visual comunication

Historical

 

the literal; What do i see?:
i can see a cave painting detailing a cow like animal in motion, it's an ancient cave painting left by a distant ancestor of the human race

The abstract; the hidden images within it?:
it could have been used to remind hunters what to hunt, or just an early for of expressionism

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?:
aside from portrayal of anatomy, there is not much hidden within this picture.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?:
the image just shows a cow like animal, there is no meaning behind it.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagry?:
i doubt the artist had colour in mind when he/she created it as it's just outlines showing the beast.

 

the literal; What do i see?:
i see one of the famous images taken on the first moon landing, it shows Neil Armstrong  as he stands upon the surface looking towards the camera

The abstract; the hidden images within it?:
not exactlly hidden meaning, but if you see the reflection you can see buzz alderan along with the Apollo lander.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?:

the suits designed for the mission to the moon were created especially with the astronauts in mind.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?:
it shows as a massive testament to the human race as the first time that we ever reached a non terrestrial ground

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagry?:
well, colour doesn't really come into this equation the moon's pretty white 'n' stuff, but the flag of united states says enough.

 

the literal; What do i see?:
i see hyroglyphics on a wall, which is the langauge (in writing) of ancient egypt. it's quite a complicated typeface.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?:
thers nothing but probably a translation, i unfortunatelly do not speak ancient egyptian, so i cannot translate it.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?:
nothing really here to do with science, just history.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?:
this was a type of writing in ancient egypt

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagry?:
the colour is nothing but that of the rocks, though there are more elaborate coloured hyroglyphics, this one is not one of them, Yikes!

 

the literal; What do i see?:
i see an japanese arch standing over a large amount of various wreckege, whilst the background is also blanketed in smoke.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?:
the only hidden image would be background information, this is an archway that stood surveying a destroied landscape after the first wartime detonition of a nuclear missile in japan.
this image is symbolic in showing the devestation that it can cause.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?:
these are effects caused by nuclear stikes in the hiroshima area of japan during world war 2.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?:
it's just goes to reitirate the destructive force of the human race, and serves as a constant reminder at the pure inhumanity that nuclear weapons can cause

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagry?:
it's a black and white photograph.. what colour am i supposed to talk about here?

 

the literal; What do i see?:
i see a man standing infront of a line of tanks on a deserted road.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?:
this image shows that to get a point across you only need one person to show it.
even in irrefutable odds

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?:
it shows the fight or flight instinct at it's finest, when many other protestors at the scene left when the military was called in, one man stood stronge for his belief.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?:
the image shows that a mans actions can say a lot more than any fight.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagry?:
again, these colour questions in this history section, i have to answer them, but there is no colour to assit anything, i guess the tanks, but the visual imagery is not assisted in the slightest.

the literal; What do i see?:
men standing behind a fallen wall that is heavily gratified and others attempting to remove it.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?:
for this bit, i honestly have no idea what to put, i should just do best to mention that it is during the fall of the berlin wall.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?:
not really much science here as with any other of the images.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?:
as previously stated, this was during the fall of the berlin wall, that was broken down post world war 2, to many it signified freedom from oppression across the globe from onlookers who watched the event on television.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagry?:
black and white image, no colour to speak of.

urban signs and symbols

the literal; What do i see?:
i see a triangle with a lump like shape, underneath i see a sign with the word "hump" boldly printed onto it.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?:
the meaning of this sign is a road bump, warning users of an oncoming speed bump.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?:
aside from the colour usage, no i doubt it, but that's a topic i intend to cover in a short while

social&cultural; what does the image mean?:
it's meant to warn road users of oncoming road bumps, to wich they will hopefully be wary and slow down.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?:
the red triangle is used to grasp your attention, it's also simplistic yet recognisable, it can be easily seen when driving.

the literal; What do i see?:

a triangle with a bright colour contrasted by black, there is segments of a circle and also sharp looking shapes pointing out in symmetry

The abstract; the hidden images within it?:

it looks quite, well, ominous.

