This picture may be an advertisement or a page of manual of Canon Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera. As can be seen in this picture there are two layers, first one is a stylish man in a racing car and holding a camera. The other layer is a vague background that displays the feeling of speed. Despite these two layers, there are two marks (48 and 49) in the picture. In this assignment, this picture will be investigated by chapter 1 “Visual Queries”, chapter 2 “What We Can Easily See” and chapter 3 “Structuring Two-Dimensional Space” of Visual Thinking of Design.
1 Chapter 1 Visual Queries
1.1 The apparatus and process of seeing
According to the reader, seeing is all about attention (P.3). Depending what we are searching for and focusing on, our visual thinking act a series of eye-movement and pattern-finding. Moreover, our brain concentrates in the fovea which is at the very center of the visual field. We can detail the image in the centre of visual field. On the other hand, the information at the edge of field can only be barely seen. In order to get more information of image, rotate eyeball rapidly is necessary. The eye-movement points at something interesting and useful locations.
In this picture, the vague background enhances the main character which is the man holding camera and also the numbers. Our brain naturally focuses on those clear features and just gets a rough idea about the vague background. First we may see the white 48 in a red circle (we will discuss it in next chapters) or the man. The information surround the red circle is meaningless faint gray color that do not contain many details, so readers do not stair the red spot too long and move to the next information. Furthermore, the 48 in this picture does not have meaning to readers, it may be forgotten naturally in a short time according to the working memory.
After that, the attention goes on the main character. This part can be divided into certain reasons that lead readers’ eye-movement focus on the camera, such as direction and color. However, one of the obvious elements is location. The camera is located at the intersect point where is easily can be seen (Figure 1). Afterwards, the camera becomes a center of the visual field, the rest of the image of the man start to be investigated by rapid eyeball movement after readers see the camera.
1.2 The act of perception
According to the reader, our brain does not process all the information that we see due to decrease energy consumption. Brain consumes huge energy to store information. Thus there are two waves to receive information. One is bottom-up, another is top-down. Broadly speaking, “bottom-up is driven by the visual information in the pattern of light falling on the retina, and top-down, driven by the demands of attention, which in turn are determined by the needs of the tasks.”(P.8)
In the left part of this picture (Figure 2-a), form the bottom-up aspect, readers may read the information and get a rough idea of this part of image. In this image there is a man with helmet holding camera and sitting in a vehicle. In addition, the background provides fast feeling. According to these clues, our brain does not only start to form an image but also bound the information what we have received and connect it to our general knowledge. For instance, if you are familiar with the sports car, you may directly consider that black vehicle is a black convertible sports car (Figure 2-b). If you are more familiar with a three-wheeler, you may think the man is on it (Figure 2-c).
Figure 2. From the bottom-up aspect, different reader may connect the black vehicle to their own knowledge. b is a black convertible sports car and c is a three-wheeler.
On the other hand, in the top-down process, if the readers know they are searching for a car, they may form a feature and try to find a pattern in this picture. Without thinking, they may consider the three-wheeler is a sports car.
2 Chapter 2 What We Can Easily See
In this chapter, the main theme is why we can sense something small in the periphery and make an eye movement so that they become a visual centre.
2.1 What stands out = what we can bias for
According to the reader, “pop-out effects depend on the relationship of a visual search target to the other objects that surround it” (P.28). In other words, the more single targets object different from the other surrounding objects which are all identical or similar, the more pop-up effect occurs. Thus, the degree of contrast level between target object and surroundings make it distinct by certain ways, such as shape, sharpness, direction of motion and cast shadow.
In this picture, first element to pop-up the main character is sharpness and size. The entire image is vague except the head area of the man and the number in a red circle. Also the man occupies a half page. In this stage, the image is divided into two main layers. Readers get the rough idea of background instantly because it is a common composition of road view and another layer is the man in a vehicle.
The numbers in the picture are 48 in the filled red circle and 49 in an orange circle (Figure 3). Both are pop-up from the gray vague color because of the differences of color and sharpness. Additionally, the 48 is a filled solid object and with no connect to the image thus it is the obvious in the entire image. On the other hand, despite the 49 has a sharpness and color difference, the transparent circle make the number unclear and also make it less important to 48.
Figure 3. Using the sharpness and color to pop-up the objects.
Furthermore, back to the main character, as be mentioned that pop-up by sharpness first. Particularly his right arm has the color and direct of motion differences. The direction of background and the man’s body are from outside tending to the centre of image but the direction of his right arm is from centre to outside (Figure 4). The eye-movement follows the right arm to the end which is the camera.
