Module 3: Text and Visual Dimensions of Information and Media

PRETEST
Multiple Choice. Write the letter corresponding to the correct answer.

1. the meaning of “.ttf”

a. tapered type font b. text type font c. true type font

2. typeface that carries a solid or heavy look to text

a. sans serif b. serif c. slab serif

3. the basic rule in emphasizing a subject in a composition

a. golden ratio b. rule of odds c. rule of thirds

4. a visual design principle that brings together a composition with similar units

a. balance b. contrast c. harmony

5. the visual flow of a composition

a. directional movement b. perspective c. rhythmic pattern

6. a shot where the subject is framed from shoulders up

a. close up b. extreme close up c. medium close up

7. a shot perfect to show the world where the story takes place

a. extreme wide shot b. full shot c. long shot

8. another term for Dutch angle

a. canted shot b. over the shoulder shot c. worm’s eye view

9. a camera angle that makes a subject look powerful and imposing

a. eye level b. high angle c. low angle

10.a shot taken from an elevated point

a. bird’s eye view b. Dutch angle c. eye level

Text and Visual Dimensions of Information and Media

This lesson is the beginning of a series that would lead you to creating an appropriate multi-media
content. For this part, we will focus on visuals, which is a broad aspect in media. Remember that
conveying valid and effective content entails the use of the most suitable visual forms. These two must
work side by side to provide the correct informative experience to your audience.
 It would really help if you would squeeze out your creative juices in this lesson, as this may look like a
refreshing course in arts. A phone camera may also come in handy, as well as good word processing
skills. Nevertheless, if you do not have the technology for such at present, I would also love to see your
handmade work. Enjoy!

Text may be defined as a simple and flexible format of presenting information or conveying ideas
whether hand-written, printed or displayed on-screen. It is very powerful in disseminating information,
providing direction and giving suggestions.

Text is available in different sources, which may be categorized into two:

1. Formal Example of these are news articles, published books, newspapers, magazines,
advertisements, research works, etc. Formal textbased materials are created and distributed by
established institutions (such as publishing companies, news agencies, etc.) and go through a rigorous
process of editing or evaluation and are usually governed by censorship of the state.

2. Informal Examples of these are blogs, personal e-mails, SMS or text messages, online messengers,
social media platforms, etc. They come from personal opinions or views on different issues, processes,
etc.

Text can be as short such as a single sentence or phrase, or they can be as lengthy as news articles or
investigative reporting. No matter how brief or lengthy, however, a text is always carefully written with
the intent of sending a very specific message to the target audience.

As consumers of text media and information, we need to ask questions regarding the text content to
ensure its reliability:

 Who or what institution is sending this message?

 What techniques are used to attract and hold attention?
 What is the language used by the writer?
 What views are represented? Are they balanced?
 How might the message be interpreted in different ways?
 What is omitted (removed), slurred (unclear) or added in the message?

As producers of text media and information, we need to review the media and information design
framework:

 target audience,
 author or sender,
 key content,
 purpose,
 form/style, and
 format.

Text as Visual

Typeface font, font type, or type) is the representation or style of a text. A typeface is usually composed
of alphabets, numbers, punctuation marks, symbols and other special characters. Fonts in digital format
are installed in forms such as True Type Font (.ttf), Open Type Font (.otf), etc. Fonts convey different
emotions and meaning, and you must be very careful in choosing the right font for your content. The
table below presents the different types of fonts, their implications, uses, and examples.

TYPES IMPLICATIONS USES EXAMPLES

Serif Connotes formality and For the body text of Times New Roman,
readability in large books, newspaper, Garamond,
amount of texts magazines, and Baskerville
Gives a classic or research publication Bookman Antiqua
elegant look when
used for title or
heading
San serif Brings a clean or For clear and direct Arial
minimalist look for the meaning of text such as Century Gothic
text road signage, building Tahoma
Gives a modern look directory, or nutrition Verdana
and used primarily on packs in food packages Calibri
webpage design.
Slab serif Carries a solid or heavy For large advertising rockwell
look to text sign on billboards Playbill,
Black oak
Script Draws much attention Must be used sparingly Edwardian
to itself because of its and not to be used in Vladimir
brush-like strokes large body text, usually
for wedding invitation
Brush script
cards or other formal French script
events freestyle
Display/ Decorative Caters a wide variety of Must be used sparingly Curls
emotion such as and not to be used in Chiller
( celebration, fear, large body text,
horror, etc) or theme
Jokerman
such as ( cowboys, AR Carter
circus, holidays, Bauhaus 93
summer, kiddie etc.)
Design Principles and Elements

The principles in designing text elements are emphasis, appropriateness, proximity, alignment,
organization, repetition and contrast. Observe how these elements are presented in each text frame.