a very obscure symbol that sort of feels unsafe.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?:

it's probably just my perspective, but i think that is sort of plays off of human instincts and looks threatening. 

social&cultural; what does the image mean?:

the image is used for biohazard warnings, used to show that there could be a serious risk to safety.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagry?:

the colour, black on yellow, is by no means a natural combination, so it seems to be almost threatening, if they had used red like other signs i dont think that i would have gotten the point across, because these two colours contrast so much that it's obvious that there is some large meaning there.

the literal; What do i see?:

i see a blue box like shape with a gradient, accompanied by a noticeable white 'f'

The abstract; the hidden images within it?:

there is not image behind it, (admittedly,  this would have been more suited to 'media' or 'interactive media' imagery, but I felt that it has become such a cultural icon that it could be used in urban signs.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?:

no science, only Facebook.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?:

it's basically a logo for a site, not much else.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagry?:

the blue contrasts against the white, both are cool colours so they seem almost re-assuring against each other.

the literal; What do i see?: i see a bunch of irregular shapes against a broken surface within a red warning triangle

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: no, it's a simple sign used for identification by drivers

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: aside from geometry, none.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: the image is a warning sign (as with all triangular/red rimmed signs on roads,
it warns that there is a chance of falling rocks.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?:
the black stands out well against the white, and the red boarder makes it standout and catch the eye

the literal; What do i see?: a box with some graphic up top and the red ringed and eye catching number 30 underneath.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: none, as with all, if not most street signs they have to be basic to be easily understood by drivers glancing at them

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: it means that for a stretch of road there are traaffic cameras spread out, and that you should keep to 30 miles per hour.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?:
the black is well defined against it's white background, and the red catches the eye. wheras the blue is usefull for breaking apart.

the literal; What do i see?:
i see a sharp and hazardous looking triangle with a jolted zig-zaging arrow pointing downwards

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: no.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: no

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: the sign warns of possible danger by execution and that the area is hazardous

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery : the yellow is a very vivid and odd colour to see and poses as a more hazardous colour (in the same way that a colour full insect can often be poisonous)

typography:

the literal; What do i see?: letters and words arranged to form a top hat

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: it's actually an advert for a film

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: not really.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: to go and see the martin Scorsese film: gangs of new york

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery : the dark red and faded/pale brown background work well together and are both more ominous colours when combined together in this way.

the literal; What do i see?: a helmet of a stormtrooper from starwars made out of type/text

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: aside from severeal events/things from starwars there is no hidden meaning from it.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: nor is there anything scientific about it.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: the image is a clever peice of work which uses characters/events/themes from starwars to create an iconic character/mask from the series using them

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery :
the image only uses tones to work on more detailed parts of the helmet, although it does make heavy usage of negative space leaving the veiwer to gill in the gaps to create the full image.

the literal; What do i see?: i see a representation of the london tower bridge comprised of letters

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: it's words that describe things in and around london

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: no.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: the image is more art for tourists or something of the sort, it represents the tower bridge (one of the more iconic landmarks of london) comprised of other landmarks.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery : the colour stands well against the black background and encompasses all the various base colours of the bridge itself.

the literal; What do i see?: a motorbike comprised of letters and numbers

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: no, there aren't coherent words, it is simply strains of letters strung together.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: usage of white-space

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: it means nothing but motorbike

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery : there is a large emphasis of negative space, the bike is only given substance through the letters and so is any shading aside from the shadow the bike casts.

the literal; What do i see?:  a child like figure standing atop a pile to look at what is presumably a scorpian dangling from a string (badass!)

