October 1st: Page Design

Plan for the Day

We've got a few things to do today, so below is a list:

• Effective Repetition: ethos, pathos, logos
• Chapter 5 in Document Design
• Chapter 5 in The Non-Designer's Design Book
• Groupwork on Documents you brought in
• Websites, Web sites, and websites
• Possible Photoshop Lesson on Extracting Images
• Bring in typefaces in two weeks
• Document #2 Workshop
• Midterm Review (time permitting)
• Pass back Document #1--issues from last week
• 5182 Projects (let's talk at the end of class)

Ethos, Pathos, Logos

Before we go any farther, let's read over the questions on p. 67 about ethos, pathos, and logos. Also, I want to remind you that a goal of this course is for you to recognize your biases and how you construct meaning or allow certain appeals to persuade you. We're approaching from a cultural studies point of view, so personal tastes and convictions have to be scrutinized as just that--personal. Those tastes and convictions are not generalizable or universal.

I have a brochure to look at that will help us think about these appeals. Open the NPIC "Pets and Pesticide Use" fact sheet. It'll open as a pdf. Of course, the appeals are below:

• Ethos: appeal or presentation of one's character or credibility...try not to get emotional about character! Get it?
• Pathos: appeal to emotions; evoking emotional responses in the audience.
• Logos: appeals to logic; facts in a message. Remember, logic is a formal study and not the whims, quirks, or assumptions of an individual. For instance, claiming, "that's the logic I used to get to my conclusions" really has nothing to do with the formal study of logic: it's a synonym for process in the above sentence.

Here are links to the two updated versions of the Web pages on p. 119:

AARP--Medicare Part D

Kick Butts Day--updated

The above modes of persuasion often work together in messages. In order to fully understand these modes, however, I'm asking you to be very specific in how you explain these appeals. Here's a specific discussion on not letting your conclusions distract from the document's conclusions.

Chapter 5: Pages

So how do we get into a discussion on "viewing pages" of all topics? In some ways it's quite similar to our previous discussions, but I think we need to focus on how an audience consumes a document. Please have your Document Design books out so we can refer to particular pages.

• Many cultures surrounding documents (p. 118)
• Skim, Scan, Read (p. 119)
• Creating meaning with page design (expanded definition of rhetoric)
  • metatextual: text about text
  • metacognition: thinking about thinking
  • metadata: information/data about data
  • metacognition and metadata are not in Ch. 5
• Connection, hierarchy, sequence, and balance (pp. 120-121)
• Note on balance:
  • When considering if a design is balanced, you are interpreting the relative visual weight of objects on a document horizontally and vertically.
  • Of course, this is subjective, but p. 131 has a couple designs that might be said to be objective.
  • However, it's all relative.
• Watch your eyes! (pp. 125-126)
  • saccades: quick eye movements
  • fixations: fixing one's glance on something (or obsession, but that's not an information design issue...or is it?)
• The benefits of columns and power zones (pp. 126-127)
• Symmetry or asymmetry (pp. 130-131)
• 7-12 words per line (p. 139)
• Grids
• Analogy: Points are to picas as inches are to ________.
  1 inch = 6 picas = 72 points (p. 27)
• Breaking the grid / Breaking the grid

What else can we say?

Chapter 5: Contrast

Now that you've read chapters 1-5 and most of 8 in The Non-Designer's Design Book, you're probably getting a feel for the author's design agenda. What do you think drives her design decisions? Talk about that amongst yourselves for a little bit. There's no right or wrong answer, but please have some evidence (from the book) about what you believe her design agenda to be.

The web and dark backgrounds...what's your take?

Groupwork on Your Documents

We're going to return or, I guess, actually do an activity I told you about a while ago. In groups, examine the documents you brought in and determine how their layout, construction, and supratextual elements affect the documents' uses. Additionally, don't forget to consider the document for perceptual, cultural, and rhetorical perspectives (pp. 116-119). Also, discuss the following with regard to your documents:

• Conventions
  • User Expectations
  • Organizational Preference
  • Industry Standards
• Human Factors
  • User Needs
  • User Context
  • User Resources (compatibility)
• Transformation

Don't worry about cost for now, but when do you expect your document to change? Think for a minute or two before you ask, "What exactly are you looking for?"

Web Pages and You

Have you asked, "what does my web site communicate about me?" Well, if not, please do. I want you to have a web site that in some way benefits you or is at least of interest to you. Design your website so that you can show you know how to use Dreamweaver, to show you understand principles of information design, and/or to show your interests. I'm giving you a lot of leeway on this web page because I want to see what you'll come up with.

Midterm Review

I'll pass out your midterms, so we can go over them. Do not leave without returning them to me. You will fail this course if you don't return the midterm to me. Again, you will fail this course if you don't return the midterm.

Bonus Assignments for 5182 Students

I want to talk to the 5182 group about their bonus assignments, so those of you enrolled in 4182 aren't responsible for these. Check out the Assignments Page--Leading Class Discussion and Bibliographic Essay.

Next Class

Make sure you read Chapter 6 in Document Design before coming to class in two weeks (10/15). I have us down for cover type over two classes because I thought we might need a chance to catch up. Even though we might not get to this next week, please find a typeface or two that you like, find interesting, or, at least, you can discuss. Find exotic ones--no Times New Roman or Arial.

Also, Document #2 (Flyer or Advertisement) is due next class (10/15). Please note the due date and assignment changes.

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