Applying Semantics To Image Design: Make Graphics Speak Louder

It is no secret that our brains are hard wired to perceive meaning images. In Visual Thinking For Design by Ware, he discusses what he calls the "color processing machinery," of the eye and which provides a good basis for this hard wiring. The fact that we are so tuned in to the meaning in different colors, designs and shapes provides the basis for the broader application of semiotics, (Ware, 2008).

Building on this; Ware talks about how when image creators properly apply theories of color, spacing, segmentation, emphasis, etc. that Ware (2008) discusses – can have a profound effect on the success of the message conveyed within the images.  These “semantics” – are what drives the connection between the images and what they are meant to convey, and must be considered carefully when curating images - especially for marketing purposes. 

 

Sample Google Heat Map

I also found Ware’s discussion of eye-movement to be very interesting.  In my marketing day-today we often use heat-maps that Google provides that tell us where people eyes are looking and what they are clicking on – which we then use to maximize web-design.  

When Ware was talking about how are eyes are sensitive to movement, shapes and designs – it reminded me of an example one of my teachers in college showed me of an excellent us of semantics and semiotics in logo design.   

When we look at the two Fedex logos do we see a space between the “E,” and “X,” or do we see an arrow or a home?  And if we do what does it infer?  

 

Ware's book is a great resource for where to begin to segment the process of applying psychology to design.  

References:

Ware, C. (2008). Visual thinking for design. Massachusetts: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers. 

Is Video Still The King Of Media Formats?

     Is video the killer app, no, but perhaps a better name is required. I think video is not the killer app but it should be considered the “App That May Never Die.”  I think that there will always be a special place for video and video sharing websites, pictures are worth a thousand words and videos worth millions, as long this model stays the same video will be too valuable to die and will in fact thrive.  Video sharing websites will stay around because they allow us to share video content relatively anonymously and outside of our social circle.  As more and more of our lives become online, there will remain value in being able to share video content outside of our increasingly involved online lives, however small the need may well be.


      Another reason that video is the app that will never dies is its value to the news industry.  As a journalist I have seen how much the world of journalism has been impacted by the use of video, especially user-generated videos.  Think about the Arab Spring – would we have been able to effectively seen what was going on in those country without ordinary people capturing video of the happenings?  Sites like YouTube are often at the center of this axis between people capturing raw images and platforms that give them a voice. 

     

Because of the power of YouTube to freely allow the exchange and posting of videos, without framing or editing them, gives it a powerful platform to hear voices and opinions of the many and the few.  Also, because of this news sometimes happens first on YouTube.  A somewhat sad example of this is that we recently had some sicko shoot up the university downtown area here in Santa Barbara.  The twisted killer didn’t send his sick manifesto to the media – he posted it on YouTube.


      YouTube and other video sharing sites provide a place where people can interact about the videos, exchange ideas and culture and represent their respective opinions or views in a form of social discourse, (Burgess & Green, 2009).  This adds to the power of video and its ability to persist.


      One of my favorite new websites that has continued to carry the torch for video and also fit it into the new social paradigm is the website Vine.com.  Vine is “a mobile service that lets you capture and share short looping videos. Like Tweets, the brevity of videos on Vine (6 seconds or less) inspires creativity,” (Sippey, 2013).  Sites like this show the flexibility of video and video sharing sites to be flexible and bend to current trends without going away.


References:

Burgess, J., & Green, J. (2009). YouTube:  Online video and participatory culture. Cambridge, MA: Polity Press

Sippey, M. (2013, January 24). Vine: A new way to share video | Twitter Blogs [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://blog.twitter.com/2013/vine-a-new-way-to-share-video


Video journalism and digital storytelling | Guardian Masterclasses | theguardian.com. (n.d.). Retrieved July 10, 2014, from http://www.theguardian.com/guardian-masterclasses/video-journalism

SEO Update: Google To Rank Mobile Friendly Sites Higher

SEO Update: Google To Rank Mobile Friendly Sites Higher
(Great My job Just Got Harder)    

     Great so my job just got harder.  Google has finally announced that it will be ranking websites higher that have been determined to be more mobile friendly.  How do they determine this?  Well there are some criteria that Google will use (at least what they will tell us about). 

     For example, mobile friendly sites must meet certain criteria like text size, amount of space between links, and whether content fits across a small screen. Google doesn't want to leave people to far behind so there is some direction from Google about why they wanted to do this and how you can adapt to the new algorithm.

     Not sure if your site is mobile friendly or not - take the mobile-friendly test online; if you don't pass, Google has some guidance on how you can change your site.  For me this means that I will have to be extra careful when advising the site design and architecture I advise to my clients.  Fro example, simple features like scroll bars (a mainstay for handling large text content on pages) - which look pretty on websites but doesn't do much for the mobile crowd while go the way of the Dodo.   

     But make no mistake - Google generally will ruthlessly enforce these criteria  - but perhaps this is a good things as increasingly web traffic is from mobile or tablet sources.  For example, most of my clients have mobile web traffic between 46-55%.  This is likely to cause a major shift on overall design - since the choices are between designing two versions of a website or one version that is mobile friendly.

    

This might be hard for some sites that have a tried and true format - for example Wikipedia did not pass the mobile friendly test nor do some other major sites.  It will be interesting to see what happens to web design in the next 6 months to a year.