Feature Hierarchy

This is an info graphic that was published on the website good.is. This info graphic shows the percentage of individuals who voted to ban or legalize same sex marriage, state by state. Motion, the most attention grabbing pre attentive feature, is not used here. Interactive info graphics, or those using some sort of animation, could take advantage of motion. Color, the second most effective attention-grabbing feature, is used to a somewhat decent effect here. The only color is in the rope running through the middle of the graphic. It is supposed to be a rope being tied into a knot. I suppose the rainbow color associates it with the LGBT community. The amount of attention this draws from the viewer is almost too much. It sticks out a little too much from the actual information printed in the background, which is all black and white. This represents how color can be a powerful tool in attracting attention. Another color difference (not really color but black and white difference) is the circles. Some are filled black, and others are filled white. You notice the three unfilled circles since their lack of color makes them stick out when compared to the black circles. The third pre attentive feature this graphic uses is size. Some of the black circles are larger than others. The size difference draws your attention to them more than the small ones. The information in the larger circles might be more relevant than the smaller circles.

References:

 Image: http://thestrangeattractor.net/?p=2973

Website: WWW.good.is/

Top-down Processing

 Top-down Processing

Ake Axelsson designed this chair. It is called Wood. The chair is made from solid beech. I chose this because of its simple design. When you approach a chair to sit down, you generally take a quick look at it before hand. You are looking for a purpose, which is the essence of top-down visual processing. Your goal is to sit down in this unfamiliar chair, so you want to make a few observations before you rely on the chairs structure, cleanliness, and surroundings. Your eyes make rapid fixations on the chair and what’s around it. You look at the seat and back rest. Is the chair dirty? Does it have a cushion? How comfortable will it be? Then you might scan the surrounding area. If there is a crazy person sitting in close proximity, you might look for another seat. Once you make these quick observations, you take more time looking at the chair as you approach it. These longer fixations are more in tune with your ultimate goal. The walk up to the chair might reveal something you didn’t see before hand. Maybe the leg of the chair is bent, or you overlooked a piece of gum stuck to the backrest. If these longer fixations don’t turn up anything unsettling, you take the chair as your seat.

Image: 

http://www.decoist.com/2010-11-19/an-amazing-chair-ake-axelssons-wood/

Syntactical Guidlines - Design Success & Failure

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This is a picture of the Mimosa Coffee Table by Matt Carr. The continuous plank of wood creates a simple, yet functional piece of furniture. Magazines can be held in the center portion of the table, which when full, would provide literal and visual bottom weight. The symmetrical W shape of the furniture provides solid base, creating a sturdy coffee table.

This is a picture of a Three Legged Chair by Joaquim Tenreiro. The pattern created by gluing pieces of wood together creates a beautiful design. If you were to look at the chair from the front, the shape and color pattern would create a symmetrical design. In my opinion, the triangular base creates tension. The two planks in the front provide stability, but most of a persons weight is put on the back of the chair. The single leg in the back would support a weight, but any movement would result in the chair falling to one side.  

References:

Mimosa Image retrieved from

 http://www.homedesignfind.com/furniture-2/mimosa-coffee-table-style-and-simplicity/

Three Legged Chari retrieved from

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http://moderndesignfanatic.blogspot.com/2010/04/joaquim-tenreiro.html