Design Success and Failure in Relation to Syntactical Guidelines

Success:

Taylor Swift's third record, Speak Now

The album cover artwork for Swift's junior record, Speak Now, is a perfect representation of how to follow syntactical guidelines. It has balance, shown by the t-like shape of Swift's stance and the flow of her dress, accented by the fact that the the words "Speak Now" are slightly canted to match the swirl of the dress - all perfect amounts of stress as well. It has the perfect amount of leveling and sharpening, shown by the clear focus of Swift's face, hair, and shoulder and the painted and splatter effects of her dress. The Taylor Swift logo at the bottom of the photo is perfectly centered, all the while giving Swift a sort of hourglass shape to her album cover. The primary message Swift intends to send out through her third album is to seize the moment and say what is on your mind, rather than spend the rest of your life wondering what if. In terms of syntactical guidelines, the album cover does just as it is intended to do. From the balance of the image to the paint splatters, this image conveys a message that when you say exactly what you mean, exactly when you mean it, sometimes things can get a little messy. However; in the end, things will always turn out balanced and focused, for better or worse.

Failure:

This is the album artwork for Ken's album, By Request Only. This album cover does not use very many syntactical guidelines. One of the only syntactical guidelines this artwork uses would be #6: positives and negatives. This is clear from the moment the photograph is seen - the eye is automatically drawn to the left side with the bigger face (positive), and then to the right side with the full upper-body pose (negative). From a viewer's point of view, when I look at this picture, I have no idea what message is trying to be conveyed. I see a close-up shot and a seated pose, but I haven't the slightest idea how those two separate images, which have been blended into one, relate to the album's overall purpose.

Visual Vs. Symbolic Language

My response: people, line, cracked cement, broken, poor, unemployed, suffering, cold, desperation, not nearly as many cars as people. 

Underlying compositional structure: canted shot, black and white image, vanishing point.

Symbols: hats, coats, cold weather, misery.

This photograph depicts how difficult it was to get a job during the Great Depression. There is a never ending line of men in coats and hats, huddled fairly close together, who are all applying for jobs. It is in a seemingly run-down part of town where jobs are even more scarce than usual during the depression. The men appear to be cold and have a sense of hopelessness.

Replacement:

In this black and white photograph of an incredibly long unemployment line during the Great Depression, it appears as though there are over two hundred men applying for jobs. They are all wearing hats and dark coats and are lined up in two, then three lines against a fence. The photograph shows a house or building that looks run down, which gives the impression that this line is not located in the center of a metropolitan area. The fence that the men are lined up against has a barbed wire attached at the top, reaffirming the idea that this photograph was not taken in a wealthy part of town. The men appear as though they already know that many, if not all of them will be unsuccessful in their attempt to find work.

Meaning #2

The Script album artwork for Science & Faith

Representational

     The album art work for The Script's record Science & Faith represents not only the dichotomy between science and faith, but also how people can find strength from either side. The two people grasping each other's hand represents how both joining together can comfort and strengthen the dynamic of the relationship between science and faith.  This image is very strong, and this can be recognized by the viewer. This album art work relates to both the abstract and symbolic aspects of meaning as well through the way the the hands are shaped and what the image stands for.

Abstract

      The way the hands are formed around one another can be seen as an abstract heart, adding another dynamic to the photo: that science and faith, though separate ideas, can become interconnected through love. This idea is very powerful when recognized by the viewer. The fact that the image is so plain with the exception of the two hands exemplifies how this image can be very symbolic and representational as well as abstract.

Symbolic

     This image shows how the two different ideas of faith and science can come together through love. It exemplifies strength, power, relationship, support, and stability. This is something that the viewer can point out and be affected by in a positive way. This album artwork has the ability to make the viewer  think about the dichotomy between the ideas of science and faith. The symbolic aspects of this image can be easily related with the abstract and representational aspects of design because it uses both the abstract shape of a heart as well as the representation of strength and support to symbolize love and overcoming conflict.  

Meaning #1

Representational

This image of a cross in a seascape setting is representational. It represents not only religion and Jesus Christ, it represents how people come together in times of sorrow. The image can also represent how religion is universal. Since the cross is in a seascape setting, it is almost as though the image is saying that religion is open to anyone who wants to believe. Many people depend on religion and faith, and the image can also portray the thought of religious support throughout every time of day and night. This image is representational in the way that it exemplifies religion, faith, support, and unity to anyone who is willing to believe.

Abstract

This photo is an abstract image that derives from a representation. It includes the lyrics from John Lennon's "Imagine," and the creator has sculpted the words to form the shape of a peace sign. This image communicates to the viewer the importance of peace and unity, exemplifying how violence is unnecessary. The way the lyrics are shaped into a peace sign show how not only the message that the song itself is portraying, but also how peace can be achieved. Some lyrics included in this photo are: "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." These lyrics, used as the branches in the peace sign, show how the idea of peace and unity is universal.

Symbolic

This photo is a symbol of recycling. It denotes the importance of recycling and specifically portrays through each arrow how recycling can help the environment. The top arrow includes an image of the sky. This section of the image shows that by recycling, one can help keep the sky clearer and less polluted while simultaneously keeping the ozone layer from becoming even more damaged. The right arrow includes an image of water. This arrow portrays not only how recycling can keep the ocean from becoming hazardous to animals but also how recycling can help to purify water. The left arrow includes an image of grass. The grass symbolizes plant life and the environment, and how recycling can help the environment immensely. The arrows surround a tree, which can symbolize oxygen. Trees are a primary source of oxygen, and many of the worlds' forests are being cut down. This lowers our oxygen supply and endangers our environment. By recycling, the need to cut down trees will decrease. This image shows how recycling can help the entire environment we live in.