MDST*1030 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Connotation, Signify, Denotation
Visual Communication Introduction
-Elements of Design: Point (Dot), Line, Plane, Volume, Shape, Colour, Dimension, Form, Texture,
Space, Material
-Principles of Design: Scale, Balance (Symmetry /Asymmetry), Repetition, Rhythm, Direction,
Harmony/Flow/Unity, Proportion, Economy, Contrast/Emphasis
Balance: is the concept of visual equilibrium, and relates to our physical sense of balance.
Asymmetrical balance / informal balance: occurs when the weight of a composition is not evenly
distributed around a central axis. It involves the arranging of objects of differing size
in a composition such that they balance one another with their respective visual weights.
Vitruvian Man
Rhythm/Repetition: The alternation of elements, often with defined intervals between them. Rhythm
can create a sense of movement, and can establish pattern and texture. There are many different kinds
of rhythm, often defined by the feeling it evokes when looking at it.
Unity: the underlying principle that summarizes all of the principles and elements of design. It refers to
the coherence of the whole, the sense that all of the parts are working together to achieve a common
result; a harmony of all the parts.
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Proportion: is the comparison of dimensions or
distribution of forms. It is the relationship in scale between one element and another, or between a
whole object and one of its parts. Differing proportions
within a
composition can relate to different kinds of balance or symmetry, and can help establish visual weight
and depth.
Economy: emphasizes the simplification of elements to express a message; only the elements required
to express the idea are used. The use of too many elements or contrasts in a design may distract
viewers from the message, or cause them to disengage completely from the viewing experience.
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Emphasis (aka point of focus, dominance or interruption): marks the locations in a composition which
most strongly draw the viewers attention. Hierarchy is established through emphasis. Commonly
controlled by contrast.
Contrast: addresses the notion of dynamic tension or the degree of conflict that exists within a given
design between the visual elements in the composition.
Gestalt theory
-In visual communication, there are two kinds of control:
1. Control over the PHYSICAL FORM of the designed artefact
➔control over the eye
➔Perception: how stimuli from the world interacts with our
sensory systems. Affects involuntary/inherent processes
which we can control this through understanding and use of Gestalt psychology
2. Control over HOW INFORMATION IS MENTALLY REPRESENTED
➔Cognition: how people mentally represent their experience and then use these
representations to operate effectively. We can control this through semiotics + rhetoric
(Ethos/Pathos/Logos)
➔Rhetoric is the art of discourse that attempts to inform, persuade, or motivate
particular audiences in specific situations.
Gestalt psychology: the study of gestalt originated in Germany in the 1920 as a form of psychology that
is interested in higher order cognitive processes.
-related to gestalt’s investigations of visual perception; principally the relationship between the
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