Sketchup

Programs like Google Sketchup provide a unique service in helping users quickly and easily create a three-dimensional representation of an object or image. Today was the first time I had used Google Sketchup., and within about 20 minutes of playing around, I had grasped most of its functions and the overall way in which the program worked. Such programs are particularly helpful because they can show data or images in a convincing and easy to understand way. For example, if I was in an architecture class, instead of trying to render a hand-drawn depiction or an oral description of a building, I could use Google Sketchup to show exactly what my architectural plans are. This type of depiction would clearly be much easier for an audience to understand and also far more convincing because of its close semblance to reality. In my initial Sketchup, I created a building and imported a car next to it.

This tool could also be helpful in research or teaching because it would allow people to experiment with real-world ideas in a virtual world where there is no risk of failure, In the virtual world, if something does not work out, you can simply retry at basically no real cost. For example, an design teacher could ask his students to submit a project proposal via Sketchup prior to actually creating the project. This way, if there is some deficiency with the proposal, it can be corrected virtually, thereby maximizing the probability of success when the real project is made. Another possible use of such a program is in literature. A teacher could ask her students to read a descriptive passage and then recreate the people and places described in Sketchup. This would engage the students and help them better understand the passages they are reading. This program also has practical applications in math courses since it provides exact measurements of the virtual buildings. Programs like Google Sketchup are unique and interesting, and they can have a tremendous impact in the classroom.

Serious Games

As a child, like most children, I played a lot of different games with varying rules, talents, and strategies involved, but my purpose for playing these different games was almost always constant: diversion. I simply wanted to have fun. Recently, the invention of serious games has completely revolutionized not only the act of playing but the point and purpose of playing a game as well. Serious games allow a person to enjoy the fun and diversion normally associated with a game but also combine that with a deeper, more profound message or meaning. In this way, serious games can promote awareness of challenging situations or compel a person to action. Serious games can take several different forms: they serve the purposes of advertisement, education or learning, awareness, or event simulation.

Darfur is Dying is an example of such a serious game. The purpose of the game is to increase awareness of the genocide in Darfur and compel players to action to better the situation there. In this game, the player is a refugee from Darfur trying to obtain water for his village while avoiding Janjaweed, who will kill you if you’re caught. I tried five times to beat the game and successfully bring water back to the village, but each time I failed and was killed. The game is stressful and scary in its own right; the prospect of death is grim and imminent. There is also a section on a Darfur village, which explains all the problems that occur there. This is also compelling and tugs at heart strings.

I think this game, and serious games more generally, are an effective way of promoting awareness and possibly change. I found it to be convincing, and the most convenient part was that after I finished playing, the game provided me with several ways through which I could get involved and make a difference. This is probably the most important thing, as it give the player immediate access to further informational materials and access points from which to address the problem. A shortcoming of serious games is that players may miss the meaning, or that it is not compelling enough to spur action. In the end, while serious games may not be the overall best way to promote awareness, it can serve as one effective method to spur change among many different methods.

The above picture of Marilyn Monroe is entitled “Marilyn Monroe and the Camera.” This picture was taken during an interview with Georges Belmont in 1960. The picture is intended to show several different and contrasting sides of Monroe: glamorous juxtaposed against girl-next-door, sexy juxtaposed against serious, carefree juxtaposed against caring. The picture was an instant hit and eventually became a popular poster.

In 1967, Andy Warhol took this image and reworked it into an original piece of art. He repurposed the picture through his signature mark of repeating the image multiple times and changing the color scheme in drastic and strongly contrasting ways. The final products are the second and third images that you see. In the second picture, Monroe’s image is duplicated nine times, with each image exactly the same except for the color scheme. Each of the nine pictures contrast both within itself through the colors of the background, Monroe’s hair, and Monroe’s skin and also contrasts against each other, as the colors of adjacent pictures differ sharply. To accentuate the intra-picture contrast, the third picture is a larger picture of the bottom right square of the second picture.

The final picture is the one I have reworked on my own. I used Microsoft Powerpoint to manipulate the color contrast and comparative sizing of the picture. In this effort, I tried to mimic Warhol to a large extent because the contrasts he develops are very aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, I think the contrasts excellently show how the same image can be seen in a variety of ways through a variety of lenses. Along these lines, I wanted to create a sharp contrast between the light and the dark to emphasize Monroe’s salient features such as the curls in her hair, her eyebrows, and her lips, but I did not want to inject color as that would become too similar to Warhol’s work and would likely dilute the contrast I was aiming for. The final picture is my end result.

visual literacy through Coca-Cola ads

When it comes to visual literacy, understanding the culture and context of a picture of is of utmost importance. Above, I intentionally have placed next to each other several advertisements for Coca-Cola from across a spectrum of years. Based off of just a quick glance, it is immediately apparent that the ads are different and reflect the available technologies and culture of the time in which they were produced. Trying to understand these pictures requires a working knowledge of the historical context. Conversely, however, it is important to understand that all these ads have the same purpose: promote Coca-Cola. Consequently, there are several similarities and differences between them, and I will discuss each of the ads in turn.

The first photo of the man holding the case of Coca-Cola was created in 1949, and there are several telling factors that help date the image. The form of animation used was the predominant form of animation used at the time, and although this type of animation is sometimes used today, it is mainly for the effect of “throwing back” the intended audience to this time period. The type of suit the man is wearing and the type of haircut the man has are also reflective of the culture of the late 1940s.

The second image does not have any animation but, instead, features a bottle of Coca-Cola surrounded by several fruits, with the caption, “It’s the real thing. Coke.” The resolution in the picture, when coupled with the font, seems reminiscent of the 1970s, and, indeed, the ad was developed in 1970. Additionally, the positioning of the fruits and cheese around the Coke simply does not seem like a modern advertising technique and hints of the past. The combination of these factors makes the ad seem dated. The ad is similar to the preceding one in that Coca-Cola holds a prominent position, as it naturally should.

The final ad is a digital animation of polar bears endorsing Coca-Cola on their iceberg. The telling fact regarding the date is the digitization of the picture, and this ad reflects a growing culture of digitization in America at the time of production, 2002. Furthermore, the digitization allows Coca-Cola to manipulate convincingly polar bears into endorsing their product. The ad is creative and catchy.

A visually literate individual will pick up on these differences and see that all that the ad is telling them regarding the historical context of the advertisement and the technological capabilities available at the time, not just the product the ad is endorsing. Pictures oftentimes can relate more information than that which is most obvious, and the visually literate can pick up on this.