Professional Website

Based on class discussion and on the reading concerning organization by Rosenfeld and Morville I made the humane society website suitable for our target audience. I believe this is undeniably important when making any kind of argument (multimodal in this case). Our audience is young adults and families with children. For this reason we designed the website after this audience.

I didn't make any thumbnail sketches of my work like in the 2nd reading. However, we made mockups and then got feedback. This is even better because mockups are closer to the real thing than thumbnails are. Plus I am a horrible artist and the thumbnails would look terrible :)

Hypertext Strategies

I choose to use the counterpoint method. I had planned to use this prior to reading the blog or the class when we talked about the reading. Since there are two distinct sides to my argument, it was an simple choice. Talk about one side, and then the other - all while referring back to each other with compare/contrast.

It worked well and I am proud of how my hypertext turned out- I just wish I made the buttons look more attractive.

Hypertext Gardens

The hypertext "garden" is very confusing and frustrating to navigate through. I like the color scheme for his purpose... it embodies that whole... hey I'm lost in the dark theme.. which I felt throughout trying to navigate the website.

I like my websites clear and straght forward- you can be artistic but don't make it frustrating for the viewer. It really did feel like I was trapping in some huge garden.. with vines impairing my vision throughout the journey.

Blair Reading

His main point is that visual arguments are not distinct in essence from verbal arguments. He goes on to say how text and visual arguments are different, but the same since they both serve the same purpose. I believe he is referring to the idea that everything is an argument... But as I remember from class that isn't what you told us. Lines like this are confusing...

"The need to give visual arguments premise-conclusion propositional embodiment has the consequence that plenty of dramatic visual statements fall short of being arguments."

He does state that visual arguments can be extremely powerful, but are less clear and precise as a written argument. I believe that is a true statement.. however what if you just combine them?

Kress

Kress states that multimodal is like a literary text that uses objects. He states that multimodal is not bound to text or voice, but can use 3-d objects or 3-d representations that can express whatever purpose you have.

The whole reading is somewhat confusing. From class I know what a multimodal argument is. Basically you told us that it's anything that uses multiple strategies to engage the viewer. Like a website uses the organization abilities of using buttons, as well as the color coordinating and themes one can express within that arena of media. An interactive video would be multimodal, as well as a hands on experiment that proves a point. It is anything that is not linear I guess.

The beginning is the most confusing. As I read on and he used examples things began to make more sense. Class also helped a lot.

Metonymy Example

This is a great example of metonymy. It uses the world apple, which is the flavor of the advertised vodka, and substitutes the fruit word for the city word (the big apple). It was very challenging to find images using this advertising technique because it's used and not really thought about post advertisement viewing - at least for me. Many absolut advertisements use this technique and the company is known for their unique advertising.

Typography reading

First, describe what the difference is between typography and typefaces.

Typography is more of the art of using typefaces effectively. Typefaces are fonts, basically. The main point is that you can do a lot of creative things with typefaces and typography is not just simply using the typeface, but using it in a way that makes your work unique.

Second, describe what you think Keedy means when he says "There is no such thing as a bad typeface...just bad typography."

He means that anyone can use a typeface but only someone skilled in typography can make it look good. People believe that old typefaces are bad because they have been used and cannot be unique any longer. However, a skilled typographer can use old fonts and create unique work.

Third, pick out a sentence or section from Helfand or Solomon that interests you. Describe what it is that draws you to this particular idea.

"The sensitive application of punctuation in even the most commonplace unit changes the entire feeling of a design." pg 287

This is only one sentence of the paragraph that intrigued me. The main point is that puncuation can make certain everyday things such as phone numbers easier to read. Solomon states that using a period instead of a dash makes the number easier to read. I found this strange because it is a commonplace to use a dash when typing/writing phone numbers. I believe this is because the period already has a number of defined usages.

Foss Reading

Foss defines rhetoric with primary dimensions: 1) humans as the creators of rhetoric; 2) symbols as the medium for rhetoric; and 3) communication as the purpose for rhetoric.

He talks about how humans are the only animals capable of using symbols to view the world. One of his main points is that rhetoric refers to the use of symbols rather than signs. Rhetoric is not limited to just speaking and writing (body language, dance, poetry, etc). He also talks about how learning about rhetoric makes us more sophisticated.