The abstract; the hidden images within it?:  the pile he is standing on is actually words. (i'll give you a minute to take that in, shocking, i know.)
they all come together to say "whats the worst thing to lose as we get older? our hair, our teeth, our curiosity?" and the child is being curious as flip

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: nothing but i suppose it uses heavily on the idea of negative space.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: it says that as you grow older, you should remain young at heart.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: not much here to do with colour, it's more a case of white on black, but the dangling scorpion (badass!) is red, giving it a sense of danger, but in the b

the literal; What do i see?: the image of a cigarette comprised of words.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?:  it says no smoking all over it, and it's obviously a ploy to get people to consider quitting.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: no.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: the image is advertising for a more personal reason, trying to get people to quit their smoking, by using easy to notice advertising like this, in hopes of leaving the message on the subconscious level of someone, influencing them to quit.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: the colours are that of a cigarette, from the grey ash tip, the white stalky body and the orange/brown filter

colour:

the literal; What do i see?: a bunch of boxes of many colours

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: one box shines out against the rest as it as is at the top and white.
this could have a racist meaning, or more likely to be an individual within other invididuals.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: no.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: nothing

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery : the colours are very vibrant but when that reaches the horizon of the image it looses that and drops colour for tone

the literal; What do i see?: a landscape picturesplit int to different sections

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: it shows how the seasons can change.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: aside from anything to do with weather/climate, no.
and No! I will not be detailing climate and weather, go away.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: it's more a pretty image than anything

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery : the colours are those inherrent to the different seasons.
panel 1: has a light green tint that signifies a fresh world as it is often seen during spring
panel 2: the colour are more dark yet still vibrant and lush as it seen in the pinacle of the year, summer.
panel 3: the colour is yellow to orange, the time of year when leaves die out, and days grow darker in autumn/fall
panel 4: the white crispness against the light blue shows a feeling of cold as it displays winter.

the literal; What do i see?:  a selection of four leaves each showcasing a different phase in their life cycles

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: from a pretentious art viewpoint it shows how we too start off young and frail (please, never make me be like that again)

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: the way that the leaves decay from its lively state

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: just a change of seasons

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery : the colours grow from a fresh, green leaf through to a amber/red tipped leaf to the decayed old brown leaf on the far right. it shows a harmonic scale of nature.

the literal; What do i see?: i see a wooded area and a man made path that is being towered over by the large bamboo stalks.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: none aside from a possible tranquility of nature, and although as humans we have overcome nature to our knowledge, it still towers over us.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?:
nothing apart from nature, and no, i will not document how nature works, unless you feel like reading a series of encyclopedias that will progress into spiteful anger as i trudge my way through the work bit by bit.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: this is the same as i have stated in "the abstract"

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: the colours in this image are a blend of the darker greens and lighter greens, all accompanied by the contrasting colour red/brown that is on the bottom that no doubt is a fence for the man made path.

the literal; What do i see?:  a hallway from the game "doom" with an emphasis on rusted-metal gridding and stone textures.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: not in this image no.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: aside from possibly it being one of the founding fathers of the fps genre of games or that it has a fancy-dancy programming inside of it, there is no science behind it.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: there is no cultural meaning apart from the fact that if you play this game you are DOOOOOOMED!!! (to keep playing it)

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: the colour the image capitalizes on is a very dark and grim one, heavily utilizing dark browns, greys and reds to give off a eerie feeling, it accomplishes this very well with the lighting in the right places such as the glowing eyes of the skull.

the literal; What do i see?:  a screenshot from the game "mad world" on the wii, it has a heavily styalized design aspect and the whole game is done as such. we see a heavily build man holding presumably what looks to be a hear that i most likely from the guy behind with the large blood splatter on his chest.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: not really, as most of the time, screenshots from games are not a single developed thing, as that falls to the duty of the whole game, allthough there can be elements in some images within the game (satirical joke/mock adverts and billboards throught a city(gta)) this one however, does not hold any meaning behind it.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: blood comes from people!

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: violence can be awesome and stylish

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: this was what i wanted to do for this image!

the colour is very plain, with nothing at all except for black and white to define everything sort of like a Japanese manga book.
allthough this makes the only colour used obvious and glaring, and that is the blood.
it practically coats everything around it and puts the Awe in Some

propaganda and advertising: 

the literal; What do i see?:  i see three pigs all sharing aspects of leaders within the axis of evil during world war 2. 

