This lecture we covered the last steps of poster making, semiotics and design fundamentals for UX design. Fortunately in a previous class BCM 110, I learnt the basic understanding of semiotics. It was very helpful however to learn it in the sense of design for User-friendly interfaces. In BCM 110 we learned about the theory of semiotics or the 'Science of Signs', including denotations and connotations of signs.
However in the lecture we focused on the idea of icons, indexes and symbols in relation to UX design. The use within our interfaces to keep consistency for users where necessary.
An Icon has a physical resemblance to the signified, the thing being represented. A photograph is a good example as it certainly resembles whatever it depicts.
An Index shows evidence of what’s being represented. A good example is using an image of smoke to indicate fire.
A Symbol has no resemblance between the signifier and the signified. The connection between them must be culturally learned. Numbers and alphabets are good examples. There’s nothing inherent in the number 9 to indicate what it represents. It must be culturally learned.
Thus in relation to creating a web prototype for our next project things like a battery symbol, or home button or hamburger menu will be things we can only slightly modify to relate our project without losing the main tratectory of the icon.
We also touched on the design fundamentals of UX design as our next project as creating two prototype web designs for both a desktop and mobile screen. Some of the 2019 design trends and some website inspiration as examples to create an interactive prototype.
Broken grid and asymmetrical layouts
Fluid/organic design and elements
Nostalgic / Throwback / Retro design aesthetic
Monochromatic and absence of color
Overlapping design elements
This was the last stages of poster making. After having rough layout and graph sketches I was able to start experimenting with colour and layout in illustator.
First I knew I wanted to represent the trade routes with a map and travel lines thus creating outsourcing a globe vector and using my information bank tracing the travel routes.
Once I had the map done I needed to finalise the layout I was stuck on the idea of doing a landscape inforgraphic so I began playing around with potrait and landscape options using animal vectors.
To keep the workspace clear I used clipping masks on each artboard and kept all vectors on a separate document where I was consistently used image trace for each vector.
After some deliberation with colour the final product was coming together and the final touches were added. After printing the poster multiple times on A3 paper to annotate the corrections and with from advice from peers and tutor advice the final poster was created and submitted.
This was an interesting task to see the power of data visualisation and the process of representing long lenghty data banks into a visually stimulating poster.
Until Next Time, Live and Laugh,
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