CoE Competencies

Last week we were given the assignment, via the College of Education, to create posters that represented the eleven competencies that are necessary for all education majors to understand for the national accreditation that is up coming. The poster that my group of three designed follows:

We designed the eleven icons found on this poster to represent the competencies stated above each one. We utilized Photoshop t design the icons and the poster as a whole. I personally created the icons for disposition, pedagogy, diversity, and content knowledge. My partners created the rest and we put together the poster as a group. We deliberately grouped the icons into the three main groups with two outlying icons which were not placed into a specific group. The upper left grouping represents both the ways teachers and students should go about their work. The upper right group of icons shows necessary part of a teacher's daily routine. The middle group contains things that a teacher must keep in mind as he or she teaches.

We picked JMU colors and created good spacing to make grouping obvious and keep the clutter down. We made the text large and legible so that is could be read on the 11 x 17 paper it will be printed on. Each aspect of the poster has some sort of intentional design. The circles work better as icons, the images represent the word correctly, and the grouping, colors, and spacing all contribute to an effective, polished, poster. My group as a whole believes that it represents the competencies and the JMU CoE in its entirety.

Shape

The instruction for dealing with shapes this week was to be able to take shapes and change them in different ways. We edited four different shapes using Photoshop. I utilized two canvases a "before" and an "after." The shapes correspond with the shape in the same position in the next image.

Before:

In this image I created a basic check mark which I will change the color. A ellipse where I will add style. A rectangle that will have texture. Finally, I will take a shape and draw out a portion of the beach image. These images are plain and do not give much connotation. The goal is to add life to the images with purpose. The placement is not important as it was simply done this way to show before and after.

After:

The check mark was changed from black to red. This could be used for many purposes. A black check is plain and a colorful check may stand out more and catch the eye of a viewer. The ellipse received a stained glass effect. This also makes the image more interesting to look at. The colors could also be varied for different purposes.  The rectangle has a texture now that allows the shape to still be recognized but it looks as if it might feel sandy or bumpy. Finally a curvy star was taken out of the middle of the beach scene. I personally like that selection of the image and the shape was picked to represent a starfish.

Each of the shapes was created as simply as possible and received editing features to make them more interesting and give them purpose. These changes can be combined to create an image that the designer could use for any intended purpose. Colors, lines, shapes, textures, and styles can all affect the viewers opinion and experience with an image.

Gestalt Imagry

We looked at four concepts of Gestalt images today in class, closure, proximity, similarity, and continuity. I have designed four images one to reflect each of the concepts. I based them off images that Dr. Estes showed that demonstrated the ideas.

 

This image utilizes the four black shapes to create the illusion of a square. The viewer is able to see the square due to the closeness of the shapes. The viewer's mind is able to provide closure to the middle disconnected shape.

These images are made up of all the same size and color shape. The proximity to one another creates the idea that there are three distinct components to the image. The shapes range from being spaced apart to actually touching at the center, yet each of the three components are obviously made of the same set of triangles.

Similarity has to do with pattern and repetition. There are both within this image and both are rather obvious. There is repetition as you move from top to bottom and the pattern consists of a circle then arrow and finally a second circle. There is a clear connection between the columns and rows in this image. 

 

The idea of continuity has to with the mind of the viewer allowing for shapes to continue when in reality they are not existing. For example this image allows the viewer to believe that the arrows sprouting from the bottom continue on behind the blank space in the middle of the image.

All of the images follow the traditional format of a Gestalt image by being black images on a white background. Each image has a purpose and fulfills that purpose through its design. These images are simple which is confirmed through the use of simple shapes and the centered aspect of each image. The four concepts are relevant and the designs are intentional.

Special Topics (Cognition)

All of the images we used and created all contributed to main goal of the assignment. We worked to portray "cognition" through images and examples that exemplified our theme. The background image of a brain reflects this theme as cognition has to do with brain processes. 

For each slide, we first showed the image large and full screen so viewers can take it in without limiting the image, and then the second slide repeats the image in a smaller size to reinforce that that is the image being discussed, and the right half of the slide provides the analysis and understanding of the importance of the image. This layout contributes to the theme by creating and ease of viewing for the learner.

 The placement of the image is large and centered on the slide where it first is presented, and smaller and centered on the left portion of the slide on the second slide where it is presented. The text is left aligned and presented in bullet points to make it easy to read and understand.

Overall the presentation utilized a good color scheme and layout for each of the slides. Each of the essential elements stands out effectively because of the placement and effective lines of sight. All information is presented with a consistent layout and a well designed background. Placement and various attributes contribute strongly to the overarching theme and pull all of the presentation together.