Figure 4. The different directions of motion make the right arm distinct.
Color and texture of man’s clothes are crucial. The color and texture of coat is different to the road (right arm part) but similar to the background (left arm part). What is more, the gray value of coat is close to the vehicle gradually. Those make the orangeish color, which are shirt, scarf, hands and face, pop-up from the left clear part of image. And the black camera is surrounding by the orangeish area that helps the camera to pop-up (Figure 5). Moreover, helmet has the greatest bright level to become an attention point in this image. That makes a contrast to camera.
Figure 5. The contrast of the color and texture between different elements such as coat, shirt and helmet make the camera distinct.
2.2 Using multiscale structure to Design for search
According to the reader, “Adding multiscale visual structure will make search much more efficient, as long as the smaller objects of search can predictably be associated with larger visual objects.” (P.40) We tend to read the image into several large groups first and detect each group into details.
In this picture, it may be divided into certain groups such as the man area, the gray road and the tree area in the back (Figure 6). Although the target object, which is camera, occupies small percentage of entire image, it leans on the main character. That part stands out by differences of color, vague and motion between backgrounds, and the camera pop-up from this main area. Thus even the target object does not have obvious characters or size; it can be supported by surrounding elements to reinforce the attraction.
Figure 6. Using visual structure will make search more efficient. There are three main visual objects in this picture.
3 Chapter 3 Structuring Two-Dimensional Space
3.1 The generalized contour
When people look at an object, they start to separate the object from the background in many different ways to distinct the boundaries of the object. The color differences, texture boundaries, and even motion boundaries can reinforce the pattern-processing.
In this picture, as be mentioned in chapter 2, the contour is detected by color and blur differences. However there are more details in the main part of picture which is left part.
First of all, there is not always an obvious contour that the edges of objects in the environment can be defined. Sometimes the elements of texture helps people to distinct the boundaries. On the other hand, if the texture is a large numbers of symbols or simple shapes are densely packed together, brain automatic thinks them as a pattern. In this picture, the background is formed by various greenish trees or plants. However, we see it as certain similar patterns, one is the cliff behind the man and another is in the left page green mountain. Furthermore, the ambiguous curve road also is seen as a pattern (Figure 7).
Figure 7. The texture is a large numbers of symbols or simple shapes are densely packed together, brain automatic thinks them as a pattern.
3.2 Interference and selective tuning
“The more the background differs in element granularity, in feature similarity, and in the overall contrast, the easier the text will be to read.”(P51)
In this picture, the man wear a greenish check coat, brain sees it as a pattern no matter the pattern is inclined or horizontal. And according our experience, we recognize that is a coat, so even the pattern does not continuous from left to right. We still consider that they are the same. However, the background differ it. We can see the pattern in the right arm easier then the left arm. Nevertheless, if we put those two parts of arm together without background, they seem to be much more similar (Figure 8).
Figure 8. The background can enhance or interference the target objects. If we see the texture of left and right arm in the left picture, the texture of right arm is clearer then left one.
3.3 Spatial layout
“Pattern perception is more than contours and regions. Groups of objects can form patterns based on the proximity of the elements.”(P56)
There are many structures in the environment, several small elements form into a large scale. When we see the image, we do not only detect the small elements but also shape the proximity elements into an overall shape. In this picture, it can be formed into certain overall shape such as an orange part, gray road part and dark area in the corner of right bottom (Figure 9).
Moreover, in the V4 neurons respond a strong capability of distortions. We can recognize patterns and shapes from different angles and distances. For instance, in this rotating picture, we still consider that the camera is pointing at us (Figure 10).
Figure 10. The ability to recognize a distorted pattern.
3.4 Semantic pattern mappings
According to the reader, “we are relying on the same neural machinery that is used to interpret the everyday environment.”(P63) In the most of time, when we see the patterns, we try to figure out the relationship between them. It helps us to understand environment and communicate information easily.
In this picture, there are two numbers which are 48 and 49. There may be some order or instruction in this arrangement. As can be seen, the 48 is written in white color in the red solid circle compare to the 49 that is written in red color but in a transparent orange circle. What is more, the 48 is located in higher position (Figure 11). It shows that they have related information or a sequence. From the natural semantic concept, that lead the 48 may be more important than the 49.
Figure 11. The similar concept between 48 and 49 shows some relations or sequences.
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