My selection for this week's blog post is this scene from McCloud:
In the scene, he talks about how words and pictures could be used together and what effects come from the combination. I chose this scene because I think it is a perfect example of the power of multimedia and conveying messages. I never realized before how words and pictures could be used as complements and enhance a singular message. I never really stopped to think about it before, although I probably have seen many examples of how words and pictures were combined just so in order to make me think or feel a certain way. My example is this Lego advertisement:
The ad is simple. A small red Lego block and a slightly larger black Lego block with the sentence, "Imagine a Children's story" next to the Lego logo. The picture of the Lego blocks are slightly larger than the words, so it places focus first on the toy. Then we see the sentence and that's when we start thinking about the toy and what the two blocks are supposed to represent. From McCloud's reading I would label this word/picture combo as "Interdependent" as I believe the picture and words need each other to send the message. Otherwise, it just seems like a couple of Lego blocks or some vague sentence. But together, it makes me think of how playing with Legos is using your imagination and how fun that it can be. The ad simply but effectively illustrates Lego's message that their toy inspires and fuels imaginations of those who play with them. Through this simple ad, I could totally imagine "Little Red Riding Hood." In fact, I no longer see the Lego blocks, but a little girl and a big scary bad wolf. I am reminded of my younger cousins and how much fun they have while playing with Legos.
Nor did I realize the many different ways that words and pictures could be combined and used to elicit a different feeling. For me, it was very surprising to see the many different ways that you could use words to describe a drawn scene or vice versa. I guess it also depends on what you want to focus on. I have also realized that thinking visually is not always about what looks pretty or the most attractive, but how do these different elements relate to one another and what message are they trying to send? Knowing how word/picture combos work now, I can better fashion an image that uses both to convey the message that I wanted to convey. I will keep these word/picture combos in mind in this upcoming Photoshop project.
4 comments:
Hey Whitney. :) First off, I just wanted to say, I really enjoy and appreciate how in depth you think about these prompts, just as I'm sure you also do in everything else. I, too, underestimated the power of the word/picture combination and how that can illicit a very specific feeling that we may not even be fully aware of. I think the same thing can apply to, say, a music video, or a youtube video that has a picture set to the entire length of a tune. Chances are, there is no way we would have the same perceptive experience if the two didn't serve to compliment one another and existed only as stand-alone. It's pretty cool actually. Thanks for your thoughts as usual. :)
Hey Whitney! I liked the interpretation you had of the Lego ad. You really "red" into the possible nuances based on color and placement. I wouldn't have had that thought! It goes to show also that text and image doesn't always transfer the same. There is no concrete formulaic result that will be produced by certain combination of image and text.
Your words: "I have also realized that thinking visually is not always about what looks pretty or the most attractive, but how do these different elements relate to one another and what message are they trying to send?" struck a chord with me! This is definitely a huge realization! I ask myself this question all of the time. Attractiveness is a conveyable trait that goes toward a theme too. For a fashion ad, attractiveness is probably a good thing, same with an architectural firm or something. But if the ad is about medical development or engineering, we would probably want to see a very clean, professional look to it. But I've also seen some fashion ads that are beyond disturbing, the edgier ones, where the models look like men and look like they want to hurt you, because they are too cool for school. But the photography is good. So there's that... It all overlaps and there is really no clear cut line between purely attractive and the function of being an attractive ad versus another type.
I'm going to use the same words Natalie picked out of your writing, "I have also realized that thinking visually is not always about what looks pretty or the most attractive, but how do these different elements relate to one another and what message are they trying to send?" because it also struck a chord with me. I used the word 'holistic' in my piece to describe the same concept; however, I think your words describe it much more effectively. I wonder the extent of intention by authors for their pieces. In a classic novel, do the clouds rolling in necessarily reflect an existential crisis impending, or could perhaps the author just like rain? To what extent do multimedia designers engineer each aspect of the piece? Do these designers simultaneously weave rhetoric, font, color schema, etc seamlessly? I would guess that each piece is learned and practiced then used primarily subconsciously.
Post a Comment