Project 2: Visual Hierarchy

Oct 26

Bulletin Board Exercise

During the beginning of class, Vicki brought us to the bulletin board at Maggie Mo’s vestibule. On the side wall was a cluster of club advertisements, tutoring flyers, and CMU event posters. Because of the amount of flyers, many of the posters overlapped one another, causing some to stand out more than others. The posters varied in paper sizes, hierarchy approaches, and color use.

Vicki compared AB’s Ronny Chieng’s flyer with LG. Ronny’s poster used warm tones and a dynamic pose in motion. The LG poster used cool tones and stagnant, camera-aware models that integrated with the grid system of the text.

There are two contexts to our posters: the context of the location of the flyer placement and the context of the event the flyer advertises. Since the weather was gloomy, Ronny Chieng’s poster may attract the viewer’s due to its warm colors.

Project Introduction

There are five design principles that emphasize hierarchy: proximity, alignment, scale, color, and contrast. I am really excited to play around with proximity and scale since those are principles I’m less comfortable with. Some examples that caught my attention were the ones that considered a lot of negative space to emphasis text.

Online Research

Before thinking about the poster, I began learning about the venue, their audience, and their mission.

Row House Cinema (Lawrenceville)

1. Row House Cinema is a single-screen movie theater in Lawrenceville. They pride themselves of being accommodating to a wide audience, from providing a large selection of movies to offering discounts to students and Lawrenceville residents to providing private rentals.

When looking at photos, the outside of the theater looks trendy and eye catching with the entryway of lights. Inside feels intimate and local.

Row House Cinema Drive-In (Strip District)

Row House Cinema is presenting drive-in style movies in October of 2021 every Friday and Saturday for the second year due to COVID. Instead of being in the Lawrenceville, their showings are in a parking lot in the strip district since they are partnering with the Terminal to increase attraction to the strip district.

Since the event was paired with local breweries and since the majority of the movies are older, I assume that they are targeting an older audience. Since tickets are per car instead of per person, most people would probably go with a few people.

21st and Smallman St. in The Strip District

Going to the Row House Cinema

I went to the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville to get first-hand experience of the space as well as talk to the employees, and it was very different from what I was expecting. On the outside, the entryway was narrow with a ceiling of lightbulbs (from the pictures online, this was no surprise). It sort of reminded me of the Benedum Center — trendy, a little classy.

The inside was a different experience: the black walls were decorated with mismatched frames movie posters illuminated by dim, pink lights. Quiet, halloweeny music was playing. It reminded me of Weeping Glass, a shop of oddities and taxidermies in Allentown.

If you go further down, there is a concession stand with black walls and counters with red and green LEDs.

To the right, Bierport, a taproom, was connected to Row House. Although they were two separate businesses, it seemed like the Row House employees also worked there.

outside of Row House

entryway/inside of Row House

concession stand in the back

I talked to two workers working at the cash register at Bierport. They were really open to answering my questions, and they definitely showed that they cared about the theater. One has been going to the Row House since it opened and has a tattoo as a tribute to the movie theater. Here’s what I learned!

1. What makes Row House different from other movie theaters is that they only show second run movies (no premiers) with themed weeks. They recently did a Miyazaki theme.
2. Their audience is open to everyone: ranging from cinephiles who have seen the movie several times to newbies watching it for the first time. They believe that the atmosphere is welcoming, friendly, and the variety of genres brings everyone in.
3. They have special events such as one off events and single nights showing only.
4. They advertise the movie theater through instagram, the Marqee, and word of mouth.

Afterwards, I got lunch with my brother (who lives in Lawrenceville). I told him about this project, and although he hasn’t seen a movie there, his friend went and said it was a really small theater with an Apple TV (they had the apple loading screen before they played the movie — he thought it was hilarious). I thought it captured the theater well — Quirky, kind of unbothered/break the rules kinda way, casual.

Some fun things I noticed from their film program:

1. they removed the bird’s head from the logo for the horror side — thought it was clever
2. I believe there are five columns?
3. Overall, it is pretty text-heavy, but the dates and movies in the top left area is pretty easy to read.
4. there is very minimal color — just hints of red and yellow (mostly dark tones)

Studio Class 9/26

Ruminating on: How can information be categorized? What text is most important?

