Forum: visual arguments are everywhere

[benmiller314]

For homework after lesson 9, I'm asking you to find and screenshot (if online) or photograph (if offline) an example of an argument being made through graphic or visual design. Then you'll post it here, along with answers to the questions below.

To be clear:

• By "design," I mean that some person made an active choice in its arrangement. A heap of clothes on the floor may have a lot of artistic potential to a photographer, but it's not yet designed.
  • By "in the wild," I mean that I expect you to come across some in the course of your routine travels around the web – or around your surroundings, if you're in a place where you get out into your surroundings. That said, if you need to search more actively, so be it; for one thing, you may need to pay more attention to ads that you've trained yourself to ignore. (But, to answer a question from class, yes, ads are totally fine.)
  • By "argument," I mean there should be an idea beyond the pure visual layout. The argument could be explicit or implicit; it could be serious or a joke. (Some claims are just X is like Y.) Often multiple kinds of claims will exist in the same artifact, and will interact. But you should be able to put it in words.

Once you've found a visual argument, post a picture of it here, and tell us more about the image:

• What is the argument it's making?
• How does the design function in terms of dominance and hierarchy, positive and negative space, or rhythm and movement?

[19jinjinwu]

The argument in this image is that people should buy Burt's Bees lip balm because it is made from natural ingredients and has a variety of flavors.

Dominance/Hierarchy: The graphic design of the lip balms and cherries/leaves are the biggest section in the image. This tells viewers to see the natural ingredients that are used in the brand (cherries and mint leaves). The ingredients are in a different color than the repeating yellow you see in the brand logo, the lip balm, and the border, emphasizing what the brand values. Likewise, "UNCAP FLAVOR" is in yellow (compared to the darker, smaller text below) and capitalized, emphasizing the variety of flavors the lip balms comes in. The "Burt's Bees" brand logo is also off to the side compared to the rest of the design, indicating that they are the creators of the natural and flavorful lip balm.

Positive/Negative Space: The use of a white background creates a negative space that navigates our eyes towards the center, where most of the text and graphics are. There's a large margin to the edge of the design, giving the viewer room to breathe and focus on the content. Our eyes are drawn to vibrant reds and greens at the top, followed by the text that gives us information about what the brand offers.

Rhythm/Movement: There's a visual unity with the yellow throughout the design, which is the main color of the lip balm and modeled after its main ingredient and name--bees/beeswax. The graphic is condensed so that our eyes read vertically down the design, which is a depiction of rain and an umbrella (indicating the difference between the wild cherry flavor vs. the unflavored lip balm). There's repetition in the cherries and the row of lip balms at the bottom of the design, but there is also movement with the varying sizes/rotation of cherries and the arched alignment of the lip balms.

[jennakupferschmid]

The above image is making the argument that cigarettes are as deadly as bullets. The image may be insinuating two things. First, the argument can be made that the image is emphasizing how dangerously unhealthy cigarettes are therefore warning consumers to stop using them. Second, the image may also be warning against not only the addictive nature of cigarettes once a user has started, but also is a warning to nonusers about the dangers of smoking to begin with. Either way this image is making the argument that cigarettes are just as dangerous as bullets. Due to the gruesome and aggressive nature of bullets, this comparison allows for viewers to understand the aggressiveness of cigarettes as well which may go overlooked as the effects are internal. Dominance and Hierarchy: The different styles within the image help draw attention to the cigarettes with bullets inside because the style of the normal cigarettes is simply white while the bullets have a design to them. This has to do with color as well because the color inside the normal cigarettes is white while the ones with bullets are a combination of grey and silver. Positive and Negative Space: The image effectively uses positive and negative space in relation to color. Like I said before, the difference in color between the normal versus abnormal cigarettes creates negative space within the normal cigarettes meanwhile there is positive space within the bullet cigarettes. Rhythm and Movement: Since the normal cigarettes are all stacked together and look the same, this creates a similar rhythm within the image and therefore contributes to the movement of the image as well. Due to the visual difference of the bullet cigarettes the movement of the image goes from left to right, effectively directing one's attention to the abnormal cigarettes.

