#rhetoricanddesign

For my data visualization segment, I chose to work on a graph loosely referred to as a tree of life graph. It is used in Biology to show lineage and genetic connections between species of the same or similar familial groups. It is round most commonly, but it can also be found in a blocky version extending out in one of the cardinal directions. It starts from a central point, and branches out. Each branch represents a point where a species broke off slightly and became unique, causing the tree like branching appearance. Visually, it is complex but stunning. Almost like a work of art, when trained, one can clearly read all of the subtle intricacies including all if the scientific names and genetic families provided. I don’t know how long these style graphs have been around, but I studied them when I was working with the Bosque Ecological Monitoring Program and the National Center for Genomic Resources studying the genetic lineage of porcupines living in the Bosque. It is useful for tracing genes back to see if the population has been in a place for decades, or if it has been moving around nomadically. Now, this data visualization is almost only used in STEM fields as it is too complex for most people to understand. You have to have a certain level of training, but while it is very regimented in who can view it, those who can, can appreciate the detail that went into it.

I chose the above brochure because it caught my eye when randomly searching for brochures to use for this segment. What first caught my eye was the house on the front. It was big, centered, and colorful. Like a house, it was inviting, and there was even the metaphor of entering the house with the separation of the two sides that open to the inside. The information was kept brief, but what I gathered was that it was a brochure for some housing complex/community, or a retirement home. Either way, it certainly enticed me. I also felt that it was neat, and not muddled down with large blocks of text. They even have a quote, “Every heart needs a home”, which is in a heart shaped background. The colors used are light colors, with greens that associate with nature, adding a natural influence to their houses. The text is simple, but differentiates the headings with the body by the use of italics, and some words even have a block of color behind them to make them stand out a bit more among the white background. My one complaint would be that there seems to be a lot of white space, and I felt maybe a soft design or something would’ve helped it not be so stark compared to what we do see on the brochure.

The 5th and 6th presentations were my favorite. The first, a plate design presentation was tactile and fun, though we didn’t find out who the winner was. It allowed us to practice looking at placement, themes, sizing of food and plate, decorations and design of the plate, color patterns, and food types. Looking at all of these factors allows us to create a well thought out and aesthetic plate of food. The second presentation was by far my favorite. Daniel, a Native American man in the Navajo tribe, talked to us about the history and design of native Navajo rugs. He told us about Spider Woman, and about the deep meaning woven into each carefully designed rug. He explained the importance of the four main colors, black, white, red, and brown. He explained that each rug needs to be perfectly symmetrical. I even made my own rug. I implicated a simple design, combined with red crosses (to represent health), and pine trees (to represent nature).

The second set of presentations included mine. To reflect on mine, I believe I did alright. I prepared for the assignment to the best of my abilities, including reflecting on the personal religions people may have. What I didn’t consider was the cultural impacts of my project. My classmate Tye explained why she had to stop participating due to her personal culture and upbringing. The other presentation was by Walid, and was about the technicality and design of reddit. While his instructions in terms of participation of the activity weren’t very clear, it was interesting hearing about the specifics of design like topics discussed, how to format and structure, as well as other things we talked about in our class. What I liked most about his presentation was that I had no idea what reddit was used for, but he explained it in great deal and how to use it.

Icons in comics can be more prominent if they are more unique, having that individuality stand out amongst the pages. While not exactly relating to comics, I’m choosing to discuss what I am calling shadow theory. Shadow theory basically states that a character is original enough in its design if the detail is left out and there is only a black silhouette of the character, yet it can still be recognized. For example, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse looks like, and can identify his shape among the various other shadows in the image I chose. In fact, try guessing the images to see which ones immediately stick out to you. Certain features of a character, like how they are shaped, their size, and interesting or special features (like tails, extra limbs, big clothing, etc.) can make your character more memorable and thus making it an icon. This can be applied to comics too, as almost anyone who knows of the Batman comics can pick out his unique silhouette among a group of others. In terms of iconic abstraction, the more abstract your character, the more memorable they are. And in comics, memorability is key to success, and without it, your comic can be left in the dust of the bookshelf.