Communication Model
Concept
I believe the idea is to take a relatively difficult to follow collection of information and presenting it in an image using techniques to make it more interesting and attention grabbing. We’re intended to illustrate the model of communication in a way that’s visually appealing but still readable and clean.
I believe the idea is to take a relatively difficult to follow collection of information and presenting it in an image using techniques to make it more interesting and attention grabbing. We’re intended to illustrate the model of communication in a way that’s visually appealing but still readable and clean.
Rough Drafts
I drew out this concept for my first communication model in my sketchbook. It didn't
have a clear design at this point, and was mainly drawn to help me get a better idea of
how to arrange the information I had to convey.
I made this image slightly bigger than the others due to the thin linework.
It's a bit easier to see this way.
This image was a more condensed version of the hand-drawn sketch in my book, and has a
circular shape and movement to it. The colors are displayed on a simple background, and
each symbol in the central image is the same color as its description outside the blue border.
I wasn't quite sure what to do with the text at this point, so I spaced it in the negative area
around the central image.
This image is the same from the one above, and the draft is mostly identical except that the
text is placed beneath the graphic and arranged in a more grid-like pattern.
For a change of pace, I made an image entirely out of linework and vectors. I was actually quite
fond of the color scheme and the bubble pattern for the background, but I felt that this style was
a little bland compared to the earlier drafts.
Final Draft
For my final graphic, I used the second image as the base for my final draft due to the much less
confusing orientation of the text down at the bottom. I was also fond enough of the bubble pattern
from the third draft to make a similar background for this image.
I am proud of how this came out; the colors are bright and the images playful, but I feel that they
don't overwhelm the text too much.
Final Reflection (Answering Questions)
1. Describe the creative process and how your brainstorming, graphic design research and development of multiple of concepts helped you to create your final piece. Mention any alternatives you considered and why you went in the direction you chose.
==> The infographics that I found gave me a good insight on what kind of format and color scheme I wanted to use, as I noticed that cool, somewhat pastel colors with bold text and simple drawings or images were the easiest for me to follow. I particularly liked the way the little pictures in some of the infographics helped to lessen the weight of all the text, but they weren’t so distracting that you couldn’t properly read it. The “Breakdown of an Average Student Budget” infographic was one I particularly looked to for some basic guidelines, since when I read it I was surprised to find that I wasn’t overwhelmed by the cascades of text. I wanted a simple format, and my initial model was broken into a top and bottom section with small amounts of text, but I wasn’t entirely satisfied with it. At first, I couldn’t really find a way to fluently convey the information that I wanted to, but after seeing the graph that Mr. Chad made, I was able to map out my ideas a lot more easily. In the end, the flow of the model ended up being sort of a combination between the arrows and setup of Mr. Chad’s infographic with some of the roundness and images of the “Breakdown” infographic, with a lot of my own style employed to tie everything together.
2. Make an artistic analysis of the final image utilizing design terminology. Write about composition, balance, repetition, flow, focal points and emphasizing elements, positive negative shape interaction, etc.
==> I think the infographic is well balanced, and having the text below the model certainly improved this aspect from its predecessor, which had the text sort of sprayed around the model in an awkward manner. The graph achieves the legato rhythm that I had intended for it, with a touch of staccato in the “noise” bubble, which is intentional to show a disruption of steady flow. The “noise” bubble is actually somewhat of a focal point, which bothers me, because it is not meant to be the center of the piece, but I think the “source” and “receiver” people drawings manage to take some of the focus away from center bubble. “CONTEXT” and “THE COMMUNICATION MODEL” also appear to be focal points, so the “noise” bubble is evened out enough by other areas of emphasis. In other notes, the style of this poster is informal and playful, but still readable and sufficiently professional; it ended up looking like something you might see on the wall of a high school classroom.
3. Make a value judgment of the final image. Is it successful in conveying the communication process? Is it successful in capturing your artistic intent? If so, how? If not, what could have been better or different?
==> I think this image does a good job of conveying the communication process, and it came out almost precisely how I wanted it to. The images are cute enough to fit my style, but clean enough not to distract from the rest of the model. I think though, that the text in the model is not appropriately sized to correctly convey importance. It would require me to reshape most of the diagram, but if I was to go back and edit this, I would try to make “noise” smaller and “source” and “receiver” bigger. I may have also darken the shade of orange on “noise” slightly, to make it easier to read against the greenish background in the bottom, but other than that, I don’t have many complaints about it. I think this design is quite satisfactory, and accomplishes what I intended it to very well.