[kaitlynmchugh]

This ad is arguing that you should buy Coca-Cola instead of other soda brands because it is an older and classic soda, which means it must be better than these newer brands that don't know what they're doing. It also has an association of nostalgia to it because it has been produced and consumed for so long.

Positive/negative space: The use of the white space to create the Elvis silhouette is really what drew me to this ad. It sparked my curiosity and made me want to look at it more. As I'm writing it, I just now noticed the soda bottle in the white space too, so I think this is a really creative use of negative space that will keep you coming back to look at this ad.

Dominance/hierarchy: I think most prominent feature in this ad, upon first looking at it, is probably the left side with the bold words "We do." and the logo of the bottle. When I first looked at it, I read left to right, so naturally that is what drew my attention. I think it takes more time to make out the silhouette, which is why your attention may go there second in order to make sense of it, which also ties into movement.

Rhythm/movement: I think the ad is overall very cohesive. I was naturally drawn to read it left to right and to make sense of the negative space after being given context. I think the flowing, curved lines help to tie it all together too. I'm trying to imagine other possibilities for this ad, like if they just put a picture of Elvis, instead of this negative space. It wouldn't be nearly as cohesive and satisfying to look at if done that way.

[mknuth5]

This image is arguing to not believe everything you see on TV and online. To the observer of the visual argument, the man on the right is clearly attacking the man on the left with a knife, but the only thing the "news camera" picked up was the man on the left attacking the man on the right.

Positive/Negative Space: The best use of positive and negative space in this piece is the use of the shadow from the camera to illuminate the conflicting message of who is attacking whom. In one space, the man on the right is the aggressor, but in the other "sub-space" from the camera's view, the man on the left is the aggressor.

Dominance/Hierarchy: The prominent feature of this visual argument for me is the TV camera because it's the largest item in the foreground, but it does a good job of directing the viewer to the action, as well as, conveying the argument of the piece.

Rhythm/Movement: Although this is a still image, the viewer can clearly tell there is movement in this piece of the two men chasing one another. The use of movement gives the viewer a sense of fear for the man on the left.

[kfm24]

Attached is a design that makes an argument stressing the negative impacts of global warming. The image is definitely dominant in the ad however there is nothing else in the ad to compare it to, however it establishes its dominance by being the only thing on the ad with a glow around it drawing even MORE attention to the image. When referring to the "density" of this ad it is clear that the scoop or earth is more dense than the lighter cone aspect of the piece. It draws the attention to the main argument of the image which is: the glaciers are melting like an ice cream cone on a hot day. We are not taking care of our planet and there are clear consequences of our actions--things need to change and major corporations need to adjust their practices to help our planet well enough for future generations. There is no distinct movement of the piece however we know that the earth is continuously in orbit and the specific details of the graphic shows the audience that it is Earth.

The positive and negative space of this image is powerful and utilized quite well in my opinion. There is a large amount of negative space to bring the eye to what is the focus is: the global warming crisis. This graphic argues that there is nothing else for people to look at or worry about when when our planet is falling apart in front of our eyes.

[glittaua]

The image shown above is a commentary on the well-documented human destruction of the natural environment, particularly the ocean. Here we see a boy lifting up the ocean tide as if it were a blanket. Above the surface of the water, the ocean looks pristine and beautiful but underneath we can see plastic strewn along the sand.

There is a lot of negative space in this image. The reason for this I believe is to just emphasize the vastness of what we are destroying. The ocean is still an unknown and mysterious place. To this day we have only explored and charted 5% of it. The use of negative space to show this vastness is well done. The positive space we have is where our eye is drawn to and where the message of the image primarily is: the boy and trash.

The most dominating part of this image is straight down the middle. The boy dressed in white is a very stark contrast to the rest of the colorful image. Once the viewer rests their eyes on the boy their eyes are then drawn in the direction he is facing and the direction of his arm. The second part of the hierarchy is the bottles underneath the tide.

With any image of the ocean, rhythm and movement will almost always be there somewhere. In this, it is hard to show that because it is static. However, the creator of the image did a good job showing movement. The ocean moves like a blanket as the boy lifts it up. Blankets are meant to cover and we can clearly see what the author was trying to do.

