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(section 091)
November 17th: Extra-textual Elements
(Not to be confused with extraterrestrial elements; that show is a remake, btw)
Announcements
Tonight's Plan
Don't get too excited. We're mostly going to discuss tables as our important extra-textual elements. I'll show you how to do a table like this one. Although forms are important, they're really just big tables if you think about it, so we won't be creating them, but we'll be discussing them from rhetorical and cultural perspectives.
Perception, Culture, Rhetoric
Before we get too far into perception, culture, and rhetoric, let's focus on data. Chapter 9 begins by saying users need data explained efficiently. How does this book and this class on information design contribute to providing data effectively to users?
Perception
- I don't know another fancier way of saying this, so here it goes: Users in Western cultures like lists.
- Users in Western cultures read lists top to bottom (horizontally).
- What one perspective of perception probably captures the essence of perception with regard to tables?
Culture
- What purpose do lists serve culturally?
- What does it say about a culture that uses pre-printed forms?
- How do extra-textual elements fit into our overly information-saturated society?
Rhetoric
- What rhetorical strategy do lists, tables, and forms employ?
- Ethos, pathos, logos...
- Discuss the visual rhetoric of the table on p. 284.
- What constitutes an open, friendly visual style?
- What "list" principles did I violate with these bullets from the perception, culture, and rhetoric categories?
Making a Table
InDesign and Dreamweaver have some interesting table features. I say "interesting" because, well, they aren't as intuitive as one would hope. I'm going to demonstrate how to create a table similar to the one on p. 296. Before we do, let's look over the genesis of that particular table on pp. 291-295.
You never know what can happen with the change from my office InDesign CS2 to CS3 here in the lab. If this "tutorial" doesn't work out, we'll just watch this video on creating tables in InDesign CS3.
Making a Table
Now it's your turn. I want you to have a table on your web site. I'd like you to create one in InDesign. Have a link to the PDF of your table created in InDesign--don't make the link for the actual .indd file. Include the following:
- Bold font for headings
- Sans Serif font throughout the table
- "Properly" aligned text
- Border
- Shading (fill) of some kind
So what do you put in your table? You can replicate a table from the book, or try to create a table based on data from the following web sites:
Save this as a pdf and link to it from your home page.
Forms: Products of Bureaucratic Cultures
Remember, there is NEVER a nonrhetorical use of language when one tries to create usable documents. Additionally, documents exist for purposes, but they are also cultural repositories mediated by ideology. For instance, what does this "special marriage license" say about the culture from which it comes?
More Documents (time permitting)
What ethos do the following documents evoke:
All open as PDFs.
Document #4 Issues
I'm turning back Document #4 to you today. Below are a few general issues to consider:
- Red circles in Photoshop
- Uniform, clear screen shots (paste them in Photoshop)
- "Basal" text--not the herb
- MS Word Document look...
- Stay parallel
- Use captions for extra-textual elements (Figure X.X)
- Arial vs. Ariel
- [Color] C=___ M=___ Y=___ K=___
- Don't just state what a color means based off some out-of-context web page; you have to let me know why a color means what it does. There are several interpretations possible.
- Why is blue calming?
- Why is yellow for sickness?
- Exceptions: Green for environmental stuff and Red for danger or love...those are pretty common.
Those of you who haven't turned in these portfolio assignments will definitely want to get them to me ASAP.
Ethics and Visuals
When creating visuals or, more likely, manipulating visuals, make sure you aren't distorting reality. I know we all remember Dove's Campaign for Beauty model's metamorphosis. Anyone know of other distortions?
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Ever heard of "Hitler's Pope"?
Apparently, he never met Hitler, but this
picture, through juxtapositioning, makes a case.
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This is typical of Washington, DC protests--remember, the camera "frames"
the shots. I do realize this isn't Washington, DC, but it's typical of protests I've seen where the media, because of the limited camera view, make the crowd look bigger.
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Political photo doctoring or, more accurately, Orwellian propaganda.
While the above might seem like extreme cases, even minor touch ups can be unethical as the book points out. Check out this cheesy discussion on visual ethics.
Two Weeks from Tonight
Well, that's it for your reading this semester. Next week is Thanksgiving Break, so I'm giving you the night off. The 5182 crew will do their presentations on their projects next class (12/01), and we'll have a portfolio workshop for the rest of class. Check out the requirements and pay particular attention to the reflecting/reflection requirements.
Don't forget these special dates:
5182 Presentations: 12/01 (5182 students only)
Portfolios DUE: 12/08
Websites finished: 12/08
Final Exam: 12/08
Final Presentations:
12/15 @ 6:30 pm
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Aaron
A. Toscano's Homepage
