Visual Search / Feature Hierarchy

  
        There are many primary visual feature channels that are apparent in this piece of design work by Juanma Teixido.  Color is a huge visual feature because it visually takes up most of the space of the design work.  Different color hues are contrasted against each other, and the red, being placed in the center, tends to pop out a little more against the competing colors around it.  Spatial grouping is the next thing that comes to mind about this poster because the text is placed towards the top against a neutral backdrop, making it stand out. The rest of the poster is taken up by different geometric colored blocks, drawing your eye to the type as soon as the mind takes in the different colors contrasting with one another.  I think motion is seen in this design because of the patterns and textures inside the blocks of color.  The multiple lines give off a rippling motion of color, and the straight edges used add a nice overall effect to the space.  Depth is important in this because by using different hues and tones of the colors, a shadow effect is given to the design.  I think this design is smart, efficient, and pleasing to the eye, while still having many different visual feature channels prominent.


Designer: Juanma Teixido <http://designreviver.com/inspiration/30-inspiring-poster-designs/>

Visual Perception 1 / Top-Down Visual Processing

This is an image from the well known puzzle book, "I-Spy," that most of us owned and played with as children with friends and family.  This puzzle from "I-Spy" denotes top-down visual processing because it allows us to create a goal in trying to find all the pictures listed in this picture to move on to the next picture, and then so to completing the book.  You first start with the larger concept of the idea here, then work your way down to the finer details in completing your task.  This means we first take the image in as a whole, then focus in on one particular item we must find.  Once we are set on that item, we scan the image consistently and quickly, looking for the image with rapid eye movement.  When we register the item we are looking for, we set a goal to find the next listed item on our list and so on.  Top-down processing is just starting out with the high-concept ideas and then focusing in on the minor and finer details.  I also like this particular image from the book because of its graphic layout, and the glow in the dark overlay they used in the pictures.

Design Success and Failure / Syntactical Guidelines

Success:

This piece of graphic design work succeeds in the fact it has been put to good use by all of the syntactical guidelines.  It is extremely balanced in color and space, with equal proportions of the text squares and hands presented.  It is leveled, with all of it's work in the center as the main focus.  The typography is easy and clear to read, and the white and black text is easy on the eyes against the colored background.  I like the use of color for the text boxes and the contrast with the color against the black hand images.  (http://www.manystuff.org/?p=3294)



Fail:

 This logo for Precision Well & Pump Systems definitely fails as a graphic design. The typography was a horrible choice for it makes everything difficult to read, and the drop shadow used for the raindrop makes it difficult to tell what the image originally was.  The 3D effect used on the text also makes it difficult to read and the letters tend to blend in together.  The blue color used is too dark and does not mesh well used in the gradient tool.  The design is ambiguous, with no real alignment used. (http://logodesignerblog.com/bad-ugly-worst-logo-designs/)