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Characteristics of Visual Symbols: Understanding Visual Variables in Design

Explore the key attributes and characteristics of visual symbols in design, including position, size, shape, value, color, texture, and motion. Learn how to distinguish between different variables and understand their impact on perception.

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Characteristics of Visual Symbols: Understanding Visual Variables in Design

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  1. Visual Variables Characteristics of visual symbols How we distinguish between them Slides by Sheelagh Carpendale, University of Calgary

  2. Visual variables - attributes • position • changes in the x, y (z) location • size • change in length, area or repetition • shape • infinite number of shapes • value • changes from light to dark • orientation • changes in alignment • colour • changes in hue at a given value • texture • variation in pattern • motion

  3. Visual variables - characteristics • Different variable attributes may be: • selective is a change enough to allow us to select it from a group? • associative is a change enough to allow us to perceive them as a group? • quantitative is there a numerical reading obtainable from changes in this variable? • order are changes in this variable perceived as ordered? • length across how many changes in this variable are distinctions perceptible?

  4. Position • selective • associative • quantitative • order • length 100 0 10 0

  5. ? 4 X = > > > > > > Size • selective • associative • quantitative • order • length • theoretically infinite but practically limited • association and selection ~ 5 and distinction ~ 20

  6. > > > > > > > Shape • selective • associative • quantitative • order • length - infinite variation

  7. Shape

  8. < < < < < < Value • selective • associative • quantitative • order • length • theoretically infinite but practically limited • association and selection ~ < 7 and distinction ~ 10

  9. > > > > > > > > Color • selective • associative • quantitative • order • length • theoretically infinite but practically limited • association and selection ~ < 7 and distinction ~ 20

  10. Color

  11. Encoding color • Common advice says use a rainbow scale • Marcus, Murch, Healey • problems with rainbows

  12. < < < Orientation • selective • associative • quantitative • order • length • ~5 in 2D; ? in 3D ? < < < <

  13. > > > > Texture • selective • associative • quantitative • order • length • theoretically infinite

  14. Motion • selective • motion is one of our most powerful attention grabbers • associative • moving in unison groups objects effectively • quantitative • subjective perception • order • length • distinguishable types of motion? ?

  15. Motion

  16. What you know now • Attributes of visual variables • position size • shape value • orientation color • texture motion • Characteristics of visual variables • selective • associative • quantitative • order • length

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