Design Evaluation

What I look for in a good design is something that tends to match or go along with my personality. I am someone who likes structures, boundaries, simplicity, and order. When things get too chaotic or don't quite make sense to me, I immediately dislike the design.

For this assignment, I wanted to compare two movie posters that come from the same genre: action/superhero. The two posters above, represent the opposite sides of the totem pole in my opinion. The one on the right represents me and the one on the left makes my head want to explode. I have seen neither movie and don't necessarily have a bias towards either one, which helps make this evaluation a lot more fair.

Captain America:

One of the biggest aspects of this poster that I identified right away was the contrast in colors. To take that a step further, I believe the contrast is meant to be symbolic. As you look at the top of the poster, there are dark, storm clouds over head. It creates the feeling of darkness, anger, frustration, loss of hope, etc. When you move towards the bottom of the poster, the sky's color because lighter and almost more peaceful. Maybe the background it trying to symbolize hope and a brighter future in the distance. What is nice about the contrast is that it is a subtle change from dark to light. Another aspect of contrast I like in the picture is Captain America's face. It is particularly noticeable under his eye.

One of the biggest Gestalt Principles noticed in this poster is the Law of Continuity. The most obvious example is the way the characters have aligned themselves. As you look at the poster, at least in my mind. a path has been created. Two imaginary lines take the eyes of the viewer down the path, between the characters. To take that a step further, I believe it ties into the contrast concept mentioned in the previous paragraph. The path starts in the darker contrast and then moves towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

Another Gestalt Principle that I noticed but is very obvious is the Law of Similarity. I naturally group the text on this poster according to their font size and style of font. For example, all the actors at the top of the page are bunched together in a skinny rectangle because they are all the same if you will.

The third Gestalt Principle is the Law of Closure. The way the characters are aligned forms an almost arrow in the blank space between the characters. My eyes automatically create that shape, even if that was not the intention of the individual who created the poster.

The final Gestalt Principle identified in the Captain America poster is the law of Pragnanz or the idea of having simplicity. The colors in the poster seems to be similar hues. The main objects are simply the characters themselves. There is nothing that occupies or draws attention to the viewer besides those two things.

Suicide Squad:

I don't necessarily know where to start on the movie poster for Suicide Squad. Like I mentioned in the opening paragraphs, the design concept of this poster does not work for me. It essentially has more chaos than what I am comfortable dealing with. My eyes get tired and strained because they are constantly trying to find starting point for which I can look at the picture and begin my evaluation of the image. For all I know, this was the intention the designer of the poster wanted to portray because it could be a representation of the movie itself and how unorthodox it may be.

From a design perspective, the colors in this poster aren't necessarily working for me. I know the overarching color scheme is this light and soft purple and green mixture. What throws me for a loop is the addition of brown, red, blue, etc. scattered throughout the image, offering up conflict among the colors.

When I seek to identify Gestalt Principles within the image of the poster, it takes some serious concentration to identify them. More concentration than I think should be required. For example, I can see the law of similarity with the airplanes at the top right of the mushroom cloud and there are eye balls on the top left but this doesn't mean that the attempt to display the principles was a job well done. I don't know if this image would be considered the Law of Pragnanz. I'm guessing that if you are hesitant about noticing the simplicity of an image, it more than likely doesn't fall within that category. The only simple thing about the image is the overall shape of the mushroom cloud.

I am having a hard time identifying the contrast in the image. There is no big distinction between opposites when it comes to color unlike the poster for Captain America.

In summation of the two posters, I enjoyed the design concept(s) for Captain America on this print medium. The designer wanted to send a distinct message by using the right colors and the alignment of the movie characters, unlike Suicide Squad.

Contrast, Balance, Harmony

Over the last little while, I am have been somewhat intrigued by the moon and the role it seems to place in the grand scheme of themes and how it affects our daily lives, whether we notice it or not. This intrigue was only heightened by the drive home from Salt Lake yesterday. My wife had pointed out shape of the moon and that led to a discussion about the shape, impacts it gives and it's ultimate purpose. With these various thoughts and conversation points, I have decided to decipher the contrast, balance, and harmony out of a simple picture taken of the moon by David Taylor of Edinburgh, Scotland.

 Contrast

Contrast is defined nicely by Professor Young when he stated that it is the "comparing [of] fundamental opposites." He gives examples such as dark/light and fast/slow. He then mentions further that the "values are merely relative" when it comes to comparing each opposite.

When you look at this picture of the moon, you immediately identify the opposites of dark/light. What is interesting with this picture is the two opposites are not sitting on the far ends of the totem pole. Yes, there is a complete blackness for one opposite, but the variance in colors for what is supposed to be the other half has a mixture of lighter colors. Those different colors could be coming from a number of sources (i.e. shadows cast along the moon's surface due to texture of the moon, which could be caused by craters, physical surface characteristics, etc.).

Another opposite that I can identify in this picture is the concept of soft and hard. As you look at the "two sides" that meet the blackness, each interacts differently. The left side has a sharpness that the right side does not. In my opinion, it seems that the right side is a little more blended in with the blackness. It gradually fades into the darkness, thus giving it the soft component. Yet, on the left side, the lightness in colors ends sharply and immediately changes into the blackness.

Balance

There are three types of balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial. Each balance allows the eye to see the image in different ways. When I look at image for this post, I immediately identify the symmetry in the image. The moon seems to be cut directly in half at an angle, thus splitting the image 50/50 per say. You can grow that thought by saying the difference between "white and black" appears to be the same ratio to the moon being split in half.

Yet, as I look more closely at this picture, I may even go as far as saying it could be an asymmetrical image. The moon does not necessarily take up 50% of the image because the blackness even surrounds the moon completely, thus giving it a higher percentage in the picture. Upon first glance, it doesn't necessarily give that appearance.

Harmony

As a whole, the image of the moon could be considered very harmonious. The colors, shapes, orientation, etc. seem to have a perfect blend when thought of as a whole. There doesn't really seem to be anything in the image that tries to tug the picture out of harmony. As you look at the moon in closer detail, you can see the mini shapes along the surface. They seem to add to the overall image and don't seem to distract the eye even though they don't follow a particular pattern.

Gestalt Principle(s)

While looking at this picture of the moon, I identify three Gestalt Principles: figure/ground relationship, law of similarity, and law of proximity. The figure/ground relationship deals with the moon and space (the blackness) itself. To me, the moon is identified as the figure. It rests upon space itself, thus making space the background of the image.

The principle of law of similarity and law of proximity are closely intertwined if not interchangeable in the image. What allows me to see these two principles are the multiple craters found on the surface of the moon. There is a cluster of craters towards the bottom right of the visible part of the moon. These craters are all similar shapes, thus identifying the law of similarity, but I can also identify those craters to follow the law of proximity because they are all "physically" close together in the image.

Final Thoughts

The moon has always played a part in the life of man throughout history. It plays different roles depending on the generation and the need they have of it. In olden times, the moon was a key source of light when the sun would set for the day. Today, many humans rely on the ability it has to produce tides for a good surf. Whatever the need it provides, humans have taken advantage of it.

In my mind, when I look at this image, I can't help but identify some symbolism behind it and how it represents today's modern society. There is no longer this distinction in humanity when it comes to things being black/white, there is always room for grey and personal interpretation. Look at the movement of the LGBTQ +, it definitely is symbolic in the picture where there are different shades represented on the moon and how humans have their particular preferences. The list could go on and on, but I hope you can see the point I am making.

I have enjoyed taking this simple image and dissecting every facet from it that I could.