Abstract

This image is an abstraction of the Audi car by simplifying the actual car into minimal white lines against a black background (basic visual elements). By incorporating the key elements to help identify the car such as the side mirrors, the windshield, headlights and the bumper, you can pretty much identify the Audi car with barely any detail. The lines are used to describe only these emphasizing details (visual cues) which make a car. When we see the car logo positioned at the center, the windshield and all the basic parts of the car preset (in basic shapes and lines) positioned a certain way you would expect to find them on a car, then you already "see" the car.

Representational

This is a photograph of a Cocker Spaniel. The photograph according to Dondis is the most technically dependable means of representing visual reality. Every detail is captured in this image without anything being simplified, altered or omitted. In general, this is what a Cocker Spaniel looks like, and any one who is a dog lover can identify that this is one due to its long ears, relative size and fur texture. But also, anyone would know that this is a dog due to its general dog features. Viewers might identify the Cocker Spaniel from experience, memory or knowledge of what it looks like.

Symbolism

Unless you have been living under a rock or detached from products and commercials, you probably won't know what this symbol represents. But to most people, they can identify this as the Adidas logo (or old logo). The latest Adidas logo still incorporates the three stripes but looks a little bit different now. Anyway, this logo symbolizes the sports brand Adidas and most people can identify or recognize the brand simply by this symbol. The reason why I chose this particular symbol of Adidas was because it was intended to promote one of their Fall collections, thus the use of brown leaves which adds meaning to the original symbol for a specific purpose.

Visual Techniques

I am not sure this is an ad or something since it's in Chinese however it is still graphic design. The visual techniques strongly evident to me are ACCENT and SINGULARITY. It has accent which is the black V-like abstraction strongly contrasting and set against the plain gray background. The V-shaped figure (if you look closely are two people pointing at fishes in a pond) are the highlight/focus of the picture. Even though the V-shape is a combination of elements (the fish, people etc.) you see it as one thing because it looks so SINGULAR, as one separate/isolated group. It looks singular because it appears mostly opaque,continuous and sharp (the inside of the V which enables you to distinguish the shapes of the fish, the pointing fingers and the head, not the outside ).

Comparing my two Visual Technique examples, the Fish ad (the one directly on top of this) looks so simple compared to the complex knotted ball of roads which make up the GPS ad. With the fish ad, things are easily distinctive from one another. there is the background and there is the accent or the focus which is strongly visible through its opacity, darkness and shape that contrast against the empty, light background. The GPS ad on the other hand fills up the entire picture. There is not a single empty space. Every inch is occupied with something whether its a street, a tree or a house. There are so many elements that make up the picture and each element is distinguishable. You can find cars even though they are so tiny. This is why the GPS is complex. And as opposed to the singularity you see in the Fish ad, there is juxtaposition with the GPS ad where you put the knotted ball of roads (which is unusual) into a normal surrounding where roads are flat. Accent is definitely strong in the fish ad. The ball in the GPS ad is also an accent by the shape of the ball against the flat surroundings, but not a very strong one because it still bears similarities to its background despite its odd shape and you can also see that there is this continuing connection with the background setting and the main subject (the ball is connected by the flat roads).

Visual Techniques

This is something I aspire to do with creatives in the advertising field. This is an ad for MIO GPS navigation systems by ad agency Hock. I admire the creativity and talent put to use in advertising and I think that they are very inspiring and intelligent as well. For this one, the ad puts the feeling of getting lost and going in circles into a visual image of a ball of knotted roads to convey the problems of navigating your way on roads. The visual techniques that stand out strongest to me are the use of COMPLEXITY and also EXAGGERATION to reflect the difficulty of the consumer's situation which the ad is trying to point out.
It is COMPLEX because of the great twists and turns of the road and everything within the ball that is crunched inside. The ball is the image of complexity and what the designers are trying to convey is that it's complicated and hard to find your way around it. The complex ball contrasts its surroundings which is made up of simple straight roads and organized houses, trees and buildings.
It is EXAGGERATED because of the unrealistic expression of road difficulties. It is extravagant, it is enormous and crazy.

Bad Contrast

This bathroom design is an example of bad contrast because there is a lack of it. The marble patterns which make up the walls and floor of this bathroom barely distinguish each other with its overly matched design. On top of that, the mirrors and the reflective sink counter are not helping by reflecting even more marble. There is (visually)marble everywhere! The problem here besides a marble overdose is that lack of contrast makes it difficult to find anything in this bathroom because they are easily lost/camouflaged in this confusing design. It functions similarly to the military camouflage pattern with the purpose of blending in the environment. But this is a bathroom and the last thing a person using a bathroom would want is to have his things blend with it. You can barely tell that there is even a tub there if it weren't for the pillows and candles outlining it. This makes it difficult navigating through space and spotting things you can normally easily spot in a room with better contrast.

Creative Contrast

This is an awesome chair is aptly named the "Grid Chair" by designer Jaebom Jeong. I thought this is a great example of contrast of two different elements that make up the chair frame and the seat. You can distinguish two very different elements here, which compose the parts of the chair that creates this cool contrast of thick and thin, detailed and simple, heavy/sturdy and light, transparent and opaque. The wiry chair frame is made out of stainless steel while the seat is made of Walnut (wood I presume). While this piece of work may appear flimsy and light (from perceived transparency of its frame), it is actually quite the opposite and is fully functional. When you look at it, you might want to double take and look again at this graphic inspired creation that looks like a prototype draft illustration conjured up in a computer screen but the chair is actually a real physical object. Form definitely follows function in this piece, but with style and unique sense of creativity thanks to brilliant use of contrast in design.