Ill Communication

A blog for my visual communication class where I dissect the elements of visual communication that are happening in various pieces of media. Hopefully you can find something to enjoy, even if you're not a media student. 

[jacobsillcommunication]

An Analysis of Volver (2006)

Pedro Almodovar’s 2006 film Volver is held in high regard as one of his most celebrated works in a long history of beloved films. It tells the story of a woman Raimunda as she struggles to protect and make a life for her and her daughter, all meanwhile being visited by her thought to be dead mother. It is a meditation on death, violence, and the shared bonds of women, specifically mother and daughter, but also sisters, aunts, friends. It is notable for it’s unique subject matter and character focus, as well as it’s loving and understanding portrayal of women from a male director. Almodovar is known for his transgressive and boundary pushing art, and Volver is one of the handful of films he’s made that saw success with a wider English-speaking market. 

The film, as most of Almodovar’s films do, uses color as it’s main source of visual symbolism, and this bleeds into every shot and frame. His color choices are not necessarily consistent, as one color can stand in for many things, but there is no denying that these choices are made with intention and purpose. In this film, the color red seems to be the most important to the storyline. Raimunda often dresses in red, and red colors stand out in many of the shots. There is a sequence of her cleaning her dead husband’s blood off the kitchen floor. In this scene, the blood represents many things that all coalesce and heighten the themes of the film. The husband was violently attempting to rape Raimunda’s daughter Paula, and so the blood represents his violence and twisted sexuality, it also represents death itself and the violence performed on him by Raimunda, it also stands for love and the passion Raimunda has for her daughter, it also stands in for femininity in a lot of ways. 

The films use of red is most applicable to its theme of death, which carries over into its other theme of generational love. The mothers try to protect and teach their daughters, the daughters learn from their mothers and grow up to teach their daughters. This is especially true for the less developed Spanish locales of the movie, where gender roles have not progressed as far as in America. Red (as well as black) have always been used to represent death, but here Almodovar blends death in with all the love and fire of life. It is one’s passion and love and hate all combined into one symbol, which is a single color. 

I think a really important theme of this film that has made it culturally significant for over a decade is the idea of women protecting women. In this film, the men aren’t trustworthy. Many of them are abusive, or liars, or cheaters. While this isn’t applicable across the boards in real life, it’s an idea that many women are unfortunately familiar with. Even as a man myself, I cannot argue that the film’s portrayals are inaccurate to the behaviors I see being perpetuated by men in the real world. This film contains a strong spirit of women looking out for and protecting one another, and I think since it has come out, that message has become especially important and relatable. 

Volver is a film that resonates beyond its storyline or dialogue. It has imagery and themes that stick with the viewer beyond watching, and it is so cram packed with subtle visual symbolism that one can always pick up on new things with repeat viewings. It is a high point in a career of many peaks and it deserves every ounce of recognition it receives. 

[xsensualxcranjuicex]

An Examination of Political Cartoons in the Time of Covid

This is a cartoon by artist Clay Jones, who runs a blog for showcasing his cartoons called Tales from the Trumpster Fire. This piece specifically looks to target the racial targeting involved in the collection of censuses and Jared Kushner’s overseeing of the secret coronavirus task force. There aren’t a ton of symbols in here, but we can point both to the Nazi armband on the census taker and the SS insignia on his hat as a representation for the artist’s belief that these practices are racist and totalitarian and comparable to certain nazi practices. We also have the dress shirt and tie on the father, which is meant to symbolize that he is a hard working man. This is meant to emphasize the injustice of the family being ignored and looked over by the man looking to take census information from only white people. Things are labeled for clarity, such as the word Jared on Jared Kushner’s body. His head is already exaggeratedly long with the long outward ears and big lips for which he famously has. I believe the labeling of Kushner is to let people know who it is despite the fact they’ve already done a caricature of him, only because he isn’t yet a household name, so some folks might not recognize him on appearance alone. Here, there isn’t so much an analogy, as much as there is a heavy exaggeration of what is actually happening. Jared Kushner isn’t involved in actually going door to door and ignoring the censuses of black citizens, but that is what him and his organization are doing in a metaphorical sense. They’re not literally hollering out for only white voters to complete the census, it’s just that they’re ignoring and not putting the same sort of emphasis on collecting black votes. The cartoonist is saying that this is obviously a bad thing and thinks it resembles nazi-like fascist. Even though I agree, I don’t really find this piece that persuasive, as it is both very basic, and the view it argues against isn’t one I can see many people agreeing with in the first place. There aren’t a ton of people who believe censuses of white people are more important, because most average people would see that as a cartoonishly evil view to hold. However, I can imagine that some diehard Trump supporters who view immigrants as evil outsiders, and think white is the national race of America, would take issue with the comic. I definitely don’t think those people would be persuaded, though. 

by artist Tornoe for The Inquirer

Symbols: Face mask, Phillies Jersey, Foam Finger. The face mask represents coronavirus prevention measures, the Phillies jersey and foam finger represent sports fandom.

