Researching Visual Properties of Images

After a marathon read and reread of Visual Thinking for Designers, Team Y began tackling our first assignment.  We attributed the chapters we believe applied best to each image.  Of course, one could argue that all chapters are relevant. 

Our main findings thus far:
Designers can use the visual processing 'mechanisms' that we all have to make images readable.
Visuals can have structure that 'help'to direct the users attention to various regions that the designer may wish to emphasise.
This structure can be multilayered utilising methods that 'prioritise' visual perception.
Designers should ensure that colour is used effectively and not liberally.

Overall, we believe that by understanding the cognitive mechanisms of visual perception designers can really influence the way people 'read' their visuals.

Opening our eyes...

After a frightful start trying to create a group of four, a Hungarian and a Scotsman set out to tackle Assignment one of the course Visual Communication Design in the industrial design department of Delft University of Technology.  This blog details the pairs' perception of Visual Communication Design. 

Group Y's selection of visual curiosities

Our first assignment will consist of the analysis and discussion of the visual qualities of the four images shown above.  We will anaylse the images and compare them to state of the art scientific knowledge primarily from the book Visual Thinking for Design by Colin Ware.  Overall, we will look at how visual images can be construed in multiple layers of meaning and how one can use these techniques to create visualisations that can assist or hinder the cognition of information.