1. EMPHASIS
This refers to the importance or value given
to a part of the text-based content. When
trying to make a point or highlighting a
message, you can make the text bold or
italicized, have a heavier weight, darkened
or lightened (depending on your background
color) or enlarged.
2. This refers to how
APPROPRIATENESS fitting or suitable the
text is used for a
Appropriateness specific audience,
Appropriateness purpose or event. In
the creation of text-
Appropriateness based content, make
sure that the selection
Appropriateness criteria ( tone, style,
clarity, purpose) is
followed
Which of the following
headings on the left best
suits this module?
3. Proximity
This refers to how near or far are the text
elements from each other. When two things are closely
related, we bring them close together. Otherwise, we put
elements far from each other. Example, the main title and
subtitle are usually placed close to each other.
4. ALIGNMENT
Refers to how the text is positioned in the page, this
can be left, right, center or justified.
5. ORGANIZATION
This refers to a conscious effort to organize the different
text elements in the page. Organization ensures that
while some text elements are separated from each
other, they are still somehow connected with the rest of
the elements in the page.
6. REPETITION
Concerns consistency of elements and the unity of the
entire design. Repetition encourages the use of
repeating some typefaces within the page
7. CONTRAST
Contrast is achieved when two elements are different
from each other. When you placed a white text on a
very light background, contrast is not achieved and the
text will be difficult to read with the right mix of light
and darkness. Try using large font with small font, serif
with sans serif, thick lines with thin, and cool color with
warm color.
Visual information and media are materials, programs, applications and the like that
teachers and students use to formulate new information to aid learning through the use,
analysis, evaluation and production of visual images. The following are types of visual
media:

1. Photography

2. Video

3. Screenshot

4. Infographic
5. comic strips / cartoons

6. Meme
 7. Graphs / Charts

8. Visual note taking

The primary purpose of visual information is to gain attention, create meaning, and
facilitate retention, but how can you create a striking visual? First, you must consider the visual
elements, or the basic units in the construction of a visual image. The Design Elements are:

1. Line
This describes a shape or outline. It can create texture and can be thick or thin. Lines may be actual,
implied, vertical, horizontal, diagonal, or contour.
2. Shape
A geometric area that stands out from the space next to or around it, or because of differences in
value, color, or texture. Shape may also be organic
3. Value
The degree of light and dark in a design. It is the contrast between black and white and all the tones
in between. Value can be used with color as well as black and white. Contrast is the extreme
changes between values.
4. Texture
The way a surface feels or is perceived to feel. Texture can be added to attract or repel interest to a
visual element. Two contrasting visual textures are presented in this picture taken in Bolinao,
Pangasinan: the smoothness of the sea and the roughness of the contorted branches.
5. Color
Determined by its hue (name of color), intensity (purity of the hue), and value (lightness or darkness
of hue). Color and color combination can play a large role in the design. Color may be used for
emphasis, or may elicit emotions from viewers. Color may be warm, cool, or neutral. It plays a
major role in our visual perception, as it influences our reactions about the world around us. It is
therefore important to create color palettes that evoke the appropriate audience reactions.
6. Form
A figure having volume and thickness. An illusion of a 3-dimensional object can be implied with the
use of light and shading.

Principles in Visual Design

The visual appeal of artworks depends on its adherence to principles of design. However,
there is no strict commandment in designing. The personal preferences of the artist remain a prime
contributing factor in designing visuals.

1. Consistency of margins, typeface, typestyle, and colors is necessary, especially in slide

presentations or documents that are more than one page
2. Center of interest – an area that first attracts attention in a composition. This area is more
important when compared to the other objects or elements in a composition. This can be by
contrast of values, more colors, and placement in the format.
3. Balance – a feeling of visual equality in shape, form, value, color, etc. Balance can be
symmetrical and evenly balanced, or asymmetrical and unevenly balanced. Objects, values,
colors, textures, shapes, forms, etc. can be used in creating balance in a composition
4. Harmony – brings together a composition with similar units. If for example your composition
was using wavy lines and organic shapes, you would stay with those types of lines and not put in
just one geometric shape. (Notice how similar Harmony is to Unity - some sources list both
terms).
5. Contrast – offers some change in value creating a visual discord in a composition. Contrast
shows the difference between shapes and can be used as a background to bring objects out and
forward in a design. It can also be used to create an area of emphasis.
6. Directional Movement – a visual flow through the composition. It can be the suggestion of
motion in a design as you move from object to object by way of placement and position.
Directional movement can be created with a value pattern.
7. Rhythm – a movement in which some elements recur regularly. Like a dance, it will have a flow
of objects that will seem to be like the beat of music.
8. Perspective – created through the arrangement of objects in two-dimensional space to look like
they appear in real life. Perspective is a learned meaning of the relationship between different
objects seen in space.

Types of Shots

How do we go about telling a story in visual form? Let’s take wisdom form children’s
fairytales.

Normally, a fairy tale begins with “Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a…
and so on and so forth.” That sounds too elementary, but that is the basics to start a story: tell the
place and time and introduce the characters, and the rest will follow. Now, it would be awkward to
have somebody narrate that for you, that is why visuals need to be properly executed to tell a story
effectively.

