc.
- Cultural and religious background: is the target a specific ethnic culture? Or social groupings, such as large families?
Example
Example
Homeowners who required a renovation or a house built with unique qualities. The audience would be of a higher socioeconomic background with a possible interest in architectural design.
Discussion: The curved shape of the roof would not be for everyone. The cost associated with building something that may require custom design and manufacturing would be more expensive. Therefore, the target audience may be in a higher socioeconomic bracket. The fact that there are three bedrooms may suggest that this is a family home. The floor plan does not contain complicated conventions or dimensions, which may suggest that this plan is for the owners and not the builders or engineers.
2. What is the purpose of the visual communication?
2. What is the purpose of the visual communication?
purposes of visual communications, including to advertise, promote, depict, teach, inform, identify, and guide
Response
A product design or environmental design, such as a landscape plan, also serves particular purposes. The function of plans, scale drawings and concept presentations of products serves purposes such as to depict, inform and identify features.The way a designer chooses to present information can be influenced by the purpose of the visual communication
What might be the purpose and context for the photograph and the floor plan?
- Purpose: The floor plan would be to inform the client (home owner) of the potential concept. The photograph is of the finished building and may be used to advertise the architectural company.
3. What would be a possible context for the visual communication?
3. What would be a possible context for the visual communication?
Response
The context of a visual communication design refers to the setting of the communication, or where it can be found. It also refers to the type of visual communication it is, or, as it is sometimes referred to, the carrier.
Is it a poster from a theatre or a bus stop? Is it a brochure found at an information desk, or a ticket you get when you pay your money for a show? Is it a manual for a new phone with specific detailed instructions on its use or is it a book cover?
The context helps you to identify who the audience for the visual is, because it tells you where and how the visual is to be viewed. The context is very important to a designer, as they need to consider where the design work is going to be seen so that the most impact can be made. The context of a visual communication can affect decisions made by the designer; these may include size, materials (weatherproof materials) and what is featured. A context will also help identify the purpose, as the location and carrier will be selected to maximise the purpose it is trying to achieve. For example, it would not be appropriate to advertise a children’s toy in a bridal magazine. When completing your visual analysis on any visual communication design, it is beneficial for you to try to identify specific carriers and locations.
What are some examples of where Environmental Designs may be found?
- Context: The floor plan may have been used in a client–architect meeting. The coloured photograph may be found on the architect’s (McBride) website to advertise their work and expertise.
4. What techniques and features has the designer used to gain the attention of the audience?
4. What techniques and features has the designer used to gain the attention of the audience?
Response
Designers use various techniques for gaining attention and maintaining engagement of audiences using visual language; for example, shock, humour, emotion, empathy, nostalgia, associations with brand power or celebrities and even appealing to our sense of justice.
Once you have clearly established the audience and the varied purposes of your visual communications, it is time to analyse the ways a designer has attracted attention and maintained interest in the visual communication design; for example, location, context, humour or emotive imagery. An advertisement for a four-wheel drive vehicle depicting a young family will send a different message to an advertisement featuring a young man crossing a fast-flowing river in the vehicle. An older, more sophisticated woman spraying the latest Chanel No. 5 has a very different impact on a younger female audience preferring the fragrance of Miss Dior. A child’s book with significant text on the cover would appeal to older children while a book cover illustrated with cartoons or stylised images is clearly meant to appeal to younger children or preschoolers.
5. What are the characteristics and functions of the design elements and principles?
5. What are the characteristics and functions of the design elements and principles?
When you are evaluating the effectiveness of design elements and principles, you need to analyse a range of them. It is also important that you understand how each of the elements and principles work so you can isolate their use in the sample you are analysing. You should comment on the obvious applications of these.
When you are analysing the design elements and principles you will often be required to do more than list them and say where they are used. You might be asked to discuss how they attract a specific target audience, or how they help to communicate a message or idea. For example, the colour red might be used to highlight a dangerous area on a map
You need to describe and evaluate the element or principle, what it is doing or how it is being used, if it is effective and why. You need to evaluate the effectiveness of the element or principle in conveying information or ideas to attract the specific audience.
Select one design element that can be found in the floor plan drawing and explain where it has been used and how effectively it has been used to communicate an idea or message.
Possible response may include:
- Design element: Line.
- Explanation: Line has been effectively used to convey many conventions associated with architectural drawing. Different line weights are used to represent wall thicknesses and symbols for doors and fitted cabinetry such as the kitchen bench.
Select one design principle that can be found in the floor plan drawing and explain where it has been used and how effectively it has been used to communicate an idea or message.
Possible response may include:
- Design principle: Pattern
- Explanation: Pattern has been used effectively to illustrate different areas of the floor plan including the courtyard, decks and play area. The use of pattern assists the audience in easily reading the floor plan and differentiating between interior and exterior areas.
6. Propose the type of research the Designer may have undertaken.
6. Propose the type of research the Designer may have undertaken.
Response
Research is so important. Who are the target markets? Who are the competitors? What is the industry like as a whole? Research and development is extraordinarily time consuming but extremely beneficial, there would be nothing worse than designing a new logo for a company only to discover it’s too similar to a competitor's or creating a campaign and then finding out at the last moment that the style doesn’t suit the market.
Question
Identify one resource that the Charles McBride team may have used as inspiration for generating ideas when designing the Cloud House (Figure 7.26). Discuss evidence of the application of this resource in the house design.
Possible resources may include:
Actual cloud shapes and formations. The back of the house is shaped like a cloud or cross-section of a cloud. The architects may have been inspired by clouds, creating a stylised shape and reminiscent of a child’s drawing of a cloud – it is quite nostalgic.
7. How would they have used observational, visualisation and presentation drawing?
7. How would they have used observational, visualisation and presentation drawing?
Response
- drawing methods to visualise ideas and concepts
- two-dimensional (orthogonal, plans and elevations and packaging nets) and three-dimensional drawing methods (perspective: one and two point, and paraline: isometric and planometric) to represent forms
- methods of converting visualisation of two-dimensional representation to three-dimensional representation drawing and the reverse
- technical drawing conventions appropriate for specific purposes, including layout, dimensions, labels, symbols and lines
8. What media, materials and methods have been used and why?
8. What media, materials and methods have been used and why?
Methods: The process you take when “making” your visual communication. i.e: drawing, painting, printing etc
Media: are the tools you use, i.e: pencil, ink, pastel, vector based programs etc
Materials: what you create your communication on, i.e: paper, card, wood, glass, clay, plastic etc.
Methods, Media and Materials
Methods, Media and Materials
Example
Example
Identify one example of media and one material that may have been used in either the photograph or the floor plan.
Select the stage of the visual communication design process where this medium has been used and describe how it was used.
Possible response may include:
- Media: CAD software.
- Stage: Development and refinement stages.
- Description: By using CAD software during the development and refinement stages the architects could rely on the many functions of the software to create drawings accurately and with speed. During the refinement stage it is easy to alter the design when changes are required. The photograph and floor plan may have been screen based or printed on paper.
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