Digital Commons Network^™

Communicating Sustainability With Visuals: Issue Perception And Issue Engagement, Zeynep Melis Altinay

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Today the list of environmental disasters threatening lives and natural resources has expanded to include many causes. Even though sustainable solutions have never been so urgent, public still issues low priority to many of these serious threats. Many impacts of environmental deprivation, such as coastal land loss, are invisible to the untrained eye, causing individuals to distance themselves psychologically from the risks. The slow pace of environmental degradation constitutes one of the biggest challenges in sustainability communication. The success of sustainable development will require the public to undergo a significant shift in thinking about environmental issues. This dissertation systemically investigates …

Reconsider Everything, Hyunjin Kim

Masters Theses

This thesis is composed of three overarching chapters that exploit conventions as a tool to reexamine our social and cultural habits. Observing commonalities in our everyday experiences, this body of work explores subjectivity of rules of convention, questioning assumptions and common values.

In the first chapter, "Formal Conventions," I observe formal qualities and definitions of existing objects and explore alternative meanings and the performance of form. In the second chapter, Limits of Vision," I look at imperceptible subject matter to explore limitations of default modes of human perception. In "Boundaries of Techniques," I search for possibilities of expanding graphic design …

Taking Images Seriously, Elizabeth G. Porter

Articles

Law has been trapped in a stylistic straitjacket. The Internet has revolutionized media and communications, replacing text with a dizzying array of multimedia graphics and images. Facebook hosts 150 billion photos. Courts spend millions on trial technology. But those innovations have barely trickled into the black-and-white world of written law. Legal treatises continue to evoke Blackstone and Kent; most legal casebooks are facsimiles of Langdell’s; and legal journals resemble the Harvard Law Review circa 1887. None of these influential forms of disseminating the law has embraced — or even nodded to — modern, image-saturated communication norms. Litigants, scholars and courts …

Design Genealogy, Casey Kelly

Theses

The importance of understanding and sharing graphic design history is under-appreciated. A few observations were taken into consideration regarding the sharing of design history information. Formats include content that is often text-dense and overwhelming. While great design history resources do exist, there is opportunity to develop a method for sharing design history that addresses these observations.

The Design Genealogy thesis project provides opportunity for the discovery of connections among designers and their work through a memorable, fun, and engaging learning experience. Its flexible format attempts to provoke inspiration, foster investigation, strengthen the retention of information, and encourage an eagerness to …

Understanding Effects Of Presentation On Concept Learning In Technology Supported Learning, Nivedita Singh

Theses

The world of technology has had a significant impact on learning and instructional domain. Today, a large number of devices and software are specifically designed to afford faster and effective learning and instruction. They have not only erased the physical boundaries to resources in education but have also helped create new interactions and engagements for learners and instructors. With this changed scenario, the content or instructional material also needs our attention to become usable and compatible with the changed learning styles and preferences of the learners today. Not only does the content need to seamlessly integrate with the delivery methodology …

Sharing Your Scrap Paper: The Role Of Visual Communication In Mathematics Learning, Min Lu

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

Pictures of students’ solutions for mathematics problems are a useful way to analyze students’ learning process for researchers. Similarly, this paper used such pictures for students themselves to analyze each other’s thinking process as a heuristic teaching method. A project called “Sharing Your Scrap Paper” was conducted for students to take pictures of their homework scrap paper with their cell-phone, and share these pictures in a piece of online chat cell-phone software. The role of such kind of visual communication was examined in three high school Advanced Placement (AP) statistics classes for learning permutation and combination. 80 students were randomly …

Blue Book, Daniel Cole

Theses and Dissertations

Alain De Botton writes in The Architecture of Happiness, that “any object of design will give off an impression of the psychological and moral attitudes it supports.” Interpreting design then is done by understanding the attitudes of the designer, which either will or will not resonate with the viewer. I may consider the formal and conceptual merits of an object of design, but ultimately my attitudes determine whether the object will have resonance with me. These “attitudes” are, anthropologically speaking, values: what a person finds most good, proper, or desirable in life. Values are the key to the creation of …

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Clint Eastwood's Speech At The 2012 Republican National Convention, Rene' Minder