The abstract; the hidden images within it?:  its propoganda against them, portraying them as pigs and not men, and that they needed to be killed.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: what science is there in war time propoganda? i ask ye'.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: it means that these three pigs/men are, well, pigs. that they are evil people and are threats to whichever country drummed this up within the allies.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: its all black and white.. or sepia i guess, theres nothing to do with colour here... nope.

the literal; What do i see?:  i spy with my little computer moniter.. a large semicircle with an odd sort of structure connected to it as it seems to be shooting above in the sky against the clouds.

of course, i know better and it's actually the U.S.S. enterprise of startrek with the iconic phrase "boldly go" of the seires ever continuous motto "to boldly go where no one has gone before.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?:  although based entirely on a tv show it would be an attempt to entice people into joining the federations star-fleet. 

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?:  that space ships are absolutely awesome.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?:  it means join the good guys in explorin' space and having awesome in your life.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: the colours are very definitive of propaganda  they are more designed to be glanced at, with some snappy colours for some parts (the red) and also more pale ones for a background such as the blue sky, though this isn't always true, but propaganda hardly uses the colour white, and mostly beige instead. (unless it's a flag LIKE THE US and A)

the literal; What do i see?: the face of obama with the large superimposed letters: "HOPE" on infront.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: it was used as a voting advert/propoganda poster that signified that obama would bring hope to america, as well as the iconic phrase change.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: it's more a simple image that you are supposed to glance at and notice more with your own curiosity. this way it's more ingrained upon the memory.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: it means that supposedlly Obama is hope for america, and will change it.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: the colour is simple and the shading is done using darker tones as well as red amongst the blue.

as expected of american propoganda, the colours are red white and blue.

the literal; What do i see?: a bottle of cocacola comprised of cultural and historical icons/celebrities.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: all the things that make up the bottle are, yep, you guessed it, things that are not only incredibly famous, but are still famous and known today, such as the beatles, maralyn monroe, apple pie and elvis.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: no, unless you want whats in coca cola

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: it means that coca cola will never go out of fashion and will always continue to sell...you could have stopped it, but now the corporate machine has taken over.. it is already too late, all hope is lost.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: the colours are more based on the colours that are iconic to coke itself. which is red white and black (somehow, the nazi's also liked this colour scheme.. coincidence? i think not)

the literal; What do i see?: some hilariously racist depiction of japan trying to attack Alaska  only to be met with the military mousetrap.

not that racism is good, but this wartime racism is just fantastically funny.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: it's saying that japanese are rats (which are bad/spreaders of illnesses and ailments) and that the military can easily deter them from attacks (hahah pearl harbour much!)

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: nothing apart from war time tactics i guess.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: that america can and will repel japan from mainland attacks on the USA

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: again with the american propaganda style, it heavily uses the Red white and blue colour scheme that their flag dons, it even goes so far as to add stars in. the only thing that doesn't follow this scheme (aside from the black outlines, is the grey coloured rat that represents japan.

optical illusions and visual effects.

the literal; What do i see?: i see a tiger against a forest 

The abstract; the hidden images within it?:  within the tigers stripes it says "the hidden tiger"

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: it's more an issue of the veiwer not noticing the illusion at first, as those who are familliar with tigers will not stop to inspect the stripes

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: the only thing i can see this displaying is that we often overlook the smaller details.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: the colours aren't really a factor, but the orange tiger does stand out from the background as it is a warm colour against the colder ones of blue and green.

the literal; What do i see?: i see the portrait of two elderly people staring at each other... BUT WAIT! it's actually mexico.. But WAIT AGAIN! it's also a candle stick.

it appears my eyes deceive me too well.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?:  it is all of those things, the main drawing  is evidently the two mexican men who seem to be having a real laugh/siesta. but their elements comprise together in creating the more noticeable image of two heads, and those siluoettes create a vase in between.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: not that i am aware of.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: nothing aside from the fact that you could overlook some details.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: the colours of the image that creates the Mexican scene is linked in colour to the old couple, they are tan, to link with the face.

whereas the vase as to stand out, uses an unused colour so that it may be apparent.

the literal; What do i see?: i see a funky collection of  stairs broken up all over the place leading in places that physics cannot.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: well, the planes of reality are completely broken, you do not know which perspective you are looking at, and essentially, the image you view is different from every view.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: it's a bizarre twist of perspective, you don't know where you're looking and it's disorientating.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: none, or at least i think so, i am not an expert on mc.ecsher

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: there isn't colour, it's tone based.

the literal; What do i see?:  i see a female figure spinning clockwise... or was it counterclockwise?

