Visual Presentation

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Visual Communication:

Visual Presentation is about putting all off your visual components together into a compelling presentation: telling the story / narrative. It relies on you showing an understanding of the following five areas:�

• Composition: the overall shape and dynamics of the container that holds and connects the individual parts;
• Use of the Grid: Vertical (Column's) and Horizontal (Rows) axis;
• Visual Hierarchy: ordering of information in order of importance;
• Type Basics: The type of font, upper/lower case, serif / sans-serif;
• Gestalt: the whole must be greater than the sum of its parts.

The basic anatomy of graphic layout:

The typical presentation layout can be divided into the following structural components:

• Vertical axis (Columns);
• Horizontal axis (Rows);
• Header: the type of the page;
• Footer: the bottom of the page.

These are the basic building blocks that can be arranged to bring order and clarity to a document.

The power of composition:�GUTENBERG DIAGRAM

• The Gutenberg diagram (left) asserts that the reader’s eyes tend to naturally begin reading at the top left corner of the page and move across and down which - mimics Western reading habits.
• The other two quadrants are considered ‘fallow’ areas to which less attention is paid.

The Power of Composition:�EXAMPLE

• This example uses the same composition as was looked at earlier. With a row and column being used in the two dimensional layout. This page also shows the third dimension which you need to consider as a designer and that is colour.
• You need to always consider what elements your want to jump out at the view by considering: Colour, Size, Placement, Grouping and orientation.

The Power of Composition:�COMPOSITIONS CONSIDERATIONS

The things you need to think about to ensure your page jumps out at your viewer are;

• Colour: Applying colour to an otherwise white/plain page guarantees it will be noticed.
• Size: Increasing the font size of a select group of words in a paragraph or the size of an image in relation to other images on the impacts a sense of priority.
• Placement: Some of the most basic layout fundamentals go back to Gestalt principals like the law of similarity and proximity; similarly shaped chunks will be considered related to each other just as chunks in close proximity are.
• Grouping: Clustering images together can create blocks or groups that can readily draw the eye more readily.
• Orientation: Orientation can impact the way an image is viewed, e.g. a text box oriented vertically will attract attention but may also impair readability.

Compositional Strategies:�THE RULE OF THIRDS

The rule of thirds is a ‘rule of thumb’ compositional strategy employed by photographers to create dynamic images. Dividing the photograph into thirds horizontally and vertically creates nine equal rectangles and four nodal points (indicated in red).

Composing an image so that the areas of interest fall on one of these nodal points supposedly creates more tension and energy.

Compositional Strategies:�BOSCH EXAMPLE

The presentation board shown on the left was one of several hand-drill concepts created for Bosch.

The composition’s non-centralized’ approach places the largest rendering in such a way that the Bosch’s logo nearly coincides with the top right nodal point.

The second rendering (upper left) is composed in such a way that the light falls more or less on the horizontal line dividing the upper third of the image.

Compositional Strategies:�PHYSICAL LAYOUT

The layout of a presentation must take into consideration the size of the paper (or more likely, the aspect of the computer screen and projector) as well as the distance from which the work will be viewed.

The image on the left show's examples of a basic range of strategies for dividing up the space of the page to create generalized zones for placing images or text.

The possibilities are endless; however, the desired goal is balance and consistency for each page of the presentation.

Physical constraints:�

The gird can subdivide a page into very fine divisions or into larger more generalized areas, but it still must adhere to the media's constraints: page size and format and screen aspect ratio.

Printed materials are commonly restricted to A3/A4 whereas plotted material can be printed much bigger and cut to size.

Print material can be presented either in portrait or landscape but if presenting on a VGA screen you need to use landscape as portrait will not maximize the available space.

Composition at the micro level:�JOHN MUHLENKEMP EXAMPLE

How can a designer compose a sketch or rendering that leads the viewer’s eye through a sequence.

This example by John Muhlenkemp attracts the eye first because of the isolated use of colour and the higher fidelity. The strap of the backpack and the runner's trainer fall in the center of the soft gray background and draw the eye to the trainer and the backpack – thus providing greater context. The runner’s direction away from the picture plane reinforces the images depth. The third and final step moves the viewers attention over to the final chunk.