Messages Through Photo Illustration

The elements of this photo illustration convey the message of anxiety and the toll it takes on one's life. Fear, panic, frantic, and pacing all describe the symptoms of anxiety; whereas, the images show contributing factors of anxiety. The pocket watch symbolizes the feeling of time constraints. The chair shows anxiety through needing to complete tasks and being "tied to a chair." The mouths illustrate worry about what others think or say. Tying all of these elements together is the puppet rods and strings. Transforming the subject into a puppet shows how much anxiety controls her life. The anxiety associated with work, time constraints, other people, and life in general control her every move.

The subject, herself, gives off the impression of anxiety. The blank stare on her face shows that her mind is preoccupied with worry. Her body looks as though it could not move if it needed to. The alignment of her jaw and mouth lacks emotional appeal.

Overall, this illustration depicts anxiety well. One thing I would have done differently was given the subject a body stance that made her look like she was pacing or frantic. I feel like doing so would make her look like she was truly being controlled by her anxiety.

Photo from: http://surc.biz/collage/douglas-alves-illustration-3-weare-488x557/

An Analysis of "The Washington Post" Online Edition.

"The Washington Post" is a daily newspaper which can also be accessed online. This newspaper provides great information when it comes to anything from breaking news stories to sports columns. I typically visit the website in lieu of reading the newspaper because of the accessibility and ease of going online.

The layout of "The Washington Post" website follows a well organized grid. The visual dynamics flow left to right and top to bottom. Three columns of stories run down the page, making it easy for readers to find stories that appeal to them. Along the left column, the titles and leads of stories draw readers in without giving too much information. This way, the reader decides what he/she wants to read and can then follow a link to the full story. The middle column also shows the leads of stories, but, in addition, has a larger picture to draw in the audience. The right column is mostly made up of advertisements and discussion pages. I, as a reader, find the separation of the advertisements very helpful. On some websites, the advertisements get in the way, and I accidentally click on them. Having them in a different column prevents that.

The organization of the tool bar parallels that of the columns. All of the navigational links are organized across the top of the banner, allowing readers to find information quickly. Finding information quickly online is important, because if  readers cannot find information quickly, they will leave the site.

Consumers of online newspapers also find the overall appearance important. One thing that stands out to me when visiting this site is how clean everything looks. I say clean because the page is done in black and white, thus, giving it a very pristine look . The use of black and white contribute to the feeling of seriousness of the newspaper. While "The Washington Post" includes sections for entertainment (i.e. music, horoscopes, and comics), the main focus is on news. When comparing this website with one utilized for entertainment purposes, the difference in color schemas is noticeable (many websites for entertainment are brightly colored and flashy).

The organization and appearance of the website make it a good one to visit. It invites the readers in without being overdone and busy. The content is scannable, which makes information easy to access. The division of information seems natural, which makes the page flow very well. While these aspects of web design seem futile, they contribute to making "The Washington Post" one of the most visited online newspapers.


The Washington Post Online

Web Banner

When creating this web banner, I started by thinking about colors I liked. Because my favorite color is green, I knew I wanted to use a soft green background. I went online to look for different green images, and then I decided I wanted to use one with leaves because trees and leaves have always been peaceful to me. After finding my background image, I started playing with different fonts. To go along with the peaceful theme, I used a more elegant font that flowed well. I manipulated the font to go down the center of the banner, because that was where it looked best with the background image. A couple of things I would do differently are making the image less stretched out and making the font larger.