[ellsimm]

This a screenshot of a graphic I came across while scrolling on Pinterest (thank you to user @ donotgiveupcoffee for the image). The first element that drew my attention was the words "mood boards" followed by "let's talk about." Although they are meant to be read the opposite way, "mood boards" are the main subject of this post graphic. In this graphic "mood boards" was given dominance over the other elements. There is a significant amount of negative space as well; however, I wouldn't say that the negative space is as important as the positive in this case (unlike the examples given by Julie).

The next thing I notice are the colorful elements at the bottom of the page. I think their placements creates movement, as it looks as if they have all fallen to the bottom of the page and are sitting "on the ground" left as they fell. The shapes have some visual unity as their colors seem to all be the same level of pastel - not to bright not too muted. They are lacking visual unity in my opinion as two shapes are outlines and the rest are not. They also have unity in the fonts used, but one element is missing text.

[andres-trujillo7]

This is a picture I've come across by scrolling through Instagram. Somebody I followed shared this image recently, and it stood out to me.

The argument being made here is that wearing masks is beneficial in lowering the risk of the spread of COVID-19. This is made clear as the first thing that stands out is the big (all-caps) letter on the top of the image saying "WEAR A MASK TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS" followed by smaller graphics under clearly indicating what results in a high risk of spread and what results in a low risk. I say clearly because it is a simple graphic that is extremely easy to understand.

Dominance/Hierarchy: As I stated before the first thing that stood out to me were those big blue letters. This is because they are the largest component of this image and are all capitalized. It's almost as if the image is "yelling" at me (This is a good thing!). Another thing that stood out to me was the use of the green font being associated with wearing a mask and red font being associated with not wearing a mask. As humans, we see green = good, red = bad, and that is put to use here by the creator of this image, as the creator wants us to associate wearing a mask with being something good, and not wearing a mask as being bad.

Positive/Negative Space: I would say that this image utilizes its space perfectly. For example, the human figures aren't right next to each other (The way I saw it was the designer wanted to portray the 6 feet apart "rule" as it is something that is common for all of us these days), and in between them is an arrow pointing from a COVID-19 carrier to a healthy person. That arrow displays the level of the risk of spread. This is shown four times, once for each "case": The carrier wearing/not wearing a mask, and the healthy person wearing/not wearing a mask. This is an excellent use of space in between the figures to show the effects of mask-wearing.

Rhythm/Movement: The author uses human figures to show well, humans! This makes it more relatable to us as those represent us! Also, with the arrow pointing from left to right, it can be interpreted as germs moving from the carrier (left) to healthy person(right). Despite it being a still-image, I can "see" that movement.

[jsw64]

This image is a PSA made by the World Wildlife Fund, arguing for the preservation of honey bees and emphasizing that we need to take action soon, or else we will lose them. The subtext further incites immediate action to protect our food systems.

Dominance/Hierarchy: What stood out to me first in this image was the bee, as it stands in the center of the image and its black stripes also contrast with the yellow background. The next biggest thing that stood out to me was the big "love it or lose it" text. The black and white colors as well as the font size really contrasted with the bright yellow background. The white color choice for the "lose it" text was interesting since it is the only white text on the image, and we associate the color white with emptiness and death.. Lastly was the small black text at the bottom.

Positive/Negative Space: The use of spacing in this image is just right. There's enough positive space to include everything that is important, such as the bold text, the subtext, and the bee, while also leaving enough negative space so that our eyes can relax and not be overwhelmed. It also helps the positive space stand out more.

Rhythm/Movement: Given how the parts are arranged in the image, it seems like the image is flowing downward. They want us to notice the bee first, then read the bold text, then finish it with the smaller subtext at the bottom.

[aej37]

I came across this image on my Pinterest and its purpose is to motivate people to workout in Nike clothing. This is apparent because it has the iconic checkmark at the bottom and their slogan "Just Do It". Also the woman who is supposed to motivate people is wearing all Nike clothing. It is not explicit, but the ad is essentially saying that if you want to be like this woman who is strong and motivated, you should buy Nike clothing.

Dominance and Hierarchy

This image shows the following aspect by using color. The background is a dark purple while the letters with Nike's slogan and its logo are in a bright orange. This creates a contrast and the brighter colors are what the viewers' eyes are first drawn to. The letters that aren't included in the Just Do It are just outlined in orange so the viewer isn't supposed to notice them at first, but will after they finish reading the Just Do It. The use of color to create dominance is also seen on her clothing as she is wearing a purple top and black pants but the Nike symbol is a bright white which is what the viewer sees.