Today, we were given a sheet of the text to explore stroke weights, left flushes, and line spacing as well as later apply in our final poster.

Something I noticed was that the timeline of movies was carefully chosen. The genres and date of release were roughly categorized together. In the beginning of the month, they showed 1980s adventures and musicals, and at the end of the month, they showed fantasy and horror released in 1990s-2000s and 1960s.

On the sheet, I started taking notes on how I may categorize information. I considered the information in three parts: title, weekend, and date.

note from Vicki: check out Sean Adams Linkedin Learning

Lab Class 9/26

1 inch = 72 points = 6 picas

12 points = 1 pica

en dash- used for ranges

em dash- used in place of parenthetical

option dash = en dash

option shift = em dash

command shift t — tab changes tab length

9/26: 19 Hierarchy Iterations

Reflection: Less is More!More changes to one body of text created legibility issues and an equal distribution of change (i.e. one line space for every three lines) created a lack of emphasis of information. One line space had a greater impact than several.

Additionally, I learned that hierarchy can distinguish relationships between lines of text. How does the information relate to one another?

Today, we explored playing with stroke weights (45, 55, 65, 75), line spacing, two left flush, free left flush, and a combination of a few. Although these exercises were very methodical, it was really cool seeing how subtle changes from one exercise to the next could make or break the readability.

(left to right) 65/75, 55/75, 45/75

For my stroke weight explorations, I started with 65/75 stroke weights. Looking from far away, I felt that there wasn’t enough contrast and that the text blended together. I tried a 55/75 and 45/75, and although the difference was subtle between the two, I enjoyed 55/75 the most (I think the 45 was too thin compared to the 75?).

stroke weight exploration

For this, I tried a 45 weight for the “weekend” lines and 75 weight for the “movie” lines, but the “weekend” lines got lost since the majority of the lines of text were 75. It was an interesting attempt, and I was expecting it to read a little better.

stroke weight exploration

I was really excited when I made this iteration because I was able to capture three distinct categories by only changing the stroke weight for four lines. I broke it down into title/subheading, date info, and website url. I think it reads pretty well, except the date info is a little dense.

line spacing exploration — comparing several line spaces with few

Next, I played with line spacing. I first tried putting lines spaces where they felt appropriate: after the descriptor and after each weekend info.

Because there is an equal distribution of lines spaces, there wasn’t any emphasis on anything. For my next two iterations, I used less line spaces — which were more readable.

two flush

Next, I tried tabbing/left flush. I had the October dates on a separate flush, which made it easy to read the timeline.

three flush

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Next, I tried three flush. I thought this was an improvement from one of my stroke weight iterations. I still have the three categories of information, but the events are a lot easier to read since it doesn’t appear as much of a dense block of text.

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I tried a different flush for the text/subheading, but I believe it isn’t read first. For my poster, I believe I will have it emphasized the most.

line spacing and stroke weights

Next, I explored combining line spacing and stroke weights. On the left, I made the title/description, weekend lines, and website 75 and the dates/movies 55. I thought this was pretty readable, as the movies become secondary information and the weekend lines divide the timeline. For another iteration, I tried differentiating the weeks by alternating the stroke weights. This made some weeks feel less important than others.

9/28 Studio Class

Descriptive Words for Row House:

1. inviting
2. quirky
3. retro
4. odd
5. dark
6. intimate

I was really captivated by one of John’s stroke weight explorations. He made his description of City Theater 75 and the rest of the text 65. My eye immediately went to the description, even though it wasn’t the first line of the text. This made me wonder where I can find opportunities to give emphasis to only one thing — in my explorations, I gave emphasis to several.

Nov 1

Ruminating on: How can I push the boundaries of scale contrast? How much contrast is too much? How does the placement of text in relation to one another affect each other?

Today we created low fidelity scale and color explorations using cut paper and magazine color samples.

Scale

For my first few explorations, I played around with giving emphasis to different information — mostly the title and the description. Some things I thought about:

1. How does negative space play a role in readability?
2. What happens if I put the title at the bottom?
3. What is the most readable size for the date info?