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study focuses on the speech given by Clint Eastwood on August 30, 2012 at the 2012 Republican National Convention. Using the neo-Aristotelian method to conduct a rhetorical analysis, the persuasiveness of Eastwood’s speech was analyzed and discussed. The uniqueness of this deliberative speech was the use of a visual prop, an empty chair, to convince the audience of President Obama’s inadequacies as a leader. While the speech contained persuasive components, it was the visual communication of the empty chair that turned the Eastwood’s speech into a national discussion. This study had to then turn to research on visual communication …

A Pilot Study To Investigate The Disconnection Between Researched Theory And Creative Practice In Visual Communication Research Projects, Jesvin Puayhwa Yeo

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Research will play an important role in art and design education as the number of art and design research degree student increases. Yet ‘the relationship between creativepractical work and research protocols still remains a contentious issue’ stated Hockey. The missing link between researched theory and creative practice has been unable to develop the depth and relevance of students’ creative practice. From the perspective of Asian undergraduate studies, this paper seeks to explore students’ abilities and knowledge of research methodologies. This paper is not proposing a method or a solution to bridge the disconnection between researched theory and creative practice. But …

Ambiguous Science And The Visual Representation Of The Real, Curtis Newbold

All Dissertations

The emergence of visual media as prominent and even expected forms of communication in nearly all disciplines, including those scientific, has raised new questions about how the art and science of communication epistemologically affect the interpretation of scientific phenomena. In this dissertation I explore how the influence of aesthetics in visual representations of science inevitably creates ambiguous meanings. As a means to improve visual literacy in the sciences, I call awareness to the ubiquity of visual ambiguity and its importance and relevance in scientific discourse. To do this, I conduct a literature review that spans interdisciplinary research in communication, science, …

Effective Poster Design, Kaylee S. White

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

It is claimed that a poster has about three seconds to catch the attention of a passer-by. The success of that poster teeters on those few seconds. If it fails to attract attention, then it is ineffective. However, if it catches the interest of its viewer, then half of the battle is won. Having caught attention, the poster must next deliver a swift, effective, convincing message, which then leads the viewer to a desired thought or action. Quite an ambitious to-do list for one poster, right? Quickly arrest the attention of the viewer, deliver a swift clear message, effectively accomplish …

Composition And Community: Integrating Design And Service Learning, Linda Gottesfeld

Cornerstone 2 Reports : Community Outreach and Empowerment Through Service Learning and Volunteerism

No abstract provided.

What We See And Why It Matters: How Competency In Visual Literacy Can Enhance Student Learning, Anneliese Tillmann

Honors Projects

In today’s world, we use more visuals than ever before. Research suggests that the balance between words and images has shifted considerably calling for new forms of literacy (Brumberger, 2011). Visual literacy goes above and beyond the traditional concepts of reading and writing, expanding literacy to include visuals. The analysis and review of current visual literacy research suggests teaching visual literacy is necessary for students to become capable of navigating the visually driven world in which we live. The research highlights the importance of incorporating visuals into the literacy curricula and explores practical uses of visual literacy in present day …

Articulations Of Irish Language Poetry As Multimodal Texts, Brenda Duggan

Conference Papers

Abstract

In October of last year, visual communication students at Technological University Dublin took part in an exhibition of Irish language literature texts that were imaginatively extended, exploring an array of new literacies. Taking the Irish language texts as a starting point for this project, students creatively explored print, visual, digital and material modes to extend the meaning of the poetry.

This paper explores, from a social semiotic perspective the creative potential this multimodal work offers design pedagogy in how we frame and articulate meaning across both print and digital media design education. With an emphasis on an ensemble of …

Image Selling: How Depictions Of Power Relations, Plasticity, And Abjection In High-Fashion Advertisements Construct Terrifying Social Narratives, Jennifer Lee Litton

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This paper examines how high-fashion advertisements use visual rhetoric in order to construct social narratives related to power struggles, plasticity, and abjection. In creating these types of images, high-fashion advertisers send explicit messages to their viewers regarding the ways they should engage with the depicted social narratives, ranging from objectification to violence to death. Through a close rhetorical analysis and observational study of high-fashion advertisements, this paper discusses the problematic nature of the marketing techniques and how they skew interpretations of social issues.

