Visual Vs. Symbolic Language

Silhouettes of soldiers who have served in the army stand on the horizon, in their gear and holding guns. A sunset with white clouds is behind them, and above, the image of our waving American flag is in the sky. Below the soldiers, the image states Veterans Day honors all who served and takes place on November 11, 2008. In the bottom left corner is a round emblem with an eagle on it, representing the USA. On the bottom right corner, a round yellow emblem with a torch over it, bearing the words "Veterans Day National Committee."

Responses and Feelings:
Honor, hope, respect, patriotism, seriousness.

Symbols:
Soldier silhouettes: denotes all the soldiers who have served, shows them as equals
Flag: denotes patriotism and honor and respect to the United States of America

The composition of this image does a good job of illustrating soldiers as well as creating a somber respect for them. The caption below the soldiers is well placed, and the flag in the sky contributes to the overall feelings of patriotism an American would feel when looking at this image.

The Batman Symbol

    The Batman symbol, similar to the Mickey Mouse symbol we analyzed in class, is almost universally known. Representationally, it is an abstraction of the image of a bat with it's wings spread.
For the viewer, the association is immediate and synonymous to the image; it's role is to represent the character of Batman, a famous comic book hero and now movie phenomenon. Batman has been very prevalent in our culture, especially in the last few years since the movies have come out. More audiences are exposed to the character and therefore, the symbol, causing it to be universally recognized.


     On the abstract level, the symbol is very powerful. It's simplicity of a black bat outline, either placed against a yellow oval or on it's own as a negative space, is noticeable and easily remembered. To the viewer who is a lover of Batman, this design could bring up memories from their childhood love of comics, or associations to the movies. Overall, the abstraction of the bat and symbolism of the mysterious, masked hero functions to create an exciting and dark mood that is immediately associated with the symbol.

   The symbolism of the Batman image communicates an idea of a masked hero, a comic book phenomenon, and dark and dangerous mood. Using all three levels of design, the abstracted bat is made into a communicative and expressive form. 

Designed Visual Information:

Representational:

This mural of 2 men kissing is a clear representation of equality and love. Although it is in a different language, the straight forward painting clearly conveys the message. It is very detailed and leaves room for interpretation of what the message might by. The purpose of this mural might be to raise awareness, to challenge the viewer intellectually and emotionally. The men portrayed in this mural appear to be wearing business suits, which adds to the detail of the entire piece.

Abstract:

In Berlin, I visited a Jewish memorial consisting of many squares and rectangle shapes of concrete. Each one was a gray color and completely solid. There were hundreds of these squares, and the memorial was designed as a maze, with straight lines of these blocks in rows of varying height. The representation of this memorial was the war and the suffering the Jewish people of Europe faced. This is communicated to the viewer in the form of concrete walls that created a visual and physical impact of the feeling of being trapped.


Symbolic:

The "less than three" symbol, i.e. a heart, is one of the most common symbols used in texting, instant messaging, and online communication to convey "love" or a heart. Viewers who are familiar with coding or online language would understand this but there is a chance that many viewers who are not in the know about these things would be clueless to what this mean. Although overused by teenaged girls everywhere, the "less than three" symbol is almost ubiquitous now as meaning "love." It derives from an actual icon of a heart shape, but also refers to the idea of love or "like." This symbol is culture dependent on the new technology era of texting and typing.