I found that my earlier explorations were more a little static, so I cut the individual weeks and played around with the placement to create a more dynamic layout. MICHELLE ADD HERE

Color

At first, I played around with color more intuitively — just exploring colors for fun. A lot of the colors I chose were very pastel/refreshing/youthful. I found that one palette of blacks/purples/reds was interesting and may fit well for Row House. For my next set of palettes, I focused on colors that embody Row House. I took inspiration from the physical venue (black walls, colorful LEDs) as well as October/Halloween (orange, red).

Nov 1 — Exploring Scale and Color Digitally

Next, I moved onto expanding from the low fidelity explorations onto illustrator

Here, I played around with manipulated the text by creating a slice affect as well as try filling in the counters. I thought that this conveyed some dynasicm/obscurity, and the red box behind it infers a ticket stub.

Here, I played with a horizontal cut in the title, but i felt very off. In a way, it elongated the typeface, and it reminded me of my 2013 microsoft powerpoint vibes in middle school.

Here, I played with capitalizing on large amount of negative space to emphasize the text. However, I think its clustered the information too close together, making it potentially too hard to read.

November 2 Studio Class:

Everyone had really interesting color and scale explorations — we noticed a lot of orange and teal.

• poster may not need images, images should be responsive of the text
• i.e. karan’s dynamic, playful poster may not need image due to competing elements
• before adding text to image, practice cropping image to create tension and different compositions
• select 3 very different images, crop, overlay text

November 2 Lab Class:

open file → edit → color settings → srgb to adobe 1998 (now you have access to more colors)t

edit → assign profile → click profile and change to adobe1998

images online are usually 72 dpi, for printing, change to 300 dpi

image → image size

if image is full width or full height, it must be off the page

illustrator

document setup → add bleed

print →marks and bleed → turn on trim marks to make it easier where to trim

November 3

Now, we are introduced to imagery. I created a collection on Unsplash. When exploring images, here were some things I was looking for:

1. orange/warm tones
2. obscure/curious-looking patterns
3. lights (similar to the interesting lighting in the venue)
4. high contrast images
5. interesting composition of textures that can serve as a frame/border
6. dark backgrounds (similar to the dark walls of the venue)

Choosing the 3 Images

Image 1: The Walking Figure

• I liked this image because it reminded me of walking into Row House — on the other side of the door, there was a completely different world. It also had the same sense as going into any movie theater — dark rooms only illuminated by the screen light, narrow entrances. There was also strong color contrast, so there would be good readability for text placement

Image 2: The Paint Splatter

• I thought this image had a lot of potential because of the composition — I could see myself placing the text underneath the paint. Because of the black background, there was a sense of mystery/horror/curiosity in the image (as opposed to white where it may feel fresher, lively)

Image 3: The Mushroom Forest (?)

• I am unsure what this image is, but I found it in the 3D render section of Unsplash. I enjoyed the depth of the image — it would be cool seeing how I can portray depth using the text too. I also liked that there was a sense of mystery to what the image was — if it actually is anything at all.

Using Image 1

For this photo, I increased the contrast of the person, so they stand out against the light. I also changed the orientation of the image so the person is facing the text. Some strengths of this piece is that the image aligns with the left of the text, and it is fairly readable. However, the text treatment is pretty static. I think it compliments the composition of the image, but it still feels too still?

Using Image 2

I had a lot of fun playing around with how I could incorporate the text under and over the paint. I think this draws the reader in well. However, when printed, the details get lost from afar and it’s unclear what it is. Some thought it was raw meat, others thought it blood. Even close up, some still had trouble understanding what it was. For my final, I hope I can still incorporate layering text under the image. Also, the event info could be more intentional — maybe it can be aligned to the paint instead of left aligned.

Using Image 3

Here, I attempted to create depth by playing with the size of the title. I think it looks fairly interesting, but I had trouble incorporating the rest of the information with the image, so I placed it over a rectangle at the bottom — kind of felt like an easy way out? When printed, the image was uninteresting from afar. I am glad I tried this out, but I don’t see myself moving forward with this image.