Positive and Negative Space

The dark purple background creates negative space so the viewers' eyes are drawn to the big bold letters and the woman in the center of the photo. The words on the image are also asymmetric; they are different sizes and they don't exactly line up with one another. As said in the article, this makes an image more fun and engaging. By making the words asymmetric, the viewer is more likely to pay attention to them, which is what Nike wants.

Rhythm and Movement

The image uses flowing rhythm by creating visual unity with the purple, orange and black. It uses the bright orange at the top to catch the viewer's attention and then creates a downward flow. It creates movement by repeating the falling particles off of the barbell. It's creating the idea that as she's lifting it these pieces are falling away because she's so strong.

[isabellebautista]

I cam across this image on my Instagram feed. As we know, we are exposed to hundreds even thousands of advertisements each day, all wanting us to do something. This ad for Dick's Sporting Goods wants the audience to purchase one of their products, as they advertise their prices and styles as the best selections. Since these are some of the best styles and prices, getting these new products will help you be motivated to work out and use these products.

Dominance and Hierarchy What is the most attractive in this image is the use of color. We have both bright blue and bright green which catch the viewer's attention. On the bottom screen, the "GOING GOING GONE!" is featured in white to contrast against this bright green color and emphasize how quickly the products are selling. In addition to these bright colors, I would say the man running takes up most of the space in the picture, to emphasize the act of running or working out, which is why the viewer should buy one of Dick's products.

Positive and Negative Space I think in this particular image it may be hard to officially define something as negative space, but if I were to choose I would say the space behind the man running would be negative space, just because its is more neutrally toned, so the negative space is not as bright as the positive space, which would be the space he fills. In addition, you could also say the negative space could be the colors behind the words because it is used to make those words stand out. Without the navy and bright green, it might be harder to see the words, which then would result in a loss of the message.

Rhythm and Movement What originally drew me to this image was the sense of movement with this man running. I personally am a runner, so I can understand the movement they are trying to create with him in this image. In addition, I think the decreasing size of the green negative space in the bottom left helps with the overall movement, as it shows the products decreasing in stock, hence urging the viewer to go and buy the products while they last.

[evankozierok]

I chose to look at something less explicitly commercial - the classic Obama "Hope" poster from his 2008 campaign. This poster doesn't explicitly argue "Vote for Obama", instead more implictly arguing that Obama is the hope for the future of America.

Dominance and Hierarchy The poster uses color and contrast to great effect, creating a stylized portrait of Obama using red, white (maybe more of a beige), and blue, traditional American and political colors. The white patch of his face is starkly visible, drawing attention to his face and powerful expression. In addition, you have the large word HOPE at the bottom drawing attention, creating a minimalist message.

Positive and Negative Space The poster has the blue and red negative space in the background, separated from the foreground by the dark blue outline of Obama's head and shoulders. This outline helps draw initial attention to the face despite the few colors in the palette. In addition, the colors of the background can be seen as a subtle message that Obama will unite Democrats (blue) and Republicans (red).

Rhythm and Movement This poster is not very heavy in specific movement, but you could consider the coloration choices. The lines on Obama's face form a sort of gradient creating a natural look for the face and helping draw attention to it. In addition, the limited color palette creates a certain unity to the poster as a whole.

[elisewebb6]

I found this image as I was watching people's stories on Instagram. This image is one of the ten posted posted on a girl's page in attempt to promote Take Back the Night chapter at Pitt. This chapter's goal is to spread awareness on sexual violence as well as support survivors. This picture attempts to display the reasons why someone who has been sexually abused may not speak and remain silent. It represents the stigmas associated with someone who is abused and vocalizes how it is often in our society that people will find a way to blame the victim.

Dominance and Hierarchy In the image the # Why I Didn't Report is in all capital letters and is enlarged compared to the other words. This intentionally draws viewers attention to the main theme of the picture. Also the contrast of the bright blue/green color of the girl's hair and eyeshadow compared to the other neutral colors used throughout also draws the viewers attention to the victim. This may have been purposefully done to represent that it is these victims of sexual abuse who need our attention and help. It creates this idea that sexual violence is something that everyone needs to be aware about.

