Author: Daniel Rodriguez

The terms that I need to define  when reading Rhetoric of the Image by Roland Barthes:

1. Anchorage is the text that provides the link between the image and the context.
2. Connoted – Figuratively- the use of the word as its association and not necessarily based on the literal definition. 
3. Diegesis – a narrative or plot, typically in a movie.
4. Lexicon –  the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge.
5. Imitari – Image has its roots in the Latin word imitari, meaning “to copy or imitate”.
6. Metalanguage – multiple phrases, used to describe another language.
7. Polysemy – the coexistence of many possible meanings for a word or phrase.

In McLuhan’s influential 1964 book Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. in one of the chapters McLuhan discusses that a medium is always under another medium. An example he uses is that “a contenting of writing can be a speech, a written word is the content of print and print is the content of telegraph”. The reason for this is that are some ways to send your ideas or trying to inform your target audience of the advancement of technology in today’s world.
Even though there is a lot of medium the only is issue is the concept of “age of anxiety” which is causing people to transition from something old to new like an example how people use myspace and transition to Facebook. The media is more important than the content itself because as time changes so do media like the example it doesn’t matter what your target audience media they are using.

If you are trying to reach a young group they can easily transition from one medium to another medium, but the older group finds it harder to transitions to newer mediums. McLuhan remarks that the young should not be allowed to be exposed to old methods and behaviors in order to have the right perception of the actual mediums being used at the time. I agree with McLuhan’s remarks with the new generation only knows the new mediums but people who were taught how to use old mediums transition to new mediums are a bigger asset because they can still have access to the old transitions.

-Daniel Rodriguez

-Daniel Rodriguez

After reading these three short texts from architect-designer it helped me realize that we as  designers are meant to change how we view things. These authors of the past are frightened of the future because in their time they dint rely on visual-expression but on visual-form. Each author had their points on design but they can agree on was typography. Typography is a dedication to typeface as time change so does typeface because designers would create different variations to help their message get across to their audience. Walter Gropius talked about how the means form to space, with the negative space on a page. Typography is the key essence to design why because it creates attention to the message you are trying to send for example if you doing work for a client that is promoting rock and roll fans you would a typeface that deliver the energy or idea of rock roll like Acdc font which is called Squealer. Now you wouldn’t use that same typeface for a more soft mellow band like The Beatles. Because that gives off the wrong vibe and message to people. As designers, we might need to make a design that speaks a language that is understood easily rather than use a simple typeface that is bland or neutral that shows personality. In my opinion, Bauhaus’s ideas should be updated to remain relevant in 21st-century art and design because their design was so advanced for their time that now people are looking or being inspired to use the technique of Bauhaus to help get their message across to today audience.

-Daniel Rodriguez

Language is the most important part of human connection. Although humans around the world have different forms of languages they are able to be translated and learned by others. The Languages that we see today have grown so far from their prehistoric symbols, signs, gestures, and later on written text. Language can be distinguished from other communication is by the system of verbal and non-verbal to send and receive from one & other. Throughout history, the language was a tool of communication that we use to keep a collection of information from history, story, and culture. Symbols are the most creative and flexible use of expressing human emotions and communicating them to others. Symbols are what sets apart cultures from one another and how they developed throughout the centuries.

General communication is a system that uses a design that delivers a function that speaks strongly for everyone. Some examples are signs like a crosswalk where a design of a person in the motion of walking sends a message to walk and a red hand in a position that sends a message to stop or halt from crossing the street.  Language shaped design historically is by creating a message that speaks to the audience and delivers that it easily communicates to everyone. 

The relationship between language and design in today’s culture is that as the time change more people changes their view on design, for example, the monster energy drink can. The design was the letter m transform to look like a monster claws mark. Unfortunately, a group of people who believe in the catholic religion views the can as anti-catholic that they would find symbols in the design that would find it demonic or satan. So it depends on the audience if the design and language work together but there will case that someone will view it differently from how you see it. 

-Daniel Rodriguez

In these two readings, the authors think that the role of design play in society is to draw people’s attention to new information and development that is currently happening. Over the years new cultures arise and change the view on things. It is shown when designers create designs during that time or era. In order to distinguish the fields of design from other creative occupations is that in the design field there are branches such as environmental design, communication design, and industrial design.  

Designers concern themselves with an unsolvable theoretical question is because the design has multiple possibilities one person alone can’t discover it on their own every person is different and thinks differently which means they learn something that you didn’t or acquire unique techniques and ideas that can help further develop your design. This can help create potential solutions that can solve social problems that communicate well. As technology evolves over time designers notice it has made it easier to create or develop their design easier as well as efficient. The urgent problems facing designers today is creating content that speak to the target audience and develop a personal brand of design. In a career in design, there has been a case where the designer would design something and not receive credit for or design something for one client and some other company person would copy it or use it for their solution. Over time designers found waves to prove ownership or proof of creating the design. 

As designer why are we responsible for solving problems that need attention because we want to help communicate with the community to deliver the message that people can understand and easier to see on common day objects from magazines to posters to billboards. As a designer, it has become our prime goal to design a solution that would affect or change the community that can be can display beautify over any object that can grab the audience’s attention.

– Daniel Rodriguez