graphics: chapter 7

8/14/2019 Graphics: Chapter 7

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Ch 7. Graphics

Document Design by Kimball and Hawkins


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+Introduction to GRAPHICS

Graphics are a powerful way to convey information andideas, and thus an essential part of any documentdesigners toolkit.

Two MAIN functions1) Conveying information2) Influencing users through visual rhetoric

Graphics : design objects intended to show ideas orinformation rather than to tell


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+ Three Perspectives on Graphics

PerceptionOur response to graphics are based on the assumptionthat images are made up of universally recognizablevisual elements that require active perception but noparticular training to understand.Geon theory: We interact with visual imagescognitively be assembling their basic features intocomplex shapes, recognizing graphics first by theircomponent parts.

Once we recognize the basic building blocks and theirrelationship to each other in a complex object, we canrecognize the object from many viewpoints below,above, beside, near, or distant.


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Culture This perspective focuses on the belief thatgraphics are tied strongly to social and

cultural factors particularly in terms of howwe connect meaning to image. We learnhow to read images through experience andassociation, not just through raw perception.Undeniably, cultural values andexpectations play a role in our

interpretations of what we see. Withoutvisual culture, users would have a difficulttime creating meaning from images.


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Rhetoric The relationship between perceptionand culture suggests that we should

think about both factors in our designs,taking into account our inherent abilityto see images and the cultural valuesusers might apply to those images.Using a consistent visual rhetoricencourages users to read through the

several graphic forms.


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+Graphics and Ethics

DistortionStatistics are easy to manipulate to fit manyarguments and ideas.

(i.e. line graphs and elevated zero point)Fancy Data

(i.e. 3-D Pie Charts)Representational images

Through the wonders of Photoshop andsimilar image editors, its very easy now toalter photographs to make something appearto have happened that never did.


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ViewpointGraphics show the world from a particularviewpoint or perspective, but this also means

that they can conceal as much as they reveal.Cropping : photographic technique that canexclude important information and misleadusers can be unethicalViewpoint can also be a great guide to users,showing them how to look at information froma useful perspective.


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CopyrightIs a legal status in which the creator or owner of the graphic has the right to saywhether and how the graphic can be reproduced by others

It is granted by U.S. law as soon as a graphic is created.

Permission : contacting the copyright holder and ask if you can use the graphicand describe how youre going to use it

Terms of Use/Conditions of Use : legal document that states the requirementsand any restrictions

Source line : a caption directly below the image

Credits page : lists the copyright owners of all the images you used and the page

that they are onCitation and bibliographic entry : credit that is given for academic documents


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+Why Use Graphics?

Graphics can provide information and encourage people to act or think inparticular ways.

Information graphics : graphics primary function is to consolidate anddisplay information graphically in an organized way so that the viewercan easy understand the information and make observations from it.

They were developed primarily to help users see meaning in a mass of data,recognize quantitative and non quantitative information at a single glance.

Promotion graphics: graphics primary function is artistic or forpurposes of entertainment, promotion, identification, etc.


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+Information Graphics

Line ArtLine art is the combination of diagrams and drawings.It presents an abstracted version of what someone mightsee, stripping away all the extra details and concentrating

the users attention on the important details.Cross-sectional drawings: take an imaginary slice off of an object to show the interiorCutaway drawings: peel a section of the skin from anobject to show the insideExploded drawings: show how the individual parts of an

object fit together by separating them a short distancefrom each other.


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MapsCommonly used for three roles: to convey geographicinformation, to show us how to get from one place to another,and to show the geographic distribution of statisticalinformation.

Geographic maps, way finding maps, thematic maps

Process DiagramsShows how actions or steps are related in time

Flowcharts, Gantt charts, PERT charts


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Concept Diagrams: most abstract of diagrams because they focuson showing otherwise intangible ideas in graphic form

(i.e. Venn diagrams)

Statistical Charts: product of a field of statistics once known asgraphic statistics, which uses geometric forms to show therelationships between different kinds of statistical information

(i.e. Bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts )

Pictograms: simplified, abstract marks used to express commonideas such as restroom, fire hose, stairway, home page, and so

on.(i.e. Icons on the computer)


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+Promotion Graphics

Logos: Marking IdentityLogos are similar to pictograms, but they caninclude text or initials

The challenge of designing logos lies increating a relatively simple graphic that will fitthe organization, its identity, and its products,while making a distinctive statement thatusers can recognize instantly.

