Visual vs. Symbolic Language: Economy

 Visuals:
On the edge of a cliff, a group of five people, both male and female, pull on a rope attached to a giant dollar sign. They attempt desperately, a look of strain on their bodies, as they pull to keep the money sign from falling off the cliff. The sun shines brightly behind them, transforming them, the cliff, and the dollar sign into silhouettes.

Responses/ Feelings:
Worry
Concern
Anxiety
Nervousness
Hope

Symbols:
Dollar sign = money
People = citizens of the United States
Cliff = economy's dangerous situation
Rope = struggle with the nations economy 
Sun = hope

The underlying compositional structure of this piece only enhances the responses and feelings experienced by the viewer. The struggle between the people and money sign on the edge of a cliff creates nervousness and concern in the viewer. The bright shining sun in the background arouses hope as if conveying a light at the end of the dark tunnel that is the country's recent struggle with the economy.

3 Levels of Meaning in Visual Communication Design

 

Ladyhawke is a pop rock singer-songwriter from New Zealand. She has released two studio albums as well as a special edition version of her first album. All three albums feature cover artwork by Sydney-based illustrator and painter Sarah Larnach. 

Representational

Many albums portray their main singer on the cover but Ladyhawke’s albums take it a step further. The illustrated watercolor artworks represent not just the singer but also the influences and feel of the songs on the album. The bright neon colors and retro gaming systems on the covers represent the 80’s, electronic influence of her songs. Her image represents her style and becomes a symbol seen on all her album and singles covers and gives way to abstractions of her image. All three work together to give a face and identity behind the beautiful melodies and hypnotizing voice heard in Ladyhawke’s songs.

Abstract

            The use of watercolor in the illustrations gives Ladyhawk’s image a dreamlike feel. Her signature messy blonde hair becomes a sea of yellow, brown, and red lines. The neon colors of the watercolor paint highlight her face, hair, and clothes. The backgrounds are all white, as she becomes an oasis of color in an otherwise blank, empty world. Her most recent album “Anxiety” features her with mini versions of her tangled in her hair. These abstractions further represent her image and sound and only enhance the singer’s symbolic status.

Symbolic

            Ladyhawke’s image becomes a recognizable symbol on each album. Her familiar baggy clothes, hypnotizing blue eyes, and tangled mess of long blonde hair become a familiar sight to the viewer. All the tiny women in the last image are easily recognizable as Ladyhawke due to her symbolic look, despite being tangled in her messy hair. Her symbolic status makes way for abstractions that further help to represent Ladyhawke’s signature sound and style. 

Symbolism

The Triquetra is a three-part interlocking fish symbol that symbolizes the Christian trinity. The word trinity comes from the Latin word "trintas" meaning "three are one." This is reference to the Christian belief that God is one Being made up of three distinct Persons; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The use of fish as symbols is also reference to the popular bible passage in which Jesus performs the miracle of feeding hundreds with just a few loaves of bread and fish. The fish has become a popular religious symbol, representing giving and generosity. The fish symbol would be easily recognizable to a practicing Christian and effective in its meaning and message.

Abstraction

The eyes of a character in a Japanese anime are less of an accurate representation and more of an abstraction of a real human eye. The animators usually elongate the iris and pupil of an eye to more of an oval shape rather than a circle.  The highlights and reflections seen on the eyes surface are usually emphasized and enlarged. The eyelids and eyelashes are reduced to bold, angled lines that frames and holds everything together. Also, a character is usually drawn with their eyes taking up at least half of their face, which in turn abstracts the over all representation of a human face. Even with all this abstraction, the viewer is still given enough information and details to recognize this as a human eye.

Representation

The design of a standard corded computer mouse represents the movement and form of that of a real mouse. The design is used for both expressive and functional purposes. The long cord not only allows for use of the device at a comfortable distance from a computer, but also reminds the user of the long tail of a mouse. The clicking sound and scrolling noise also reminds the user of the small noises a real mouse would make while scurrying around at night. The design mostly relies on the viewers own experiences or knowledge of real mice in order to recognize the similarities. There is both usefulness and charm in the design and functionality of the computer mouse.