Exaggeration: No noticeable exaggeration, other than there only being one fan in the empty stadium. Either the event wouldn’t allow an audience, or there would be more people at this event. Also it is exaggerated here that the man would have no problem going out in public to watch the sport, but he’s not willing to accept a hot dog from a worker who potentially has the virus. 

Labeling: Very limited use of labeling here, besides the Hot Dog vessel, which would be labeled in real life, as well as the jersey. 

Analogy: Not really any analogy here, it is more poking fun of the current situation by presenting us an absurd hypothetical scenario. 

Irony: I think the irony here is that the fan is so devoted that he made his way out to the sporting event during quarantine and he’s so loyal to his team, but he’s still cautious about the guy serving hot dogs. I think it could also be joking about how unsanitary the hot dogs are known for being. 

This cartoon is about the closing off of sporting events to audiences and the fans who are heartbroken by it. I don’t think the cartoonist feels any particular way about it, except for that it’s ridiculous how devoted sports fans are for their teams. I see this as a cartoon that’s more trying to find humor in a political situation than try to take down a specific figure or issue. 

by artist Loujie for Cagle Cartoons

Symbols: Steak, Statue of Liberty, Coronavirus Cells, Fat guy, Torch, Tablet from the Statue. 

The steak is a symbol of wealth, as well as the “fat cat” representing greed and wealth. The coronavirus cells represent the pandemic, and calamity affecting the people outside the window. The statue of liberty in this case representing America, as well as her torch representing freedom and democracy, and the tablet representing the Fourth of July and the declaration of independence, which the fat cat is eating his steak on. Red wine on the table also represents luxury.

Exaggerations: The fat guy is exaggerated in his rotundity and the poor people outside are exaggerated in their panic pounding at the window. The statue of liberty is also scaled down to be able to fit into the room, which is the opposite of exaggeration. 

Labeling: The Rich, The Poor.

Analogy: America bailing out the rich and doing little for the poor is like our values bending over to serve the rich. They’re luxuriating while the average person is suffering. 

Irony: The rich are comfortable and profiting more than others, while the poor are left to get sick and suffer below. It’s ironic because America wasn’t founded on those values, but Lady Liberty is bowing to the whims of the elite. 

The artist is clearly saying it’s wrong that this is happening as the average Americans build the backbone of the country. He thinks income inequality is out of control and the wealthy are controlling America to benefit them. People who disagree with them would be rich people or the poor people who worship the rich and want to become part of that class. Not a very convincing piece, more just solidifies what people already know about the upper class. 

by artist Steve Benson for Creator’s Syndicate

Symbols: Death, Grave Stone, Covid Face Masks

Exaggerations: Not everyone is going to die so the right side is a bit of an exaggeration, but the death representing America reopening represents the massive casualties that can occur from reopening early amidst the second wave of covid-19. 

Labeling: “First wave: America Shuts Down” “Second Wave: America Re-Opens 

Analogy: Opening up businesses early is like inviting death into the country.

Irony: By trying to save our economy, we’d be killing our people, and thus doing devastating irreversible damage to the economy. 

The artist is concerned about America Reopening early and believes we will suffer many casualties because of this. Opponents of this message would be conspiracy theorists, conservatives, and business owners afraid of losing profits or going out of business. I find it fairly convincing as political cartoons go, but I don’t think it’s really gonna sway anyone.

by artist Tom Stiglich for MediaNews Group

Symbols: Foxes, Feathers, Joe Biden Campaign Pin, Chickens, Chicken Coop.

Exaggerations: The New York Times, DMC, and Joe Biden have been anthropomorphized into foxes. Joe Biden is shown to be murdering chickens, which is not what he actually has done. 

Labeling: New York Times, Democratic National Committee, Biden. 

Analogy: The New York Times and DMC are in cahoots with Joe Biden aka fellow foxes, so them saying they’ll investigate him fairly, is like foxes saying they’ll investigate a chicken murder perpetrated by a fellow fox fairly. 

Irony: They all committed the crime and are covering it up together.

