Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics that People Understand

240 Pages·2009·2.79 MB·English

by  Connie Malamed

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CONNIE MALAMED is the principal of WITHIN EVERY PICTURE is a hidden language that conveys a message, whether
Connie Malamed Consulting, based in it is intended or not. This language is based on the ways people perceive and
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the Washington, D.C.–Baltimore area. process visual information. By understanding visual language as the interface G
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She divides her time between eLearning between a graphic and a viewer, designers and illustrators can learn to inform
course design, new-media production, with accuracy and power. N
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and information and user interface
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design. Through her background in In a time of unprecedented competition for audience attention, and with an
art and cognitive psychology, she increasing demand for complex and compelling graphics, Visual Language U
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synthesizes the principles of visual for Designers explains how to achieve quick and effective communications.
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communication and cognitive theory It presents ways to design for the strengths of our innate mental capacities
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in her consulting work. and to compensate for our cognitive limitations. G
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INCLUDES HOW TO:
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(cid:129) Organize graphics for quick perception F
(cid:129) Direct the eyes to essential information
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(cid:129) Use visual shorthand for effi cient communication
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(cid:129) Make abstract ideas concrete
(cid:129) Best express visual complexity F
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(cid:129) Charge a graphic with energy and emotion
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PRINCIPLES FOR
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Also Available: O
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ISBN-13: 978-1-59253-515-6
Art/Design ISBN-10: 1-59253-515-1
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© 2009 by Rockport Publishers, Inc. and Connie Malamed
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without
written permission of the copyright owners. All images in this book have been
reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artists concerned, and no
responsibility is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of
copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has
been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied. We
apologize for any inaccuracies that may have occurred and will resolve inaccurate
or missing information in a subsequent reprinting of the book.
First published in the United States of America by
Rockport Publishers, a member of
Quayside Publishing Group
100 Cummings Center
Suite 406-L
Beverly, Massachusetts 01915-6101
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.rockpub.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Malamed, Connie.
Visual language for designers : principles for creating graphics that people under-
stand / Connie Malamed.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59253-515-6
ISBN-10: 1-59253-515-1
1. Commercial art. 2. Graphic arts. 3. Visual communication. I. Title.
NC997.M24 2009
741.601’9--dc22

2008052335
CIP
ISBN-13: 978-1-59253-515-6
ISBN-10: 1-59253-515-1
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Design: Kathie Alexander
Printed in Singapore
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CREATING GRAPHICS THAT
PEOPLE UNDERSTAND
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CONNIE MALAMED
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My heartfelt thanks to the designers around the globe
who contributed their exceptional work to this book
and to all the professors and researchers who happily
answered my stream of questions. Thanks to everyone
at Rockport Publishers for their dedication and
hard work.
4 Visual Language for Designers
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DEDICATION
To Tom for untiring support,
Hannah for invaluable help,
and Rebecca and Silas for sweet encouragement.
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Jean-Manuel Duvivier
Illustration, Belgium
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CONTENTS
Introduction ..........................................9
SECTION ONE GETTING GRAPHICS
An explanation of how we process
visual information .....................................19
SECTION TWO PRINCIPLES
1 Organize for Perception ........................45 4 Make the Abstract Concrete .................129
Features that Pop Out ...............................54 Big-Picture Views ...................................140
Texture Segregation ..................................58 Data Displays .........................................144
Grouping ..................................................66 Visualization of Information .....................150
More than Geography .............................156
2 Direct the Eyes ....................................71 Snapshots of Time ..................................162
Position ....................................................80
Emphasis .................................................82 5 Clarify Complexity ..............................169
Movement ................................................86 Segments and Sequences .......................178
Eye Gaze ..................................................92 Specialized Views ...................................184
Visual Cues ..............................................96 Inherent Structure ..................................196
3 Reduce Realism .................................103 6 Charge It Up ......................................203
Visual Noise ...........................................110 Emotional Salience .................................210
Silhouettes .............................................113 Narratives ..............................................214
Iconic Forms ..........................................118 Visual Metaphors ....................................220
Line Art ..................................................122 Novelty and Humor ................................224
Quantity .................................................125
Bibliography ......................................228
Glossary of Terms ...............................229
Sources Cited ....................................230
Directory of Contributors ....................235
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8 Visual Language for Designers
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