The interview with Margaret Kiernan was very helpful
and insightful. She provided background knowledge about graphic design and
fully explained how graphic design is all around us.
Visually, we need to cognizant of how our eyes
construct meaning from images.
She also explores how
teachers can benefit from gaining knowledge about graphic design. First, she describes the effect of
transitioning from paper to computer and how the computer can be used as a tool
to make graphic designs, which I found interesting. Being able to hear how she utilizes
technology to construct and modify designs reinforced the value of technology.
She emphasizes how learning about graphic design can be a “good skill” for
educators. Since we (educators) are always presenting information to students,
parents, and to the community, learning better ways to relay information to
various stakeholders should be viewed as vital. Specifically, in my case, I am
a teacher leader in my district and being able to acquire a strong sense of how
to present information to get my message across is something that I’m definitely
interested in. One key question that was
asked in the interview with Mrs. Kiernan was: “what are some basic things that
you think educators should know about designing?” I thought this was an
excellent question. Prior to watching
the interview, I never considered the idea of “bad design.” However, now, I
have learned to pay close attention to what images or other entities that I
utilize within my classroom because these images can strongly either attract or
distract a viewer. You have to know the purpose of your design and by knowing
the purpose of your design can help the designer be consistent with the use of
various components that are being used to convey a particular message.
Let’s take a minute to look at the images of the squares.
How many squares do you
see? Try to keep tract visually. (scroll all the way to the end of this blog
and the answer appears upside down) Interestingly, I found that arrangement,
alignment, spacing, and color all affect how the viewer perceives things (and
it even probably affected how many squares you counted) Here, my example
reflects the importance of how presenters are presenting images and we need to
remain aware of the image selection , purpose, audience while prioritizing what
the most important components or elements are.
The readings, reflection on my blog entry and the
interview with Mrs. Kiernan has provided helpful information that I will use as
a guide during the process of creating my Multimedia Montage project.
Specifically, the readings have defined terms and in Krause’s book he provides
practice activities that help to illustrate the purpose of domain specific
content. For example, I tested out the
point activity, and from this activity I learned about spacing. More
specifically, the point activity taught me about the principle of unequal
spacing, which I will definitely need to be mindful of as I develop my project.
Prior to reading this section of the book, I never quite realized the importance
of background space and how varied
measurements around points of interest can either heighten the visual
experience or unequal spacing can do just the opposite. Being a novice in graphic design, as I was reading
the text, I begin to feel the urge to try out various sample exercises, which
for me was simply a “self check” to see whether or not I understood the concept
of what Krause wanted his audience to learn.
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