This cartoonist is untrustworthy of Joe Biden and the people who claim to be investigating his claims of wrongdoing. People who disagree with this would be staunch liberals, or people who like Joe Biden. For me it is fairly persuasive, because even though I am a liberal, I am wary of trusting Joe Biden, or the New York Times, or the Democratic National Committee. I think it’s a cartoon that reaches both sides of the aisle because Joe Biden is a terrible candidate, and even us liberals who are voting for him are really not happy with him as an option. I do appreciate that during a time of corona-virus, this is one of the few up to date cartoons that chooses to tackle another topic, and I applaud it’s originality while still being timely. 

[jacobsillcommunication]

Shared from my main tumblr to the class tumblr. Accidentally submitted it there first. 

[jacobsillcommunication]

Use of Typography in Films

Typography is an integral part of graphic design, and plays a role in many of the most iconic and memorable pieces of marketing. All ads (aside from perhaps hyper minimalist ones) use typography, but meaningful or creative use of text design can elevate a promotional poster to the status of art and pop culture. For our purposes today, I am going to be examining instances from film in specific, but it should be noted that examples of this kind of artistic typography can be seen in any kind of media. The specific examples I have chosen for this exercise are movie posters or title cards that I think help communicate the tone and style of the movie they’re promoting through creative uses of typography. 

The first piece of media I will be looking at is this promotional poster for the 2008 film The Dark Knight. This movie is known for its grim and comparatively mature tone compared to other superhero films. It is also known for the historic inclusion of the insane and unhinged portrayal of the villain The Joker, played with perfect intensity by Heath Ledger. This poster draws attention to both of these important aspects of the film through typography alone. The movie title is in a bold, dramatic impact font, symbolizing the seriousness of the tone and subject matter. The stark white text casts a shadow and it is laid over a shattered version of the iconic bat symbol. The audience can expect darkness and some kind of fracturing as Batman as a person or as a figure. The more interesting use of typography is in the “Why So Serious?” written across the top of the poster. The phrase itself is one of the standout lines from the film, which is said by the Joker in a pivotal scene. What makes the type interesting though, is that it appears to be written in fresh blood. Not only that, but the Joker’s foggy figure can be seen through what seems to be some kind of murky glass. The red of the blood clues us into the violence, passion and rage of the film, and the fact that it is in fact blood does that as well. What is really excellent about this poster is that it is almost interactive. The tagline for the movie isn’t being printed on the poster by the studio, the character from the film is painting the words in blood himself, giving us a foreboding preview of the deranged clown that would stick in America’s minds for decades. 

Next, and on a less intense note, I would like to examine the title card for Wes Anderson’s 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel. The text floats above the titular hotel, it’s golden yellow hues paired beautifully with the pink of the building, the blue of the snowy mountains, and the dark browns of the snowless cliffs. What I find marvelous about the use of typography in this frame is the handcrafted appearance of the letters. They appear to be cut pieces of paper, or wood carved, and the uneven coloring throughout emphasizes this aesthetic decision. Wes Anderson is known for his lovingly handcrafted and composed sets and shots in his films, he is also known for his indie ethos. The Grand Budapest Hotel is almost an encapsulation of all of his endeavors up to the point it was made and features stunningly handcrafted miniature sets for establishing shots. The text design reflects this crafted approach, and the regal font paired with the decorative arch for the word Budapest reflect the film’s high society, elegant setting. It also clues viewers into the frilly and whimsy filled world that Anderson’s films inhabit. 

Last I would like to take a look at the promotional poster for the 2008 rom com 27 Dresses starring Katherine Heigl. The typography in this film poster is very clever, as it manages to take all of the required text for the poster and cram it into a shape to complete the image of the poster. This makes it unique, but it also adds into the theme of the film. The main character has been a bridesmaid 27 times, hence the title, so the text forms a dress for the character in the image, with the title standing out in pink as if it is a bow or embellishment, which helps emphasize the title while adding some style to the “dress”. The words are typed in a playful, hand-written sort of font, which clues you into the lighthearted nature of the film. The combination of white and pink also adds to the sugary sort of appeal of a film of this nature, and the dated use of pink to implicate a female audience is also employed here. 

All in all, you need to have text to promote a movie or even to display the credits. Most movies do a fine job at matching the type face to the tone of the film. What really sticks in people’s memories are images in which the text says something about what we’re about to watch, or plays with our idea of how type even works. When you break the mold, and have the text of your movie poster be mysteriously written by the film’s central villain, or creatively use a shape to make boring text integral to the image of the poster, you have a potential to create an image that stands the test of time, and maybe outlasts the relevance of the film itself. 