Positive and Negative Space Majority of the images space is made up of numerous hands each covered with sentences questioning the victim. The overflow and crowdedness of the hands and words gives an almost overwhelming sense. This technique illustrates how the victim probably feels when he or she vocalizes/reports their abuse. There is a sense of anxiety or fear from the pressures of society. Also the # Why I Didn't Report is in the middle of a lot of negative space making it more attractive to the eye. This also contributes to why it draws the viewers attention to it.

Rhythm and Movement This overwhelming feeling can also be caused by the repetition and flowing rhythm of the hands. The varying sizes of the hands creates depth and an overlapping effect.

[ellagrant]

I chose to look at this flyer that is hanging up in my living room (one of my roommates received it at one of the religious demonstrations on campus). Although it's a relatively simple argument, it's an argument nonetheless. The words "God is reaching out to you" are straight-forward, matter-of-fact, and address the viewer directly. The hand, presumably the hand of God, is literally reaching out, the action matching the message. It is not didactic, but rather a statement.

Positive and Negative Space There is not a lot of negative space in this image because it is relatively uncluttered. The negative space exists behind the large, white lettering on the top of the image and in the bottom right corner. The dark, starry sky behind the words emphasizes the message. The framing of the negative space around the hand and the beam of light allows the hand to take precedence as well.

Dominance and Hierarchy This image is very balanced. The words "God" and "You" are written in larger font, allowing them to dominate. This makes sense considering the message. I think that placing the word "You" in the bottom and in larger font highlights that this image is directly addressing its audience and makes it feel more personal. The hand is also placed against a beam of light and is larger than the Earth, suggesting that God takes precedence or is in some way larger than the individual or humanity as a whole.

Rhythm and Movement While at first glance the image may appear static, the light beam behind the hand paired with the words "reaching out" suggest motion. We get the sense that the hand of God is literally coming towards us. The position of the hand and the fingers also suggests that the hand is in the midst of some motion- grabbing, perhaps, further emphasizing that God is "reaching out."

[KatelynKunzmann]

Positive and Negative Space The negative space in this ad feels to be the center of the photo, the booth seat. The picture isn't crowded with objects, colors, or words which gives it the feel of a negative space and is easy on the eyes. It's an image of an object/area where in real life we would ignore, therefore it gives our eyes a rest in that sense. Because of this, our focus goes directly to the liquid on the booth seat. Nothing is telling us what that liquid is, so it leaves it to the viewer to determine that, which engages an audience, effectively delivering their advertisement.

Dominance/Hierarchy The scale/size of the booth seat dominates the picture as well as the color. Because of the size of the booth seat, our focal point becomes the wet spot on the seat. The colors give off a diner vibe with an emphasis on the company's product, ketchup. It's a subtle way of establishing their name through such a dominant color. I would also add that through the means of not providing any context/information, but rather providing only an image of sweat on the booth seat, an aura of dominance prevails. It's kind of like telling the viewer they should have the knowledge of connecting the dots and realizing that their ketchup is so hot it will make you sweat.

Rhythm and Movement The picture uses less rhythm and movement than of the other attributes. The table's metal pattern provides the viewer with information about where the place is, a diner. The floor pattern does the same as well. The colors sort of provide a movement back through time helping the viewer maybe recall a memory of the last time they were at a diner such as this one and used Heinz ketchup.

[paullewis2013]

I had to search a bit for this one but I really wanted to find an album artwork cover to analyze Rhythm and Movement is probably the most important aspect of this design. The piano keys create a structure to the composition in which the normal progression of keys moving to the right builds in surprising ways indicating that the music, too, will break from patterns that you know and recognize to explore new areas. The image also plays with positive and negative space in a really creative way, using the black negative space to create the impression of the black keys on the piano keyboard. The dominance and hierarchy are important aspects of the piece as well. The dominance of objects on the right overshadows those on the left, creating a sense of moving forward towards a crescendo. The use of color also transforms the sharps and flats from simple negative space to vibrant colors just like the music may use non diatonic notes to create novel harmonies. The overall effect is to make the argument that the music of the album, like the composition will surprise and excite you in creative ways.