Due Monday, October 6, 2003

Note: This is a two-part, graded assignment.

Your grade will be folded into your participation grade

Once the assignment is returned, you may revise it for your Collection of Images, which is also part of your course grade.

On Monday, September 22, we practiced this assignment in class. Use what you learned during this practice to guide your analyses.

Part One: “Text Quality” (what Kostelnick and Roberts in Chapter 4 call ”Linear components”). The visual components or treatments of what we usually refer to as “text” may be classified into three types: textual, graphical, and spatial. See Chapter 4 for definitions of these categories and samples.

Prompt:

--Find a design that will enable you to develop a “rich” analysis of the micro-elements of “text.” Your choice should enable you to identify several examples of each of the three types of treatments. The richer the sample, the richer your discussion.

--Name the design features in as much detail as possible, using all three categories of analysis.

--Evaluate or rationalize the design decisions in light of context.

Turn in both sample and your verbal analysis.

** Although we used a the isolate word “danger” to practice this exercise, you should choose a design sample that has more contextual clues.

Part Two: “Text Fields.” As in part one, use the three classifications suggested by Kostelnick and Roberts to discuss text fields: textual, graphical, and spatial. See Chapter 5 for definitions and samples. The following figures are particularly useful: Figures 5.11, 5.12 (textual); 5.16, 5.18, 5.19, 5.20 (spatial); and 5.22, 5.23, 5.24 5.25, 5.26, 5.27, 5.28 (graphical).

Prompt:

Find a design that is sufficiently complex to enable you to develop a “rich” analysis of its text fields. Using a combination of visual and verbal expressions,

--Locate and count the numbers of fields and subfields (fields within fields) in the design.

--Note all the devices used to differentiate these fields and subfields.

--Note all the devices for showing hierarchies within each field.

--Evaluate or rationalize the design decisions in your sample.

You may hand sketch the visual part of your analysis. Please word process the verbal part. See the visuals in Kostelnick and Roberts for models of how to present your analysis visually.