Sometimes, a single picture is more than enough to tell a story. However, a series of
pictures can be used also, as in the photo essay, which is a series of photos that tell a story, and in
film, which is practically a series of frames also. To achieve this, you must remember that capturing
visuals is not just a matter of point and shoot. Shots must be planned and well-framed to contribute
well to the story. A single frame may give so much meaning already, so if you add other frames, then
you can get much more. Here is a list of the types of shots (Contis, 2019).

1. Extreme Wide Shot / Extreme Long Shot

This reveals to the viewer the world where the story takes place. Through this shot, the
audience must have a feel of the time and place of the story – whether it is morning or evening,
hot or cold, wet or dry, and so on. The subject may be shown on a small scale in order to picture
his/her relation to the scene.

2. Wide Shot / Long Shot

This shot establishes the character and how he/she is related to the scene. The characters can
be seen from head to toe. Because of its wide coverage, the wide shot can also be used as an
establishing shot. This can also be used as a master shot, which introduces a new location or
scene.

3. Full Shot
Like the wide shot, the full shot also shows the character from head to toe, but this time around,
the character is already the focus. Through this, you can clearly see what the character looks like
as a whole or what he/she is doing.
4. Medium Shot
The character is seen waste up. This is often used in dialogue scenes, because it is wide enough
to show two or more characters but close enough to show details.

5. Medium Close-up
This shot rests between the medium shot and the close-up, with the subject framed from
shoulders up. Through this shot, more body language can complement the facial expressions to
show emotions.

6. Close-up
This frames the character’s face and provides emotional clues that cannot be effectively shown
with the medium shot. Other things may be shown up close – shaking hands, tapping feet, etc,
Tip: Cropping the crown of the head in a close-up conveys a more intimate appeal.
 7. Extreme Close-up
This is a tighter frame that highlights the facial features or any subject more. It can be highly
detailed, much more intimate, emotionally heightened, and even uncomfortable to view.

Camera Angles and Points of View

Establishing the angles of your shots will also help in providing the desirable meaning on
visuals. Through this, you can suggest a specific emotion, establish strength or weakness, or take the
story from the eyes of a character. Here is a list of shots based on angles and points of view (Ricart,
2018).

1. Bird’s-eye view
Bird’s-eye view is the name given to the type of shot taken from an elevated point. As its own
name indicates, it offers a perspective similar to that which birds see while flying. Drones may
be used to capture this type of shot, such as the picture on the left. However, you can still do
this shot as long as you strategize your location, like shooting a subject while you are standing
on a bridge.

2. High angle
A high angle shot is taken pointing the camera down on the subject. As a result, the subject is
seen as vulnerable and powerless.
3. Eye level
The eye level shot is considered the most natural camera angle. Capturing the shot at eye-level
offers a neutral perception of the subject. Because it is the way in which we usually see people,
this camera angle can help the audience connect with the subject.

4. Low angle
A low angle shot is taken from below the subject’s eye line, pointing upwards. This camera
angle makes a subject look powerful and imposing.

5. Worm’s-eye view
The worm’s-eye view camera angle looks at an object or subject from below. It is commonly
used to capture tall elements in the scene, such as trees or skyscrapers, and put them in
perspective. This type of camera shot is mostly taken from a subject’s point of view.
6. Over the Shoulder Shot
Also called OTS or third person shot, this is created by placing the camera at the back of one
character while facing the other character. This is used to highlight the relationship of characters
in a dialogue.

7. Dutch Angle
Also called Dutch tilt, canted angle, or oblique angle, this shot is noticeably tilted or tipped. This
is used to signal to the viewer that something is wrong, disorienting, or unsettling (Lannom,
2020)
ANSWER

Match the items in Column A with items in Column B.

A B

____________1. serif a. a visual discord in a composition

____________ 2. sans serif b. may be done using drones
____________3. script c. makes the subject look powerful

____________4. slab serif d. Lorem ipsum

____________5. Balance e. away from the center

___________ 6. Contrast f. Lorem ipsum

____________7. Rhythm g. visual equality

____________8. rule of thirds h. Lorem ipsum

____________9. color i. canted shot
____________10. Texture j. character is seen from head to toe.
____________11. medium close-up k. hue, intensity, value
____________ 12. Dutch Angle l. regularly recurring elements
____________13. bird’s eye view m. perceived feeling of a surface
____________ 14. full shot n. Lorem Ipsum
____________15. low angle shot o. shot from shoulders up
____________16. Display/decorative p. consistency of elements and the unity of the
____________17. Appropriateness entire design
____________18. Emphasis q.Lorem ipsum
____________19. Alignment r. importance or value given to a part of the
____________20. Repetition text-based content
s. fit or suitable the text is used for specific
audience, event.
T. refers to how the text is positioned in the
page