Mid-Semester Evaluation

As we approach the mid-point in our semester, I can’t help but think about how quickly so much time has passed. The course has been extremely informative on aspects ranging from visual rhetoric, imagery, typography, visual design, communicative design principles, and there effects on our lives as social beings. The last few months have taught me about the various design principles and communicative aspects of advertising and the role of visuals on how we see the world.

One of the aspects of the course I found to be interesting was how visual design and aspects of color psychology and visual rhetoric play a role in advertising and campaigning certain products and items. For instance, products and advertisements that showcase bright colors, relatable themes, and attractive visuals draw the viewer in. In the same vein, the fundamental principles of communication in visual communication through the usage of metaphors and symbols function to draw in their viewers and send a message of sorts.

For instance, imagery on novels and posters showcases a story that is meant to attract consumers to read, purchase, and interact with.

I added these two visual works to show the importance of symbolic language and visuals. The first work showcases the Handmaid’s Tale, without even knowing of the sinister dystopian storyline the visual symmetry, bright red color, positioning of her hands folded in a prayer like position, and font gives away and pulls viewers in to this clearly eerie show. On the other hand, the second cover which is of a novel, by the language and visuals show that this work may relate to mental illness. The imagery of red birds flying around a women who is shielding herself with the letters illness above her head, encapsulate a storyline of some sort of struggle.

All in all, the course has so far been insightful in various aspects of design, communication, and principles of visual design.