To build brand identity, designers use logoswherever they can, including on products,product labeling, documentation, andadvertisements.


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+Decorative Graphics

Decorative Graphics come in many forms(photographs, drawings, etc.)

Functions:Establish visual style or toneMake a thematic connectionCapture a users attentionElicit a desired response


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+Decorative Graphics

Use decorative graphics sparingly!

Be careful not to overwhelm thedocument or contradict the message

Dont use clip art!

You should always try to create anoriginal graphic or modify an existingone to fit your purposes more exactly

and keep your efforts from lookingcheap!


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+ Two Types of Graphics

Bitmap graphics

Describe graphics pixel by pixel (minute control to determineexact brightness/color)

Read on most software and computers (like Photoshop) Types:

BMP (easily read, large files)TIFF/TIF (allows transparent pixels!, common in publishing)JPEG/JPG (compressed, some information lost

GIF (transparent pixels, compressed, butonly allows 256 colors -- nogradients)

Limitations:SizeShapeResolution issues


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Bitmap graphics cont

Resolution: the measurement of the density pixels in the image(usually measured in ppi, pixels

per inch).Resizing:

Scaling to a larger size cancause pixelation

Scaling to a smaller size causesit to downsample

Issues also arise from skewing or

rotating the image


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Vector graphics

Describe graphics mathematicallyWorks best for drawing images with sharpedges and consistent areas of color (i.e. lineart, diagrams, statistical graphics)Can treat design elements as an object (resizeit, change color, group, align, and distributeevenly across a given area)Resolution-independentCannot manage smooth gradations of colorUses Adobe Illustrator

Note: it must still be output as a bitmap


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+Working with Bitmaps

Best ways to acquire raw graphics:Digital photographyScanning

Sometimes hard to get high-quality graphics Though many scanner programs allow you to control capture,ppi, size, orientation, color depth, etc., this often takes a lot of time

Scanning images from newspapers/magazines can cause moir(distracting patterns) from halftones in offset printing, as well as

barring, speckling, and artifactingScreenshots

Issues arise due to low resolution, especially when the size needsto be changed


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+Working with Bitmap Graphics

1. Save the ORIGINAL file so that you can always go back to it if youdo not like your changes

2. Set the output mode: CMYK for print or RGB for screen output

3. Adjust image quality (i.e. brightness/contrast)

4. Use common filters such as descreen, despeckle, or sharpenuse tools such as levels (to adjust highlights, midtones, and shadows)or curves (to adjust the red, green, and blue channels separately).

1. CROP (guide the viewers eye to what is most important in theimage, while retaining the truth of the image)


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+Working with Vector Graphics

To draw common shapes, just click on a tool and startdrawing

You can group items by holding shift and clicking on theobjects, then selecting the group command

Arrange items throughordering (how items are stacked)distributing (spreading objects equally)and aligning (lining up a series of objects)

Create type in text boxes in which you can change the sizeof the box as well as manipulate the text itself

You can also draw a path and apply text to it!


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+Creating Statistical Graphics

Using office software:Pros:

Easy

Convenient

Most people can access it

Cons:Constrains you to common genres likepie, bar, and line charts or scatter plots

Encourages unnecessary 3d effects

Generally usable only within the software(cannot use in InDesign for example,without taking a low-res screen shot)


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Using Vector Graphics softwarePros:

Allows you to draw whateveryou needMore output options to importfiles into other programs likeInDesign

Cons: Takes a lot of time

Can cause statistical inaccuracy(as you have to approximatedata points manually)


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Using Diagramming ProgramsUse if you need a lot of conceptual diagrams such asflowchartsPrograms like Microsoft Vision have thorough libraries of

ideograms and shapes to make quick diagramsThey are usually easily exportable to many formats

Using Specialized Data Visualization SoftwareUse for more complex projectsFlexible and powerful graphing, but you need expertise.

It is very accurate but not necessarily designed well


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+Incorporating Graphics

Design your page so the graphics areas close as possible to the text thatdiscusses them

Use alignment and enclosure

Explicit references like titles andnumbers on the images and in thetext (see picture 3)

But remember to make graphics self-supporting,,, consider using callouts andcaptions inside to explain important points.

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graphics: chapter 7

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