Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Examples of Typography and Narrative Images


What interested me most in this example was the message within a message; the use of different type styles to create new context. At first, you read the message in its entirety only to discover that what its talking about, love, has be emphasized within the existing text. Clever!

I liked this example because the text is readable even after cutting out part of its form. There are a lot of great elements in this piece: an emphasis of color bringing the word "triumph" forward; the strong leading line that the "t" in "art," the "i" in "is," the "t" in "the," and the back end of the "u" in "triumph" form and pull your eye down; and the play over words where "triumph" is literally over "chaos."


My interest in this piece is primarily because of the texture created by pushing the type together. I like the gritty feel of it and its presentation on loose leaf paper. It gives it an almost hand-drawn sort of feel.


I like this one a lot. The value that's created by adjusting the spacing between the words and letters gives the form and element of three-dimensionality. In this image, the focus is more on the visual and less on the textual elements. You see the clasping hands first, then as you read, it creates a sort of story for the viewer.


I included this piece because I liked how the word itself is composed of tinier versions of the word. I also like how the text slowly falls away from the word as though it is falling apart. The subtle lines at help strengthen this falling sensation as our eyes are drawn vertically down the composition.





When I first heard narrative imagery brought up for this assignment, I immediately thought of the artist Thomas Cole. The paintings above, collectively entitled The Voyage of Life, illustrate the progression of life over the four main phases of our existence, birth, youth, adulthood, and old age. Each one is designed to carry a distinct meaning through visual representation. In the first, Childhood, the boat is carried by a gentle stream surrounded by an abundance of greenery. Flowers are blooming and the sky is a calming blue. It represents fertility and birth. In Youth, the landscape is still green but now the horizon is pushed far into the background representing the future ahead. In Manhood, the waters are roaring, the setting is dark and foreboding, and the greenery has all but disappeared. Cole is attempting to signify the hardships that come as you pass through life. By the final piece, Old Age, the setting is completely surrounded by darkness save for the light that passes through the clouds above. This symbolizes the passage of life to death. The water has settled once more in an effort to represent peace of mind and body.







Here is another series of paintings by Cole entitled The Course of Empire. These paintings are meant to tell the story of the rise and fall of civilization. We are taken through time as we see the same location change as it is manipulated by humans. The biggest message here is that nature conquers all. Through our natural environment, we are able to construct great things, but in the end, nature is a greater power and will take back what we do not respect.

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