There are several graphical tools at the disposal of the Instructional Designer to aid in capturing or maintaining the attention of the learner. Tools such as color, depth, and space can all aid in the design of an effective visual (p. 265). For this unit I choose to explore these tools using a basic image of a snail. I was not targeting a particular grade level for this exercise rather I chose to explore the tools in a basic manner that is content and grade level independent. Please click on the image for a larger more detailed version.
Starting from the base of a simple shape (p. 254) I created the outline of a snail. From there I explored the use of texture (p. 272), full color (Ch. 11), and depth or dimension (p. 270). Each of these tools had a different effect on my perception of the snail image. The addition of a colored texture to the snail shell called my attention to the shell and also lent it a more three dimensional feel. The texture helped the shell to not appear as flat as it does in the other drawings where only color is used. The use of full color on the third snail helped to draw my attention to the snail and aids in aesthetic appeal (p. 265), however, as is mentioned in the text book color in this situation was not required. In this case color was used to create a visual appeal that calls the viewers attention to the image and aides in selection (p. 266 and 267). Lastly, drop shadow was used to give the snail dimension and the appearance of three dimensionality (p. 272). The addition of the drop shadow give the snail the feeling of depth as well as orientation.
Figure-ground, appropriate use of white space, and scale also factored into the creation of this image. The snails were designed to not result in optical illusion or other confusing visual effects thereby avoiding a figure ground conflict (p. 107 and 108). The snails were all placed in the same plane relative to the ground enhancing the feeling that the snail is moving forward along the ground. This placement also limits issues with figure ground that may have resulted from varying the orientation of the snail relative to the ground. White space was also used in this figure as well as scale. By using a large heading text and a relatively small amount of white space above the snails a sense of scale is conveyed to the viewer (p. 272). I used both of these tactics to convey the smallness of the snails. themselves.
The color scheme chosen for this diagram was inspired by nature (p. 269). As the subject of this diagram was snails I felt that a nature/spring theme was very appropriate for the visual.
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