reading post #5

Psychogeography, according to its founder Guy Debord, is “the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals”. It combines subjective and objective knowledge and studies. Psychogeography overlaps mental maps, having subjective analysis-mental reaction to neighbourhood behaviors related to geographic location. It encompasses diverse activities that raise awareness of the natural and cultural environment. “in discovering a small world we discover the whole world.” (Bill Humber)
The video TED gives a new manifesto to the map. I am so impressed by the imagery technology and augmented reality. Network with Flickr and video camera supports a fantastic possibility of a brand new future of mapping. This new imagery tracking and three dimensional simulation system has something overlapping the Psychogeography. Psychogeography mapping relies on the mental reaction/emotions to a place or the surrounding environment. The new research provides a more realistic and imagery vision to the viewer. Visual reading is more likely trigger an emotional reaction and provides a more specific measurement than a flat abstract map. Thus, I think, the new imagery tracking mapping method could be seen as a sort of psychogeography. Images provided by flickr comes from the people who has been there before, therefore, it’s about a personal experience and memory to a place.

reading post #4

I feel the second reading Robert E. Horn’s Visual Language is more appealing to me since two articles talk about pretty much same content: Visual Language/ visualization/mapping information. Robert used more images and shapes to interpret his theory: visual language is an integration of words, images, and shapes into a single communication unit. Text, images, and shapes cannot stand alone as visual language. Indeed, his article is more easily understood and remembered than the first one, which only contains few images.
Compared with Edward, Robert points out that shapes is another element which works effectively to drive reader’s attention to a certain sequence that the author designed. I also feel that arrows and lines are helpful for clarifying and managing messages in a short time.
In Edward’s article, I am impressed by his Vietnam Veterans Memorial example. Visitors take a visual measurement, what 58,000 means, when they look at the name of 58,000 dead soldiers’ name arrayed on the black granite yields. Each individual name makes a mark adding up the total amount.
Visual language is more powerful than works or images working alone. Biologically, our brain processes image much faster and effective than reading. We don’t even really to read an image when we collecting the basic information from an image such like the size of an image or what color it is. But we have to read every single word and analyse whether these words make any sense. And image has larger capacity of information and could be more detail than verbal paragraphs.

reading post #3

Matthew’s It Looks Like You’re Writing a Letter is really dry and long. Microsoft Word is a word-processing program in Microsoft’s office package. Matthew points out that not only users shape and innovate the program; the program also affects users invisibly. “I am currently typing these notes using Word to get a feeling for the critique. It is supplied by my university as standard issue as part of a suite of Microsoft products.” “Word is intentionally over-complicated given what it sets out to facilitate, providing a surplus of functionality and of course surplus value for Microsoft.” Microsoft office series as the mainstream software gradually trained computer users live with Office, and “force” users treat it as fundamental computer using skills because they have no chance to use other similar programs.
Miller interpreted rhythm science as mixture and creation from the flow of patterns in sound. Technology provides access for artist to mix ideas and objects to create something new, expressive, and endlessly variable. Technology works as a bridge bringing artist outside information and triggering ideas and critical thinking. Working with sound is same as working with other media.

Critique on Tuesday

I chose black, white, and red as my main color palette for this assignment. I have no technical problems, but the critique pointed out that my design and content do not go along with each other. I used Shel Silverstein’s poetry Messy Room. The poem is one huge metaphor relevant to life and the manner in which it is lived. It’s also humorous as it mirrors the average teenagers’ lifestyle.
I did not really think about the relationship between the content and design. Like said, I did not think about why it’s horror when I make the first one look like a horror movie flyer. I just go as far as my idea goes. Nothing went beyond that. Maybe subconsciously I felt messy room is a horrible experience and bad living manner but I cannot get rid of this habit.
For the second one, many felt that the Aladdin Genie Lamp down on the bottom is interesting and eye-catching. The text messy room which was written over the lamp is the only one easily read text. Someone pointed out that put an image of messy room in the context can make the text and design more connected. Without breaking the pure black background, I put an image of my room overlays the background white text. Through the text, people can have a limited view of a messy room, but it’s hard to tell what’s really inside the room. The image decreases the color contrast but strengthen the theme.

reading post #2

People don’t often realize how fonts guide their readings unless they work in the printing, design, or publishing industries, where they need to think and talk with fonts. But ironically fonts are incredibly influential and almost invisible at the same time. Readers are psychologically manipulated by fonts and unconsciously categorized the information they read by fonts. For example, newspapers or textbooks will choose classical fonts like Time New Roman or Calibri for their text. Its elegant serifs and proportions exuded authority. Comparatively, people rarely read the text which is set in Comic Sans, with its childish softness and bulbous loops.
Decades after the original Macintosh fonts have been created, typeface strengthened its territory very fast through the internet. Computer users almost deal with spelling fonts every day. They choose fonts to write emails, type papers, make powerpoints, almost everything they do when they need to type a letter. New typeface has been created everyday, how to choose appropriate fonts to achieve your purpose become critical. For example, I like small fonts and old style text like Time New Rome, Arial or Calibri. Some of websites (can be business or artistic) choose to use very big and overwhelming fonts (bold/handwriting style/harsh edges/wide). These kind of typefaces make me feel heavy and distractive from the content, and I certainly won’t stay long on those pages unless if I was asked to do so. For the aspect of design, sometimes text can be powerful weapon for the artists. Many artists choose to write text on their work especially for the artists work with new media (graphic design or photography). Text will clarify your theme. Even a short text can dramatically change your work’s looking. Therefore, fonts are important.

reading post #1

The Garden of Forking Paths response
This reading is very confusing and totally a torture to me not only because I’m bad at words but it’s a genre like detective story, a genre that need clue gathering and puzzle resolving, which I rarely read and I am not patient with. (I am the kind of people who read the first three chapters of the detective novel then directly jump to the last three. Middle part is always the last one. XD)
I read three times and finally figured out what this story talks about and the connection to the hypertext. The story is first point of view, which add mysterious smell to the storyline because of the background of the leading character—Tsun. Reader will not realize the protagonist is a spy if they see through a spy’s view. Besides, the infinite/endless book idea is very interesting. When the time element has been added to the three dimensional world, time slip will make every single alternative point has its own multiple choices and can be chose simultaneously, and thus the story goes to infinite endings. The structure is pretty much look like a tree: each single branch has its own several sub branches, and sub branches also will have their own sub-sub ones. Internet hypertext works in the same way because every message online can be searched and connect to others, the connection lines will go infinite.