Vanessa Lu

Visual Comm 2570

MW 5:30-8:20 PM

Image 1:

In this image, the first design element that applies is color. Color is a tool that
can be used by photographers or artists to create an emotional impact for the audience.
This may influence the way the viewer acts, varying in brightness, hues (different
shades of a certain color), and warmth. The color blue takes up the majority of the
picture, setting a calming tone for the audience because it is a cool shade, and
therefore implements a relaxing atmosphere. The faint color of yellow that is reflected
by the building also creates a calming feel because it complements the color blue, and
the shadow that appears on the building symbolizes that the day is near evening, a
quiet time.
Another design element that is relevant to this image is space. Less space in a
piece of work may reflect an anxious feeling for the audience because there is no
room to breathe. In addition, positive-negative space means that the empty area of an
 Vanessa Lu
Visual Comm 2570
MW 5:30-8:20 PM

image is used appropriately and is aesthetically pleasing. Space is used in this photo,
because the left corner of the image is occupied by nothing else except the blue sky;
this emptiness is useful because it presents how vast the sky is and the building that
compares to it. There is also much room for the audience to take a breath and relax,
which goes along with the cooling colors of the image.
A third design element used in this picture is perspective. Perspective
incorporates parallel lines that the audience will immediately guide their eyes to. It
allows the audience to grasp an area in space as it aligns with the horizon. Perspective
is used in this image because the sign stretching across the photo with the name of the
shop curves and stops at a certain point; the audience is able to understand how vast
and wide the building is as it seemingly reaches against the sky.
One last design element in this image is scale. Scale is comparing two objects
together to see how their actual sizes are in real-life. Scale is used in this photo
because the lamppost toward the bottom left corner is as tall as the windows of the
building. This helps the audience visualize the height of both the lamp and the building;
it would most likely be inferred that the building is tall, and so is the lamppost.
 Vanessa Lu
Visual Comm 2570
MW 5:30-8:20 PM

Image 2:

The first design element that is incorporated in this photo are dots. Dots are
circular objects that may lead to the mind unconsciously deriving other shapes from
them, or representing an area occupied in space. The dots in this image are the small,
illuminated circles in the ceiling that are ceiling lights. They allow the audience to know
how high up the ceiling is depending on how small the dots of light appear. There is
much space between the floor and the ceiling, because the ceiling lights appear tiny.
A second design element in this image is proportion. Proportion is how the
objects in a photo compare in size in relation to each other. Proportion is used in this
photo, because the audience can see the red lamp shade toward the bottom in
comparison to one of the chandeliers lights; the photo falsely depicts the two as
proportional, but in reality, it is unproportional because the lamp shade is not as big as
 Vanessa Lu
Visual Comm 2570
MW 5:30-8:20 PM

the chandelier, although it may appear as so. However, the chandelier in the far back
clearly shows that its miniature branching lights are the same size, and therefore are
proportional because they are equal to one another.
A third design element in this image are lines. Lines are when dots come
together to form a horizontal dash. There are multiple styles of lines that the presenter
can use in order to reach the audience in a specific way; bold lines will stress the
importance of the object and may make the audience feel heavy merely by looking at
it. The shadows that appear in the drapes across the ceiling form light and soft lines; the
audience may feel the elegance and order in the atmosphere merely because of the
dainty lines that reflect in the ceiling.
One last design element incorporated in this image are shapes. Shapes are
formed by a combination of lines. As suggested by Dondis, the primary shapes are the
circle, triangle, and square. These simple shapes can alter themselves to become a
wide range of unique shapes. In this photo, the shape of a circle is clearly seen in the
three chandeliers that are present. A rectangle, which is a type of square, is seen in the
window in the ceiling and on the doors in the back of the photo.
 Vanessa Lu
Visual Comm 2570
MW 5:30-8:20 PM

Image 3:

The first design element in this photo is volume. Volume is granting depth
toward two-dimensional objects and therefore, making the object seem like it is tangible
in the photo. Volume is used in this image, because although the image itself makes the
contents flat, the shadows in the picture make certain leaves stand out from each
other. The brighter leaves seem to be stretching out more, because they are not as
 Vanessa Lu
Visual Comm 2570
MW 5:30-8:20 PM

distant as the ones hidden in shadows. The leaves seem like they are
three-dimensional as if they are popping out of the picture, due to the shadows that
create depth in the image.
The second design element in this photo is direction. Direction is the path our
eyes focus and move in an image. Our eyes may first begin in the corner of the image,
but notice the rainbow stream in the center and follow the path it is pointing toward.
Since the ray of light is pointing downwards, our eyes may be guided by this trail and
gaze at the bottom of the picture as well.
A third design element in this image is lighting. Lighting affects the perspective
of how an audience sees things, by brightening or dimming a certain aspect of the photo
and bringing or depriving focus from it. In this photo, lighting is used mainly toward the
top right corner of the photo, where the audience is likely to center their attention on first
since eyes travel to the brightest area in an image. Chiaroscuro lighting is also
incorporated in this photo, because there is a blatant difference between the leaves that
stick out to the audience due to the excess light, and leaves that are hidden, because
the upper leaves prevent light from shining on them.
One last design element in this picture is balance. Balance is how the objects in
a photo are positioned, either in an axial or asymmetrical way. Axial balance means that
the aspects of the image are uniform, while asymmetrical balance means that the photo
has no symmetry. This photo has asymmetrical balance, because one side of the photo
is illuminated more than the other, and the leaves are scattered throughout, varying in
lighting and position.