Visual+Literacy

For this assignment, we were supposed to criticize a visual from our own perspective, using the visual design principles (PAT model). Our critical write-up needs to include these three points: 1) an interpretation of the visual message 2) the overall design in terms of PAT model (positive and negative) 3) the improvement of the visual if there is any to enhance the effectiveness of convening the message to the audience.

This is the given visual:



Well, I really liked this activity and learned a lot as you will see on what I wrote below:

I believe that the visual message is understandable, but not so powerful, not so memorable. The message in itself is striking, but how the message is depicted visually here isn’t that impacting or attracting. Therefore, I can see a lack or poor quality in the tools section of the PAT model, especially on the shape, space, and typography; also in the actions section especially on the alignment and proximity. I believe that the overall design in terms of PAT model is a negative one: I can’t perceive it well. This visual message doesn’t achieve the primary goals of figure/ground, hierarchical, and gestalt. Figure/ground: There are numbers, but these numbers aren’t accompanied by their corresponding number (e.g., there is a //600 million//, but then there is a “each year” -I believe emphasizing both of them “600 million…per 1 year” would be more powerful). Hierarchical: there is no sequence of descending numbers (e.g., we see “600 million, 8 billion, 127, 20 billion” -I believe 20 billion should go first, then 8 billion, then 600 million, and then 127. I know this desired sequence isn’t the main purpose in this visual, but the sequence would give more emphasis and importance to the numbers and what they represent). Proximity: There is an unnecessary proximity among the pictures and their corresponding boxes in the table of the visual. They should be separated some centimeters, and the boxes should be enlarged too. Both of them look somewhat compressed against each other without any purpose. Some improvements that I would do to enhance the effectiveness of convening the message to the audience are in the area of tools, especially on the shape, space, and typography. Therefore, I would focus on contrast, alignment, and proximity. Contrast: In each box the number of years and seconds should be numbered the way the numbers of Big Macs, chickens, hot dogs are (e.g., “127 chickens…per //1// second). Alignment (more specifically on the sequence of years): this sequence should be kept numerically increasing or decreasing (e.g., “20 billion, 8 billion, 600 million, 127” or 127, 600 million, 8 billion, 20 billion” -I believe this last one would be better because it emphasizes the gravity of what the numbers represent, and reaches a climax of warning alarm). Proximity: The pictures should be pulled away some centimeters from their corresponding boxes in the table. Now both of them are so compressed, so pushed against each other that it is somewhat difficult to read or tiring and exasperating to find such obviousness from the reading to their representative pictures. The boxes should be enlarged, and even the letters should be bigger to create that striking power the visual needs to have to carry such a striking message that is of so much concern nowadays for so many people who want to take wake up and start taking care of their health.