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Legibility is one of the critical principles in visual communication. Generally, it can be affected by type, layout, colour, and image etc. The typeface may be clear and easy to understand instead of abstract and elusive. Sometimes a simple typeface works more than a complicated one. The type size also must be appropriate, for example, the headlines in the front page of a newspaper should be big enough to catch the eyes of readers on the first sight. Conversely, the type size of routine news should be smaller. As the following picture shows that a big headline is easy to be found and effectively reinforces the theme of the newspaper.

Layout affects the legibility as well. It makes the visual structure which decides the communicating forms of messages while colour and image make the visual content. Look at the following picture, it is not legible because of the color and image. The background images and the headline are all black and white which seem to have no point. The patterns are confused and the image is not clear. Also, the title of the book is not legible if it is been put in a book store. Images are used for making complement explanation to the text, which makes the theme more vivid and graphic. The second pictures is a good example.Pictures and texts perfect combine each other, clear, legible and improve the readability.

Designers use many devices to affect the visual hierarchy. Look at the following picture, it is a creative resume. Where do you look first? I first see the name of the employee, but next I cannot figure out which part is more important and the colours are not changed in each part which makes me feel confused. In terms of grouping, the three diagrams are of identical importance so that the employer may not quickly find the information they want. Compare with it, although the second resume is not that creative, but it is more clear and simple, the colours are just white and blue which makes me feel comfortable to read. The content’s themes are obvious and easy to be found. In addition, the layout and type are appropriately combined with each other that the composition of each part is orderly listed below.

In summary, legibility and the visual hierarchy are all the important principles of visual communication and they promote each other. A good visual hierarchy will make the structure clear and tidy so that it may have a nice legibility which will communicate more effective messages to the audience.

Reference:
1.Wyszecki, Günther; Stiles, W.S. (1982). Color Science: Concepts and Methods, Quantitative Data and Formulae (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley Series in Pure and Applied Optics.
2.Wade, T. and Sommer, S. eds.

The key point of illustration

An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information (such as a story, poem or newspaper article) by providing a visual representation graphically. This definition shows us that one of the key points of illustration is the deeply understanding. How can an illustrator better understand the meaning of a subject? He need to focus on a few questions like what the text intends to show us, in which aspects can it be extended, what way is the best to express its meaning in visual communication. Then it should come into the practice part. This important part includes many procedures. First, the illustrator should research all the information or data of the text or narrative by observation, collecting, studying and exploring. Observe the main idea of the text, collect the facts it shows, study the significance of every discussion or example, and explore the things that confused you. During this part, an illustrator will have a basic understanding of the text. Then we may summary the text and try to extend it in our own words. This is all the preparation for visual representation and the understanding of the illustrator decides whether the illustration success or not. There are a set of pictures which propagandize the World War I.Support the Red Cross, and free lending activities. They might be used in the newspapers beside the texts that refer to the World War I. The illustrators must research all the information about the war and make a great deal of visual practice, and then extend the theme to several aspects such as family, soldiers, hospitals and so on. 

Inspiration plays an important part in visual creation. It’s a sudden creativity in the process of observation, collecting, studying and exploring. That is the preparation that mentioned above. Inspiration derives from our daily life, every place we go, everything that we see, feel and everybody we have talked to. It’s all around us. We should have a pair of eyes that good at finding and rich imagination is necessary, too. Write down the inspiration immediately when you think of something. The origin of inspiration influences the style of the creation. A modest, pure and touching painting often derives from the sincere emotions and bright wishes of the illustrator who lives a modest, happy life. As the following picture shows, the illustrator’s inspiration comes from the swimming pool which is full of water. It’s creative indeed and will better convey the theme.Excellent inspiration is the essence of making a excellent illustration. 

In conclusion, illustration is the process of understanding, summary, extending and transforming. Inspiration is the precondition of creation.

Reference:
1. Ivan Viola and Meister E. Gröller (2005). "Smart Visibility in Visualization". In: Computational Aesthetics in Graphics, Visualization and Imaging. L. Neumann et al. (Ed.)

2. Brogan, T.V.F. "Inspiration" in Alex Preminger and T.V.F. Brogan, eds., The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993. 609-610.

Originality and recontextualised ideas in contemporary culture

With the development of media technology and diversified way of contemporary communications, artists will sometimes imitate the basic originalities of the early art works by drawing on the experience of their art elements, styles, and form etc. They are not trying to plagiarize because they often use new methods such as photography, collage, computer technology and so on to make changes on the basis of the early work. These changes involve from the methods of creating the work—media, to the art form and the intention of it. They know that what is the essence of notion originality and combine their own creativity with the existing one. For example, compare the following two pictures,the first one is the advertisement of Ashanti Beer, the second is the old Japanese painting “The great Wave of Kanagawa”, by Hokusai. We can easily find that they are similar in a way.The advertisement’s inspiration comes from the old painting, but it has quite different intention and audience from that one. The old woodblock printing is a study of contrasts between thundering waves and the small but mighty Mt. Fuji. which is just for enjoyment and only has decorated value in old times. Now artist borrowed the same element—waves and even the same composition of picture combine with the new visual technology to make it an attractive advertisement which is showed to drinking lovers, it finally has the commercial value.

The selectively borrowing of ideas, forms and styles from other’s work, from historical culture or other aspects of man made visual or non visual culture brings modern people lots of benefits and better promote the society process. The inherent in the process of imitate and creating is the fact that the new work recontextualises whatever it borrows to create the new work. The recontextualised idea can be contemporary in some extent. For instance, the following first picture “Venus standing in her landscape” shows the beautiful gesture of Greek goddess of love, Venus.  Compared to it, the second picture also uses the image of Venus but create a different background and shade which seems to represent a mysterious meaning. The first picture is just a regular oil painting while the second is created in new media technology. Moreover, this is a kind of cultural borrowing that whether the art elements are modern or not, it can be contemporary by new ways of creating.

In summary, originality is the essence of creating, recontextualised ideas is the way of changing, modern artist use different ways of communication and make various changes of the art forms in order to endow them with new values such as commercial values, journalism values and so on. It’s a process which show the development of visual communication.

Reference:
1.Nagata, Seiji (1995). "Hokusai: Genius of the Japanese Ukiyo-e." Kodansha International, Tokyo.
2.Hillier, Jack (1980). Art of Hokusai in Book Illustration. Sotheby Publications, London. 
3.Snyder, James; Northern Renaissance Art, 1985, Harry N. Abrams