[70sscifiart]

Norman Adams’ 1971 cover art for David R Bunch’s Moderan

[jacobsillcommunication]

Semiotic Analysis of Stereotypes in Advertisements

Gillette: We Believe- The Best a Man Can Be

This advertisement came out at the height of the Me Too movement’s rise in the public conscious. During this time sexual harassment from powerful men was being exposed left and right in the media. In an attempt to jump on the bandwagon, and make an ad that showed some self awareness about how Gillette was advertised in the past. It starts off with men looking in the mirror, while news audio about sexual misconduct plays in the background. It then briefly uses old Gillette footage to call attention to their catch phrase “The best a man can get”. Viewers understand this slogan has been used in the past to propagate harmful gender norms, and the company is showing that they acknowledge this. We are then treated to a barrage of examples of how toxic masculinity is harmful by showing all kinds of stereotypical depictions of “boys being boys”. They have a young boy being cyber-bullied for being a “sissy”, men whistling at an over sexualized Betty Boop style character in a cartoon, rap videos with rampant voyeurism of the female body, sitcoms (which have historically played into gender norms in dangerous ways), a business exec mansplaining what a female employee was saying. If one was part of the public discourse during the time this ad came out, one would understand how relevant all these subjects and issues were. We even get a line of dads at grills saying “boys will be boys” over and over again, which has become sort of a catchphrase of the defense of toxic masculinity. Many men were not a fan of this ad, though, as they thought it’s depictions of men as savage, sexed up douchebags was inaccurate, oversimplified and dramatic. It paints this stereotype of seemingly all or most men as football playing/watching, grill master, daddy-o alpha males. Men who didn’t fit into these stereotypes, which is most men, felt talked down to and insulted, even though they may agree that the traits displayed in the ad are harmful. 

This hideous ad by Nivea depicts a black man holding a version of his head complete with afro and beard, ready to chuck it off the roof of a parking garage or something. In the past, afros were considered almost a universal symbol for white people depicting black people, especially after their massive popularity in the 70s and 80s disco scenes. In the past, and perhaps to some people even today, black people were seen by many white racists as uncivilized “savage” people. They were portrayed often as unintelligent and barbaric in the media of the distant past. However, this ad is not from the distant past which makes it exceedingly unacceptable (not that it ever would be). However, this ad plays on even subtler stereotypes, such as black men being incredibly athletic and good at sports. Thus, he is set up as if he were about to throw a discus or something in some kind of herculean stance. 

This one plays off a few stereotypes. The first being Native American people as headdress wearing Pocahontases (many of them do wear headdresses nowadays but only ceremonially). It depicts the native woman as beautiful but still uncivilized. Then we have the stereotype of Natives gambling and owning casinos, which is a somewhat accurate stereotype since Natives are granted liberties with casinos and gambling that most Americans do not have, and thus have become known for such things. However, I’m sure many Native Americans do not appreciate being stereotyped this way, as they certainly don’t all gamble. Despite it’s obvious racism, I don’t think this one is quite as insidious as the Nivea ad, but it’s still an ugly use of stereotypes to advertise a product. 

This ad plays on the outdated stereotype of women as not only domestic laborers, but people who were happy filling that role. Mrs. Claus is overjoyed to have her new iron board, so she can take care of all of the family’s laundry. Also this ironing board has the ability for you to sit while you do the laundry, which takes the back ache out of the long hours of labour. She is also depicted as vastly younger and sexier than Mr. Claus, almost appearing as a child. She has a tight waist and hourglass figure that were considered so desirable in days gone by. 

[jacobsillcommunication]

Blog Assignment 1: Semiotics

This first ad shows us Joe Camel of Camel cigarettes undergoing cancer treatment. This spoof ad works because viewers should recognize Joe Camel not only as a mascot for Camel cigarettes, but as an advocate for how cool and laid back smoking makes you seem. His characteristic black sunglasses, which emphasize Joe’s suave, cool persona, are off his face, and he is now staring at them as if he recognizes the emptiness of the lie they stand for. Viewers unfamiliar with the Joe Camel ads would still be familiar with the concept of black sunglasses as a symbolic representation of chillness, and the idea of cool, as this is persistent in American culture all the way back to the 60′s. Viewers also know that chemo therapy makes you lose your hair, so they emphasize the baldness of Joe’s head and ad veins to it to make him look extra sick. Additionally, most viewers know about the surgeon general’s warning/symbol on packs of cigarettes which inform you of the dangers of smoking. The artists use this warning to play on the dangers of smoking by using something non medical like “wasted potential” as an adverse effect. 

