NFrisch - Ex17 - Implied Motion

Implied Motion Example 1

This car rim design looks like a fan blade/saw blade/turbine from a jet engine. One thing that each of these have in common is that their main job is to spin, very fast. The swept look of the fins of this rim scream "motion" through their torque-bent-like spiraling vortex into the center of the axle. The taper of the width of the fins, wider at the outside and narrower toward the inside, also gives the rim the essence of looking down into a whirlpool. The pitch, or angle of the fins (like on a propeller) in theory could be functional by pulling air into the brakes to cool them, but most likely its just for show. The edges are sharp enough to look serious, but uniformly blunted as if they were precision-machined for zero-drag. The surfaces are ultra-smooth and look as though they'd be at home inside a jet turbine.

Implied Motion Example 2

This is a pair of Oakley brand sunglasses aimed toward an athletic or otherwise sports-related audience. The colors are loud, but balanced, and share similar traits with color palettes of ski wear and other "extreme sports," including all sorts of bicycling. These glasses are aerodynamic; they look streamlined. The contours seem as though they'd fit like a glove to the wearer's face, as not to let in any dust or unwanted wind. The shape of the lenses almost looks tear dropped from the side profile, suggesting very fast movement, almost like the trailing edge of an airplane wing. The lenses also have a swept back look; they are tilted, the down being swept back slightly. This gives the overall shape or stance of the glasses that similar to a bullet or a fast car. The lenses could also slightly resemble a bird with its wings spread out from above. These glasses have a lot of different implications of motion and movement and fit well on the faces of their target audiences, those who move a lot, and those who move fast.

NFrisch - Ex14 - Tone and Color

This is a basic Pro Tools hardware console used for recording music and other audio.

a) How does TONE operate in this example?

Tone variations are used to distinguish the five major panels of this console, the two at far left and right with sliders and other input/output adjustments, the middle two panels where signal routing, cues, and other data input happen, and the panel that runs as a strip along the top that monitors most of the audio coming in and going out. These individual panels are groupings of like-controls. The black (or very dark gray) of the housing or desk of the console contrasts with the lighter gray of these panels, and as a result makes them "pop out" visually. On the far left and right panels, the controls that are used most often (sliders and knobs) are dark in tone to contrast against the gray panels so that they pop out and are easy to see with the slightest of glances. Controls such as buttons and other things that aren't as commonly adjusted as the latter discussed are shown above in white, super-light gray or a chromed-silver finish so that they are easily seen when looked for, but when not needed can also blend in with the tone of the panels.

b) How does TONE interact with another element of visual design?

Tone seems to most directly work in tandem with lines and shapes in this example. The implied lines between the borders of the gray panels and the black housing direct my eyes in a generalized manner at first, then allow me to focus more precisely and with direction. The grouped controls like the knobs and the sliders all have uniform shape, and are separated from the panels by their color (and of course dimension). Their shapes somewhat represent what they do visually as well.

c) How does COLOR operate in this example?

Color is essential to using this piece of equipment. The level meters along the upper panel are made up of LED arrays and tell the user how loud a signal is. Out of a vertical line of LEDs per channel, perhaps 12 will be green (meaning that everything is fine), 6 will be amber (meaning that the signal's volume is near the upper end of the limit), and 2 will be red (meaning that the volume is at the limit before it will distort.) There is also a single red LED above each pair of these green/amber/red meters that turns on when a signal has become too loud and has distorted or "clipped." This is also a button that can be pushed to reset the clipping notification after other adjustments have been made. Other indicator lights across the console use similarly colored light to communicate various things. The keyboard shown is a special design made by Avid that should be used specifically with the Pro Tools software. Different sections of the keyboard correspond to different functions in the program, and each have a designated color so that they are easily identifiable.

d) How does COLOR interact with another element of visual design?

Color seems to be directly operating in conjunction with scale in this example. The LED lights are the primary source of color in this equipment, and they are also very small. This seems logical to me, since having worked with such equipment in a professional setting I know that often in studio control rooms the ambient lights are dimmed to enhance the mood and atmosphere. If colored readouts were too big, they'd be distracting and would feel out of place.