Communicative Deviations

The topic I plan to use for Project #2 is different approaches to creating webcomics out of everyday life stories. The three websites I have in mind are as follows:


Questionable Content (it's semi SFW, don't worry)
Girls with Slingshots
PHD Comics
Johnny Wander
Hyperbole and a Half


The key strategic differences I note thus far in my texts are style of layout and comic construction, base story line, basis of characters, and target audience. The similarities include genre, medium, general unintended audience, and sequence.


I think these similarities exist because they are all web comics based loosely off of the genre 'everyday life stories'. The differences vary depending on what the life stories are about. Pretty straight forward. Also I have a ton of homework to do, so I don't have much time to look at this right now.

IX Web Tutorials




Emphasis Response:

1. Describe where your attention is visually drawn in this text. What strategies does the author use to emphasize this element? Given that this text is essentially a title page for a larger project, does this emphasis seem effective to you? Why or why not?

My eyes is drawn to the pad of paper, and the hand writing with the pen, due to the movement and spatial arrangement. The contrast of the white paper to the rest of the slightly darker background also adds to the emphasis. This does not seem effective, simply because what is being written, the content, is not very large, and is difficult to see in this context. If the screen were larger and with more detail, on, say, a movie screen for example, this type of emphasis would work better.

2. Between composing the two different pages ("Digital Rights Management/Digital Robbing Maniacs" and "Criminal") the woman disappears from the screen and the jumpy stop-motion effect ceases. Describe how this moment of stillness can be understood as "emphasis" and explain if it seems like an effective strategy? What is emphasized by stopping the movement?

Because the stop in movement is a sudden change it gives the scene momentary contrast, and thus emphasis, from the other movement in the film.This is an effective strategy, but here it was used almost too briefly in my opinion. The emphasizing pause gives a chance to focus just on the words and not just on the writing movement and other elements.

3. Consider the role sound plays in emphasis. How does the soundtrack to this clip help to (a) emphasize certain moments in the clip, and (b) place a particular emotional emphasis on the meaning of the clip?

With the raising of volume and sharp percussion sound at certain parts it draws attention to the action that is in sync with its "beat", which is erratic, placing a feeling of tension on the text that otherwise might not be there, for example in this similar text.


Contrast Response:

1. Watch 0:22-0:36 of The JUMP's "Call for Papers." Notice the words, the gray box, the cartoon background, and the sound. Do you think any of these elements contrast? If so, which ones and how so (specifically, what makes them different from one another)? What effects do you think this use of contrast has on the audience and the purpose? Consider how the text's effectiveness might change if these elements did not contrast.

Yes, the movement is especially contrasting between elements: The font moves vertically in a flowing stream while the background animation moves horizontally in a stop-go pattern. I feel like the contrast in movement splits your attention, and would make it easier to pay attention to the message if everything were to flow together in a similar pattern of movement, but might not be as engaging.

2. Watch 0:55-1:08 of The JUMP's "Call for Papers." Notice how this is similar to the clip from question 1, yet the background no longer includes the cartoon. First, describe what elements are contrasting. Next, explain why you think the cartoon background was deleted from this section. What happens to the contrast now that the background is black? Which element is now the most emphasized, and how do you think this helps convey the purpose of the text?

The elements that contrast in this scene are the shades/colors of the text and the background - black and white. This section might not include the background because it is talking about the focus of what is required, drawing your attention to specifics, as if a reminder for an assignment for a class. The linguistic type is now most emphasized, along with the words, and helps solidify the idea in your mind as the sudden simplicity of the scene contrasts with the over-mixed media throughout the other scenes.

3. Imagine you've been asked to design a flyer to post around your campus advertising The JUMP. What would the flyer look like? Which element(s) would contrast and to what effect?

I would create a visual of the character jumping into a favorable job situation with this image and the words "The JUMP" emphasized, with explanatory text in a place where your eye is drawn to last. The text would have to have a form that contrasted with the image- so probably big black letters on a semi-transparent, grey-ish graphic.


Organization Analysis:

1. Choose 5 of the 15 images to drag into the empty timeline. Make a note about each of the 5 photos to explain what each one signifies, and how one leads to another. How does your organization convey your purpose?

1 2 3 4 5
1. signifies the starting of something new: a life, a phase, growing up, etc. leads to
2. the crowd scene, society, group that we eventually become a part of and live within (as if we went through a door of life)
3. Signifies that we are all the same yet so different, leading from the previous picture where the emphasis encompassed the entire area of the page, showing the similarities between humans while making a comment that we're all different. The barcode also resembles consumerism and
4. this slide signifies the process of getting place into or out of society, depending on if you consider the dairy to have been put out on the shelf or placed into the cooler.
5. Of course, this is a rough segway from the last photo - though the contrast from humans to products was supposed to signify 'dying' in a way. The graveyard signifies death, but in a mass gathering.