The symbol of the golden arches represents McDonald’s while the French fry crown represents one of the most popular menu items at McDonald’s. McDonald’s has been a symbol of poor health, and malicious marketing to children for many years, and so the idea of putting this symbol and this food on a baby is a commentary on how McDonald’s continued targeting of youths has contributed to a youth obesity an health crisis in America, and is now doing so the world over.  

Viewers will recognize the Absolut bottle, and if they don’t they will likely notice it is a vodka bottle from the text. Viewers know that liquor bottles usually stand upright, so they will recognize that this one is deflated or not erect. Savvy onlookers will understand the concept of whiskey-dick or men being unable to get off or maintain erections when they drink too much, and long term alcohol abuse can permanently impact a man’s potency. Viewer’s shouls also know that Absolut ads usually say Absolut _____ usually with something exciting and awesome filling the blank as in Absolut Adventure, to highlight the wild and fun time that the user of the product will have. Here, the artists use the Absolut tagline to highlight one of the negative consequences of heavy drinking, to contrast the fun careless side of it that absolut chooses to present in it’s ads. 

Apples are a symbol of schoolhouses and teachers. House shapes are often used to represent schoolhouses. Most schools are Smoke Free zones, or Drug Free Zones, and have signs similar to this spoof ad to show that. However, schools often allow companies to insidiously advertise themselves to students through posters, and through vending machines. This spoof ad comments on how this type of advertisement and product placement should not be forced upon children, and thus not be allowed in school. All schools should be ad free zones as they are a place of learning. 

[meanwhilebackinthedungeon]

– Seb McKinnon

Rite of the Serpent

[jacobsillcommunication]

This picture is so rife with things to point out and talk about. First I’ll discuss the motion conveyed by the image. The dagger is heading down into the man, we can tell this because it’s pointed down. We also know this same dagger has been used to stab the man and cut his head off due to his injuries as well as the presence of blood on the blade. The horned hilt of the blade is a mini mirror of the horns on the woman’s head, as the earrings she wears are mini mirrors of the halo like circle around the blade. Another bit of motion I love is the snakes serpentine path up to the figure of the rite performer. There is also a sharp contrast between the white, stone temple like setting in which the man’s body is placed, and the dark forest and ruins where the woman is standing. 

[artfoli]

Boy Bitten by a Lizard, c. 1594-96, by Caravaggio (1571-1610)

[xsensualxcranjuicex]

My eyes are first drawn to the boy’s face, as it is one of the few spots that is bathed in light, and it seems to be the point where the most action is occurring. Then my view slides down his shoulder and arm and ends up on his hand, which is all bent and gnarled, recoiling from the titular bite. Due to his rosy cheeks, fair skin, luxurious hair, as well as the flowers in the image, I would say the boy is from a family of great wealth, perhaps even royalty. This image makes heavy use of the dark spaces to draw attention to those which are covered in light. 

[thecolorblockcurator]

Illustration from The Lowest Room in ‘Poems by Christina Rossetti,’  1912, Florence Harrison 

[jacobsillcommunication]

The factors that draw me into this image are its use of form, negative space, and movement. The garden is full of details, circular rounded flowers and spade shaped leaves make up a dense arrangement of texture and darkness, while the woman’s dress, and the house behind the garden space contain large chunks of empty space to offset the clutter of the foreground and further draw attention to the lushness of the garden. Based on the direction of the woman, and the way the path leads from the door, viewers can tell that she left from the house and came forward through the gates. If she were to continue on her path she would pass the camera out of view. 

[utwo]

Go out and ride …

© E. Ward

[xsensualxcranjuicex]

The guiding lines of yellow pull the viewers eyes from the flat, plain foreground, straight to the center of the horizon where the cycler is riding. From here, the viewers eyes are guided to the mountain in front of the rider. Starting from the lowest peak on the right hand side, the gaze is directed from sharp triangular peak to peak as they ascend to the left. The flat muted green blues of the sky create contrast with the blacks, whites, and grays, bringing focus to the bold mountain.

[utwo]

Polar Express

© K. Kotajarvi 

[xsensualxcranjuicex]

Motion is directed in a curved line, around the train tracks, disappearing into the background in a cluster of trees. The horizon forms a dipping arch, separating the sharp focus of the foreground from the misty, chilly fog of the forest, mountain, and clouds beyond. Icy blues and whites enhance the wintery landscape, as well as providing a sense of serene loneliness and emptiness, only the bold crimson of the train car full of life and warmth breaking this cool color palate. The evergreens form shaggy triangles, which are repeated and mirrored in the crack in the ice, where the darker waters form the rough shape of an evergreen tree.