Technology, Design, and Communication (Term 2 IP)

1) Current communication tools and techniques used to bring attention to issues are photojournalism and blogs/message boards. Photojournalism is using images to create a story, and to use that story to impact others or bring attention to a cause. Blogs/message boards are tools for people who share similar opinions about a certain issue t discuss it, and eventually inspire and influence the emotions and actions of people who read the blog/message board. Borges, a photojournalist, describes his photojournalism by saying "I like to tell the story through people, Through their eyes and faces...I tell the stories of heroes..." (Goulet 1). Burtynsky, another photojournalist, hopes his photojournalism "[allows] the viewer to confront these places and begin a dialogue...to ask what is this author trying to tell me" (Goulet 1). These photojournalists use techniques in the photos they take to cause the reader to ask themselves questions and further influence their thoughts.

2) I think visual forms of communication are more likely to reach and impact viewers worldwide for example, it's easier to emphasize with someone on a picture when you can see what they're going through, as opposed to reading about it. You can read an article about someone suffering, but you won't feel as bad as if you've seen a picture of the same person suffering. Alice Rose George says it best when she says "People see a picture long before they read. It influences how they understand (what they read)" (Goulet 1). An example is how the author of the article, Nancy Goulet, responds to a photo she sees "Is he contemplating? Is he caught in a fantasy? A memory? What have those beseeching eyes seen during his short life to leave such a haunting expression" (Goulet 1.) The photo was obviously very effective in causing Goulet to experience emotions and thoughts.

3) People who are adept with technology and skilled in visual design are free to use their abilities however they please, but they should realize how valuable of an asset they would be to helping a cause , or getting a point across. I wouldn't say they have a responsibility to use their skills to create awareness or peace, but they should acknowledge that their skills could make a huge impact in the world. Those who choose to take on the responsibility of being a photojournalist "have the responsibility to execute a message and make the message much more powerful" (Goulet 1). Photojournalism can be a very rewarding career, for example, Edward Burtynsky, a photojournalist, won the TED prize, and "was awarded a $100,00 purse and granted resources and support for three wishes to better the world" (Goulet 1).

4) My "Make a Statement" project can create awareness or peace or social change because it brings up an important issue: lack of free health care for those who don't who don't already have it. It makes people without health care wonder if they should be receiving free health care. More specifically, US citizens who don't have health care should be really influenced by my statement. After all, why should the live in a free country, and not receive free health care? The purpose of my statement was to "was to compel you to creating awareness of a situation you pass by everyday without notice" (Goulet 1). Referencing the article, my statement had a "strong, clear and consistent voice" (Goulet 1). I conveyed my message clearly and simply. My statement could cause US citizens who don't have free health care, and are eligible for it, to become aware of this problem, and actually try to receive health care.

Technology, Design and Communication

1. How can current communication tools and techniques be used to bring attention to the political, economic and social issues of today? Identify 2 tools and how they are used.
   
   Today communication tools and techniques such as blogs and photographs are just some of the forms of communication used to bring attention to the political, economic and social issues. Blogging is a way to express one emotion and thoughts to the public. Blogging is a way that public from worldwide can be read daily. Another tool and technique is photograph. Photographs are a way that canb apply a message and awareness more powerful than texts. Not saying that text is bad, but photograph is in a much better way to raise awarness. As in quote, "The design objects itself can work as a statement with impact that gets people to pay attention, to think, to notice, to act, to donate." "Imagery is such an integral part of design; they are hard to seperate. The skill is in the editing. Photographs grow close to their subject matter which does not always make for a subjectively great image that involves the viewer. A good designer is a skilled visual editor."
   
2. Do you think visual forms of communication (image based) are more likely to reach and impact viewers wordwide than other forms of communication? Why or why not?
   
   I believe visual form of communication has similar effectiveness as any other forms of communication. Though these different types of communication are similar they all have one intention and that is to raise awareness or convey a message to the public. Throughout all, I do think in a way visual forms of communication are more likely to reach and impact viewers wordwide than other forms of communication. The reason is because visual forms are a way to express one emotion, thoughts, and has a bigger impact on the public than other forms of communication. For example, a poster, a banner, website, etc. are all decorated with visual to catch the public awareness. In texts people will simply ignore it and walk away, but woth visual you can at least draw their eyes toward you. As Nancy Goulet mentioned, "The article was only a paragraph long accomplained by a small photo showcasing a brilliant orange crumbling carcass of a home. Yet it was powerful." What this means is that though the photo is small compare to the paragraph, the photo itself have sum up the whole meaning of the paragraph.
   
3. Do you think that people who are adapt with technology and skilled in visual design have a responsibility to use their skills "to create awareness or peace or social change using imagery"?
   
   I believe that people who are adept with technology and skilled in visual design has the responsibility to use their skills to create awareness or peace or social change using imagery. The reason is because everyone has a purpose set in mind as to what they want to do before they essentially do it. In the case of imagery, if the person does not have the mind set as to what their message they want to bring out such as awareness or peace or socail change one can not possibly create an image. As in quote from Alice Rose George, "Photography, like words, needs to be sequenced, ordered and placed in context in order to convey the emotional, visual and aesthetic." What this means is that a photograph is much like words that has a powerful message to create understanding and awareness for the public. So that's why I believe people who are adept with technology and skilled in visual design has the responsibilty to use their skills to create awareness or peace or social change.
   
4. How could your "Make a Statement" image (Project 1) "create awareness or peace or social change"?
   
   In my "Make a Statement" project some of the things that I have included are a chart of the number of dropouts by race/ethnicity, an image of a graduating student, and an image demonstrating some of the careers student would want to pursue in. These images raise consciousness by showing the effects of students that today more and more students are dropping out of school. With teh lack of education one will never be able to pursue in the careers they wish to do. As a result, to provide a change to lessen the number of dropouts, I created this collage with the statement, "Stay in School"to show students that if they stay in school and get an education they will be able to pursue in their careers.