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: it changes around without actually changing around and it is again, to do with perspective.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: nope.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: there are often more ways of looking at things other than the first.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: it's just tones.

the literal; What do i see?: 6 rings inside each other that seem to move when the eyes change position

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: it appears in motion when the gaze is altered.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: the way the rings have curved contrasting colours in them effects the way our eyes see them.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: n/a

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: the colours are gradients of green and one of purple, each of them contrast heavily against the other and that makes each of them stand out against the opposite.

the literal; What do i see?: i see two batmans, but i also see wolverine

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: the two batmans work as one in the image to become wolverine.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: not really, but i would say that  the symmetry works to make the image complete

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: nothing, it's just pretty cool

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: the colours are black for batman (the dark knight) but yellow for the remainder of it is yellow, as this is the way that wolverine appears.

interactive media

the literal; What do i see?: i see a man standing near a tree, with a large blue bar interface curved around him detailing actions that he is capable of doing.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: none that i am aware of.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: 

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: also, none that i am aware of

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: well, the colours used are more used to be pleasing to the eye, the light blue and dark blue work together as being the same base colour in the colour wheel, they are able to mix perfectly.

the red and blue icons indicate that the players traits in those individual aspects are good or high (player does not need to sleep(green), but does need to eat(red))

the literal; What do i see?:  i see a group of military figures brandishing melee weapons. acompaning this is the HUD on the bottom sowing health and score.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: nothing, it's just a design for an fps game

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: nope.

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: you can have honorable wars i guess?

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: the colours in the interface are red and blue, seeing as the center looks as it it's a score, this would lead you to beleive that they are the individual teams, and that the player, happens to be on the blue team, as indicated by his player icon on the bottom left.

the colours contrast against each other and as you can see on the characters above, it's clearly possible to tell which player is on which team.

the literal; What do i see?: a phone with some stylized icons for time, weather and applications.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: none, it's an interface.

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: besides the mechanisms of the phone itself and the programming behind it, there is no science.

maybe there was some R&D to see what the consumer found appealing and what was useful, but i dont think that's necessary to detail

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: nothing

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: the theme of the interface is dark and this allows some aspects to stand out more.

this is obviously a theme set by the user and it probably has more themes that can be used.

the literal; What do i see?: i see an application that plays videos, and has all the essentials for general video play.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: no

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: nope

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: nadda

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: the frame is white and there is little colour outside the follume bar on the bottom right.

the literal; What do i see?:  i see the google home page (now ingrained within everyone in the first world)

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: whats that text i see in the middle? oh nothing.. never mind, no abstract meanings

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: it's a search engine that searches the internet for sources and documents, it makes browsing the web easy and accessible. 

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: nope.

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: the whole page is white apart from the logo,  which comprises of all the primary colours, and also green snuck in there too (silly green, you're a secondary colour.)

the bar at the top sticks out aswel, as it;s the only thing that has a darker section on the page.

the literal; What do i see?: i see the youtube video player, with its scrolling recommended video playlist, it's actions on the top, and ofcourse the ever faithful video bar at the bottom.

The abstract; the hidden images within it?: nope

scientific; is there any science behind the image itself?: nope

social&cultural; what does the image mean?: and nope

colour; how does the colour effect the visual imagery?: the colours.. or only colour used (red) works against the glack/grey/white interface at defining the individual elements, such as loaded stream, or the replay button.
this is more for recognisability more than anything,