November 4 Studio Class

Today, we had an in-class critique. I got feedback from Yoshi, Vicki, Riya, and Cece. I chose two of my iterations that I thought were the most effective:

Cece and Riya’s Feedback:

1. The image with the walking person is very static.
2. rowhousecinema.com is not really noticeable since its pushed to the right
3. They found the paint imagery to be more successful

Yoshi’s Feedback:

1. Be careful with the readability of “Row House Cinema” in the paint poster. Look at how the white paint touches the text
2. Unclear that the image is paint

Vicki’s Feedback:

1. placement of the text underneath the paint is really effective
2. try exploring images more traditional to movies/drive ins

I was really impressed by Cece’s and Riya’s work. Cece had an interesting poster where she focused on experimenting with the type to give them different personalities. Her vibrancy of colors in the image made it also stand out. Riya had an interesting flow of information and dynamic placement of text.

November 4 Lab

Select → same → fill color (must be independent from one another)

optical kerning analyze shapes of letters to make it fit better together

unlock pdf compatiable when saving to reduce file size

photoshop → color adjustment in bottom right

November 5

I tried a more traditional image of a drive-in. I picked a silhouette of people watching because 1) there was nice contrast, making it easy to place text 2) there was an emphasis on community/gathering 3) there was little indication of the type of movie. Although I think this was a good exploration, I wanted to use more abstract imagery for my final.

After the critique, I decided to play around with the cropping of the image. I made the composition tighter, so the person is more prominent. Additionally, I was able to play around with placing the title, so it looks like its inside the door.

Critique from Yoshi:

• Play around with the color. The muted pink makes the setting feel calm/still.
• The slant of the floor on the right does not align with the rest of the composition
• Consider using grids
• He reads “Cinema” first, then Row House

This is my iteration in response to Yoshi’s critique.

In response to the class critique, I broke up the date information, so it goes along the natural line of the image. Therefore, the left aligned text no longer feels awkwardly placed.

Here, I tried another image similiar to the person walking to the entrance. It provides more depth than the previous person-walking-to-door image, and it’s much more clear that it’s a door. However, the person doesn’t stand out as much as I was hoping.

Instead of using the paint imagery, I tried a different image of a 3D rendered blob, but simpler/more abstracter. I thought this would be more effective because there’s less details and easier on the eyes when looking farther way.

1. Pros: The image was easier to manipulate and change the composition
2. Cons: From far away, it looks a little flower-like, which is not the vibe I was going for

Here are some unfinished iterations

Before the final crit, I committed to this composition/image. I changed the rotation back to reduce confusion and cropped it tighter. I think was successful in conveying depth and decent consideration to how the placement of the text relates to the image.

Final Crit:

During the final crit, the guest posed the question, “Do you focus on the venue or the event?” I thought this was really interesting, because my idea focuses more on the permanent venue in Lawrenceville rather than the event in the Strip District. I think this is because I visited the movie theater — if I had the opportunity to go to the drive-in, I think my poster would look very different.

Refinement

After the final crit, I got additional feedback from Vicki:

1. The color of the human silhouette should be cream color
2. Decrease leading for “row house cinema”
3. Have “the Strip District” on its own line
4. remove the exclamation mark

Feedback from Andrew:

1. Consider the position of the door. See how it would like when higher/lower
2. “Pop-up drive in theater returns to the Strip District” reads better when in two lines than four

Final Poster

Reflection:

1. I think I was successful with playing with contrast in the scale of type, but something I wish I explored more was placement/proximity. I wish I played around with breaking up the date information
2. I learned so much from the preliminary exercises of stroke weights, line spacing, flush, etc. It played a bigger role in my final poster than I thought it would, it was pretty amazing comparing how different exercises affected readability based on very minute changes
3. I wish I tried placing my poster on the bulletin board earlier on — It looks very different on an empty studio wall haha. My poster didn’t stand out as much as I thought it would.
4. It’s interesting viewing my work from different distances. Our eyes become so sensitive to different details based on your position.
5. I am really happy with my final work and my decision-making. However, I believe I would have benefitted from committing to an image earlier on. My image choice/composition came a little late in the process, but it ended up working at the end of the day.
6. I also wish I tested printing to try different colors/saturations
7. Thank you Vicki! :)