Ultimately, the pictures are supposed to draw together the story of life - how we come to be part of a society, and die with it, all as a repeating cycle of humankind. The similar elements from one photo to the next should signify the relations.

2. Are there different arguments that you could have made by organizing your 5 photos in different ways?

Yes, of course - If i had placed the opening door photo in front of the graveyard photo it might have implied death as the next great adventure, or as a disappointment of sorts when you knock on your last door of opportunity.

3. Are there other elements you could add to make your argument stronger—for example, playing music with the slide show or adding text?

I feel like music and text with this as a slideshow would make the communication clearer and the point more obvious - while pictures are wonderful because they are worth so many words, they are also hindering our ability to communicate because they give the reader too many options for interpretation.


Proximity Response:

1. Did you group certain categories of information together? How did you group them—typographically, by placing them closer together, or in some other way?

I grouped together title and sub-title, along with grouping them close to the image to add visual relation. The title was placed close to the subtitle, right above it, and slightly to the left.

2. What do you think is the most important piece of information on your cover? What choices did you make about typeface or size to convey that sense of importance? How does the layout of your book cover reflect your sense of how the information should be organized?

The most important piece, I thought was the title and sub-title, which I placed in the middle, slightly to the right, and next to the main visual element- the seagull. The typeface used for the title was large, and slightly bolder than the other lettering, though the author's name font was bolder. I feel like the layout brings emphasis both to the title and who the author is (the author's name is floating at the bottom half of the page alone). The layout reflects my belief that adding elements to the center-top of a page indicates I think of words at the top as the title of a book, while putting the author's name singularly, at the bottom, is how you label the writer.

3. What are some limitations you've encountered in laying out visual elements in a traditional way? What are some other ways you might want to organize the information on a book cover that might work better in a non-traditional format?

Because of the limitations in choices (size and selection) it was hard to design exactly what I thought was most appropriate for a traditional layout. Another way to organize the information more sequentially would involve moving elements, or interactive elements for optimal organization, which could not be done in a traditional format.


Alignment Response:

1. How would you describe alignment of the words "murmuring" and "insects" in the opening scene? How does the unusual alignment (reflected on screen and timed) add to your interpretation of the text?

The alignment is changing, but flows together next to each other to coincide into one idea. The soft dripping and oozing in and out in the alignment of the word murmur gives an acoustic word visual onomatopoetic qualities. The alignment of the letters inside insects as they appear in fragmented segments coming together to be the noun described by murmuring gives the word a relate-able personification of bug like gathering movement.

2. Now watch the "Earth" scene. What other elements are aligned in this scene? How does the consistent alignment of elements across screens (and also across some of the scenes) affect how you read these scenes? What elements do you end up focusing on? Would the scene seem as effective if all of the elements on the page (upside-down moon, contrails, words, background color, etc.) had no shared alignment?


The words in this scene are more aligned with the moon, but are still on the same horizontal, and add a strong connectivity to the past scene. The moon is more in focus, and  no the scene would not be as effective.

3. Now watch the "Air" scene, paying attention to the lines of poetry and the audio tracks. The poem doesn't settle on the same horizontal axis as the other scenes do, and the two phrases in the audio track are aligned (synced) to appear with each line of poetry. Why do you think the alignments of the words are different between the Earth and Air scenes? What is the significance of the audio track's content in relation to that difference?

The alignment is different to suggest that the earth is low, and the air high. The significance of the relation to that difference is to give a more visual, realistic feel to the recount of people jumping from the twin towers as they burned to the ground.

4. Now watch the "Water" scene. How does the curvature of the words, aligning with the background image of an eye, relate to what the man in the audio track is saying?

I can barely hear what he is saying, but I assume the alignment is to draw together the imagery, feeling, and sound of crying, because he mentions tears, and the words 'can never sing that song again' (or something). The elements bring together a grouping of interpretation of the message of tears.

5. Based on the alignment (or lack of alignment) between elements in a scene and across scenes, why are the three menu options ("Air," "Earth," and "Water") on the main screen of this text not aligned? What does this lack of alignment tell you about the emphasis, sequence, and purpose of this text?

I feel like the elements are not aligned to give the moon and entrails more weight as visual elements, as well as separate the three out as elements across the page.  The alignment implies emphasis on the feel of each individual elements (not all of them together), while adding weight to the idea of one scene happening after the other (destruction on the earth, the people jumping from the buildings, the people crying during and after), putting weight in subtle yet strong ways to the events at the world trade center on September 11th, 2001.