4. Comment on what you learned through this design process and whether you think it was helpful or a waste of time or a little of both. What would you do the same and what would you do differently?
==> Never when we do an assignment do I think that any part of the process was a waste of time. Through this project, I gained a lot of knowledge and experience regarding the construction of visual models, the balancing of text and images, selecting a optically non-offensive color scheme, and conveying information in a concise and attractive way. My skills with the pen tool have also been further sharpened, and I’m starting to learn some more techniques for delicately dressing up a piece that doesn’t need a lot of garnish but simply seems to be missing something. I really liked this assignment, and I found that, as always, the feedback from Mr. Chad and the rest of the class helped me forward my understanding and success. I feel that in regards to accomplishing the intended purpose of an assignment, this infographic is one of my best products so far.
1. Describe the creative process and how your brainstorming, graphic design research and development of multiple of concepts helped you to create your final piece. Mention any alternatives you considered and why you went in the direction you chose.
==> The infographics that I found gave me a good insight on what kind of format and color scheme I wanted to use, as I noticed that cool, somewhat pastel colors with bold text and simple drawings or images were the easiest for me to follow. I particularly liked the way the little pictures in some of the infographics helped to lessen the weight of all the text, but they weren’t so distracting that you couldn’t properly read it. The “Breakdown of an Average Student Budget” infographic was one I particularly looked to for some basic guidelines, since when I read it I was surprised to find that I wasn’t overwhelmed by the cascades of text. I wanted a simple format, and my initial model was broken into a top and bottom section with small amounts of text, but I wasn’t entirely satisfied with it. At first, I couldn’t really find a way to fluently convey the information that I wanted to, but after seeing the graph that Mr. Chad made, I was able to map out my ideas a lot more easily. In the end, the flow of the model ended up being sort of a combination between the arrows and setup of Mr. Chad’s infographic with some of the roundness and images of the “Breakdown” infographic, with a lot of my own style employed to tie everything together.
2. Make an artistic analysis of the final image utilizing design terminology. Write about composition, balance, repetition, flow, focal points and emphasizing elements, positive negative shape interaction, etc.
==> I think the infographic is well balanced, and having the text below the model certainly improved this aspect from its predecessor, which had the text sort of sprayed around the model in an awkward manner. The graph achieves the legato rhythm that I had intended for it, with a touch of staccato in the “noise” bubble, which is intentional to show a disruption of steady flow. The “noise” bubble is actually somewhat of a focal point, which bothers me, because it is not meant to be the center of the piece, but I think the “source” and “receiver” people drawings manage to take some of the focus away from center bubble. “CONTEXT” and “THE COMMUNICATION MODEL” also appear to be focal points, so the “noise” bubble is evened out enough by other areas of emphasis. In other notes, the style of this poster is informal and playful, but still readable and sufficiently professional; it ended up looking like something you might see on the wall of a high school classroom.
3. Make a value judgment of the final image. Is it successful in conveying the communication process? Is it successful in capturing your artistic intent? If so, how? If not, what could have been better or different?
==> I think this image does a good job of conveying the communication process, and it came out almost precisely how I wanted it to. The images are cute enough to fit my style, but clean enough not to distract from the rest of the model. I think though, that the text in the model is not appropriately sized to correctly convey importance. It would require me to reshape most of the diagram, but if I was to go back and edit this, I would try to make “noise” smaller and “source” and “receiver” bigger. I may have also darken the shade of orange on “noise” slightly, to make it easier to read against the greenish background in the bottom, but other than that, I don’t have many complaints about it. I think this design is quite satisfactory, and accomplishes what I intended it to very well.
4. Comment on what you learned through this design process and whether you think it was helpful or a waste of time or a little of both. What would you do the same and what would you do differently?
==> Never when we do an assignment do I think that any part of the process was a waste of time. Through this project, I gained a lot of knowledge and experience regarding the construction of visual models, the balancing of text and images, selecting a optically non-offensive color scheme, and conveying information in a concise and attractive way. My skills with the pen tool have also been further sharpened, and I’m starting to learn some more techniques for delicately dressing up a piece that doesn’t need a lot of garnish but simply seems to be missing something. I really liked this assignment, and I found that, as always, the feedback from Mr. Chad and the rest of the class helped me forward my understanding and success. I feel that in regards to accomplishing the intended purpose of an assignment, this infographic is one of my best products so far.