A Content Analysis Of How Al Jazeera English And Arabic Channels Framed The War On Gaza, Farah Fakhri Jallad

Student Theses and Dissertations

A Content Analysis of How Al Jazeera English and Arabic Channels Framed the War on Gaza The purpose of this study was to examine how Al Jazeera channels; Al Jazeera English channel and Al Jazeera Arabic Channel framed the war on Gaza from December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009. A total of 220 news stories were analyzed, with 110 stories from each channel. The study showed that the two channels follow the same trends in covering the Palestinian Israeli conflict, often focusing on the Human disaster script and turning a political conflict into a humanitarian crisis that requires support …

Connecting Visual Design And Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions The United States, Latin America And Spain, Suzanne Mcdonough

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My thesis discusses whether culture can be used to predict visual design preferences in documentation and whether cultures with similar attributes demonstrate similar visual design preferences. The visual design of a document is an important element in effective communication to an audience. If the audience is outside the United States, it is important to understand the attributes of that culture to create documents that are most effective for the audience. Cultural theorist Geert Hofstede describes cultural attributes in terms of six cultural dimensions: individualism versus collectivism, high versus low power distance, high versus low uncertainty avoidance, masculinity versus femininity, long-term …

Multi-Scale Edge Detection Algorithms And Their Information-Theoretic Analysis In The Context Of Visual Communication, Bo Jiang

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The unrealistic assumption that noise can be modeled as independent, additive and uniform can lead to problems when edge detection methods are applied to low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) images. The main reason for this is because the filter scale and the threshold for the gradient are difficult to determine at a regional or local scale when the noise estimate is on a global scale. Therefore, in this dissertation, we attempt to solve these problems by using more than one filter to detect the edges and discarding the global thresholding method in the edge discrimination. The proposed multi-scale edge detection algorithms …

Interactive Text-Image Conceptual Models For Literary Interpretation And Composition In The Digital Age, Beth Nixon Weaver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on text-image conceptual models for literary interpretation and composition in the digital age. The models investigate an interactive blend of textually-based linear-sequential approaches and visually-based spatial-simultaneous approaches. The models employ Gestalt-inspired figure-ground segregation models, along with other theoretical models, that demonstrate the dynamic capabilities of images as conceptual tools as well as alternate forms of text. The models encourage an interpretative style with active participants in openended, multi-sensory meaning-making processes. The models use the flexible tools of modern technology as approaches to meaning-making with art strategies used for research strategies as well as a means to appreciate …

The Rhetoric Of The Regional Image Interpreting The Visual Products Of Regional Plannning, Alissa Barber Torres

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Rhetoric of the Regional Image: Interpreting the Visual Products of Regional Planning investigates the manner in which visual conventions and visual contexts of regional visioning scenarios affect their interpretation by urban and regional planners, who use visual communication to meet the technical and rhetorical demands of their professional practice. The research assesses Central Florida‘s ―How Shall We Grow?‖ regional land use scenario using focus groups and interviews with planning professionals, a corresponding survey of community values, and rhetorical analysis to explore the ―How Shall We Grow?‖ scenario as persuasive communication. The Rhetoric of the Regional Image proposes specific recommendations …

Design By Accident, Mengfu Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Accident is a metaphor for life. From an arbitrary point in time, we potentially preview the entirety of existence. There is a Chinese idiom called “ blessing or bane,” which implies that a misfortune may perhaps soon turn into a blessing. Focusing on accident as a design method implies making the best out of a bad situation. An accident reveals invisible circumstances and potentialities in the world, both familiar and unfamiliar. Looking into the unpredictable world, I can begin to release my control, take a breath, and see what might happen if I do not fight the situation. I am …

Crafting Authenticity, Allison N. Schumacher

Theses and Dissertations

Authenticity is what we want from the world around us, from others, and crucially from ourselves and what we make. As it relates to graphic design, I define authenticity as a perceived match between form and purpose. For the designer, its quality is found in the process of simultaneously developing a concept and crafting the design/object.

Forming Process : Design Through Layered Visual Systems And Multiple Collection Methods : A Thesis, Jen Magathan

Masters Theses

"Do not hide the structure, celebrate it in the form" ; "Approach design from multiple points of view."

