Bitmaps and Vectors

I’ve never taken a design course before, so everything we discussed in this lecture was new to me. I did know about colours (we studied them in elementary school), so that section of the lecture was more of a review. However, the technical photo elements section was new and informative. With regard to bitmap images, there were some bits of information that were finally clarified for me. Numerous times I’d find really cool pictures that I’d want to play around with in Photoshop, but couldn’t because they’d be blurry once I enlarged them. It never really dawned on me that enlarging a picture destroyed the picture’s quality. I always assumed that everything would stay the same, just get larger. I now realize that the more I enlarge the picture, the more stretched out it becomes, down to every little pixel. As weird as it sounds, I never really knew much about pixels and resolution. However, because of the lecture I now know to look for pictures with a high resolution (a picture with many pixels).

As for the vector section, I only ever knew vectors to be relevant in my calculus class. Vectors in calculus were lines, no curves or shapes; but here they are made up of lines, curves, and shapes. I never knew that they were a type of picture file and that you can expand them as much as you want without distorting the image. I find it really cool that once you have found the perfect size of the vector design that you want, and are ready to use it in a photo (whether in a web design page or on print), it must be rasterized (turned into a bitmap image, therefore having pixels per inch.)

I was very interested in this lecture. I thought it was something that everyone, who is working with special design programs like Photoshop, should know about. I’m hoping that this will also help me make a better poster in my lab.

C.R.A.P. Principles of Design

Contrast:

Contrast can be both a merit and shortcoming in its usefulness as a design aid. Depending on its location, contrast can create interest, and “showcase” an image by making it stand out. You can achieve contrast through colour, size, texture, and age. Too much contrast can distract the v

iewer, thus making the image lose its appeal.

This picture portrays contrast through many different aspects: the age (young, and old), the size (small and large), the texture (smooth, and wrinkled/veined), and the grip (strong and weak). This picture also portrays proximity in that there is a strong link the two people share since the little hand is engulfing the old person’s finger.

http://www.jamesadonis.com/images/old%20young%20hands.JPG

Repetition:

Like contrast, repetition can improve or detract from a

design. Repetition reinforces the message. Usually the repeated image has variation rather than being a total clone. This helps to keep the attention and interest of the viewer, otherwise the design could become monotonous. Too much repetition can cause the image to lose its bold impact, since it is no longer unique. The message behind the image may get hidden.

This is an example of repetition because the lines and light beams are constantly repeated throughout the picture. However, the pattern is not exactly repeated (the size varies giving the illusion of depth) which makes the image more interesting. With the use of light and dark, black and white, the principle of contrast is relevant.

http://k53.pbase.com/o4/93/166893/1/60069544.RhythmRepetition.jpg

Alignment:

Alignment can be a positive or negative design tool, depending on how you align the images. Left or right alignment is easier for the brain to process than center alignment. Too much alignment, and similarly, too little alignment can cause the design to look messy and unorganized. You might move an image or text out of alignment to draw attention to it, therefore making it a focal point.

Negative space is empty space, with no words or images. It gives the eye a rest, and it can make the total image less busy. The positive space is the image.

This picture is an example of alignment in that it focuses on the negative and positive spaces. If you look at the white area and see a vase, that is the positive space, which means the negative space is the black area. The black area, in turn takes on the shape of two faces in profile. The second picture is the reverse. The black area is now the

positive space as you look at the vase. The white area becomes the negative space showing the two faces in profile. These two pictures also represent contrast (black and white) and repetition (the design is repeated).

http://katalyst-marketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/faceprofileorvase.jpg

Proximity

Proximity establishes a link among images depending on how close or far apart you position them; the closer the images, the stronger the connection; the farther apart the images, the weaker the relationship. When the images are close together, it's easier to comprehend the design.

This picture of George Clooney and his girlfriend at the time represents the principle of proximity. Because they are in the foreground, side-by-side, this indicates that they are “related.” Whereas the other people are in the background, indicating that there is no link between them and George.

http://i.ivillage.com/E/325/2008Oscars/E_GeorgeClooneyGirlfriend_3.jpg

Viva Las Vegas!

Digital Media

Since the age of three, I’ve been exposed to digital media. There were computers for us to use starting at day care and right through grade twelve. At my elementary school, it was mandatory for all classrooms to have at least two computers available for student use. The school also had a computer lab were every class spent a couple hours a week. All around me are examples of digital media that I have grown up with – the Disney video games I played with when I was eight, the posters jazzing up my dorm room now. My first CD was The Spice Girls and my first DVD was “Anger Management.” I have profiles on social networks such as “Facebook” and “Myspace.” In high school, I continued to explore technology through computer courses, which enabled me to produce some of my own digital media creations, using various programs (Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Aftereffects, Encore). We were able to use all kinds of high tech equipment; at least at the time I thought it was high tech. Naturally I assumed there wasn’t much more for me to learn in this area. I have grown up using digital media; it has been part of my everyday life, so basically I have taken it for granted. Then I attended my first lecture in BDC 192: Digital Media. WOW! I have a lot to learn. It’s a good thing I’m enrolled in this course. After hearing the introduction and the lecture on “What is Digital Media?” I realize there is so much more out there. My impression of Digital Media hasn’t really changed since last week, although I won’t take it for granted anymore. If anything, the lecture has made me more excited about this course and its corresponding labs. I can’t wait to actually start doing projects and get more involved in the course material. Advancements are happening all the time and I’m thrilled that I will be working in an area where I will be able to experience them first-hand.

A course like this one is vital for a student in the RTA program at Ryerson. As RTA grads, we will be expected to be up-to-date on all the technology and programs used to help produce digital media. We will be part of the networking industry and the media. By attending this course and others similar to it, we will be ready for any job offers in the field of communications technology. We will be prepared and educated in the technological department as well as in writing and design. This course in particular is a modern means of expressing creativity through technology. This course will enable us to get familiarized with, and practise on equipment and programs that we would be expected to use in our career but might not otherwise have had access to. We have the additional benefit of learning from people who are experts in the field.

McLuhan’s statement, “The Medium is the Message” is very thought provoking; the more I think about it, the more I agree. Whoever has a message or statement to convey will use the medium with which he or she feels comfortable. So a person with good writing skills would write an article (newspaper, magazine), a play, or a novel. Someone who prefers something more immediate and who speaks well would use the medium of radio or television (news broadcast, talk show). An actor might choose the stage or film as the medium. The audience would respond to the same type of medium; people the message is aimed at would tend to be comfortable with, and rely on that medium. Someone who is verbally inclined would be more likely to receive the message through the medium of radio or television, whereas someone who prefers written communication would receive the message through a print medium.