These adages, so important in my architectural training, reverberate with intricate practicality in my work as a graphic designer, both as a way of building my design and as a means of developing a design process which explores multiple ways of organizing content through visual systems. Forming Process is defined by three conditions: celebrating the visual systems which organize the design, archiving content from multiple ways of collecting, and creating work by which the process of design is implicit in the design …

The Potential For Misleading Visual Communication On Food Packaging, Terry Ann Hayes

Theses

Consumers today are becoming more health conscious in light of America's growing obesity epidemic. Because of this, food companies often selectively highlight the healthfulness of their products, while carefully de-emphasizing the unhealthy components. These messages are frequently communicated by the food packaging itself, because packaging is a major influence on a shopper's perception of the food inside. The design of the food package, comprising both the two-dimensional surfaces and overall three-dimensional form, conveys these messages through variables related to color, imagery, typography, language, and shape. This thesis examined both organic and natural food packaging to uncover how healthfulness is communicated …

Architecture And Urban Design As Influences On The Communication Of Place And Experience In Graphic Design, Candice Reese

Theses

Most architects and urban designers are challenged to design schemas and structures to create a particular experience and sense of place. It is through the manipulation and design of actual three-dimensional spaces that they are able to achieve this. How then is a three-dimensional experience of a place conveyed in two dimensions? Distilling an actual experience into a graphic solution can be exceptionally challenging, but graphic designers may need to accomplish this for particular clients. Examining the ideologies and methodologies of architecture and urban design may offer new and thoughtful approaches for graphic interpretations of three-dimensional experiences. This thesis first …

I Read My Mind Through You: Designing Personal Communication In The Public Realm, Or, I Made This Thesis For You, Mary Banas

Masters Theses

As graphic designers, we're trained to be rational, systematic, and concise. In contrast, human emotion is irrational, passionate, and complex. By projecting personal experience into the public sphere, this study explores the tension between these two mindsets. I Read My Mind Through You elevates the voice of the banal to a call for empathy and renewed sentimentality.

I Read My Mind Through You elevated the voice of the banal to a call for empathy and renewed sentimentality.

This body of work originates from a love affair with turns of phrase, an affinity for the absurd, and the current cultural obsession …

Motive And Responsibility As Influences On Graphic Design Outcomes, Jackie Clements

Theses

In the world of visual communication many message-making strategies are used to convey information to a defined audience. The ways in which these strategies are used can greatly impact the meaning and success of a graphic design solution. Often strong emotion is employed to intentionally influence a defined audience. In addition, the format and context in which facts are presented in a message are also greatly effective. When looking at the potential communication power that solutions can hold, it is important to assess the types of messages being communicated and related ethical responsibilities that accompany them. This thesis study focuses …

The Visual Analysis Of Heterogeneous Sex Role Interactions: A Content Analysis Of Popular Music Videos, Deanna Niccole Kimbrel

Theses

Hip Hop cultured music videos have raised concern among our nation’s leaders, parents and communities. Since the introduction of music videos in the early 1980s the medium has crossed cultural, regional and ethnic boundaries (Rose, 1994). This medium has been well researched since the 1980s. The focus of this study is Hip Hop cultured music videos from years 1989-2006. The uniqueness of this study is that it focuses on nonverbal sex role interactions in this genre of music videos. This study found many useful trends. For example, men were portrayed as more dominant and/or vertical than women in the sampled …

Planting The Seeds Of Surreality, Cultivating The Dynamism Of A Nation: Winston Miranda And The Rhetoric Of Resilience In Post-Revolutionary Nicaraguan Art, Hiromi Holly Takahashi

Communication ETDs

Winston Miranda, a surrealist painter from the historic capital of Granada, Nicaragua, is creating a contemporary, post-revolutionary path that is distinct from yet informed by its revolutionary antecedents. In essence, his art is a literal and figurative bridge between war and healing. Critical research to date, however, has not considered the rhetorical implications of the role of art in Nicaragua after the revolutionary period (1990 to the present day). Henceforth, my thesis is a pentadic criticism of the post-revolutionary components of Mirandas surrealist oil paintings. By aggregating the literal and latent content of Miranda's artworks as a collective drama and …

The Influence Of Context On Message-Making And Audience Reception In Graphic Design, Sarah Kirchoff

Theses

The reception of a graphic design solution is greatly affected by the environment in which it is viewed: the space around it, and how it is approached and accessed. Obviously, the designer cannot control the specific life experiences that shape a viewer's personal response, or how that viewer may be situated in a broader, cultural context. Designers often have at least some degree of control over contextual factors that contribute to the message-making potential of a graphic design solution, as well as the form the solution takes, and how it is presented to an audience. When carefully constructed, content, application, …