The black and yellow color choice definitely helps this sign stand out. It breaks through the noise by contradicting the typical mental model that political signs should be blue or red. The color choice is also employing threat detection – in nature, black and yellow typically signifies danger or poisonousness, as the two are often seen on bees, spiders, and snakes.
Black and yellow is also a common color combination for warning signs. In this way, the color choice is being used as a framing device – voters should act cautiously before voting for Katie Porter. The association with higher taxes is another negative framing device.
The framing is so persuasive that Katie Porter’s supporters felt compelled to add a clarification, hoping to alter the negative frame to a positive one (although in Orange County, it’s uncertain that proclaiming higher taxes on the rich will be seen as a positive frame).
The sign’s simplicity, symmetry, and the iconic representation of the equal sign all contribute to increasing the design’s visibility as well.
A Sign I Find Ineffective
This sign is completely illegible. It’s using uppercase, title case, and mixed case words; multiple typefaces; bold and italics; and inconsistent spacing and alignment. This is a textbook example of why highlighting methods should be used sparingly – this sign is noisy, ineffective, and impossible to read.
These two signs are from a city 850 miles away from my home. I chose them purposely to avoid letting any personal political view bias my design critique. Also, I used a fast-view approach, as I drove through the streets. I wanted to see which sign had the fastest, bigger impact. Helping me decide as to who did the better, more effective sign campaign.
Tom Forese. campaign was clear and concise. The use of reversed type was simple and effective as well as the use of high contrasting colors. It contributed to my effective fast reading experience. it seems that without a picture this campaign is focusing more on people who already know Tom, or perhaps hoping that people will vote for the party or go to the website and do some research. This could be detrimental to the campaign as most people will be lazy to take such steps.
Justin Olson. This sign was impressive. This campaign managers are reaching to a wider audience than those who already know him. Hence, the use of the candidate’s face. This is a great implementation of Attractiveness Bias and Picture Superiority Effect, which won’t be necessary if he was reaching to the known crowd. These attributes plus others used by both campaigns, gives this sign the best chance of success. After spending a few days in Arizona this sign was the one I remembered the most.
A sign I hate and a sign that I don’t hate. I didn’t find a sign I loved, but I found one I don’t hate.
A SIGN I HATE
I decided to choose Sam Searcy’s campaign sign as the sign I hate for three reasons. First, the font size chosen for the majority of the sign is too small to read while driving, or even just walking by. Second, the propositional density of this sign is extremely low. He has redundant information that does not provide any substance. And third, the sign uses two hues of blue that seem clash.
I have included small versions of these pictures to give you the sense of what a viewer might see when driving by and plus “Keep your images small.”
Overall, my biggest problem with this sign is how many graphics and lines of text the sign employs, only to tell you Sam Searcy is running for NC Senate. Surely, a simpler sign could convey the same info with a bigger impact resulting in a higher PD.
A SIGN I DON’T HATE
One of the reasons I don’t hate the Harrison for Sheriff sign is their choice of colors. The dark brown background, the gold graphics, and clean white lettering help it stand out among the other political signage. This is good, because Harris is running for Sheriff, and this sign oozes Sheriff. Perhaps a little cliche in color scheme, but it gets the message across. Last name is in clean bold letters that are easy to read from a distance. There are contrasting colors that work well together, and the addition of the Sheriff’s badge makes the sign feel more official. It has one message, and it conveys that message with a minimal amount of fuss.
Here is a map of my apartment space and the usual paths of my roommate and I when we get home from work. We have both common and private areas.
Alexa’s Apartment Building & Parking
Here is a map of my apartment building complex and the parking spots with adjacent tenant’s spaces. We can see how some spaces are closer than others to their particular building.
Alexa’s Neighborhood
Traffic tends to get increasingly worse after 3 pm. Surrounding my building is the I-405 Freeway and other major streets which get gridlocked during the later parts of the day. You can see which side of the street has more action versus going the opposite direction.
Irvine Spectrum Center is one of the most well-known shopping malls in orange county. Aside from shops, it has many attractions for families and children to have fun.
Force1:
(The Giant Wheel):
Irvine spectrum giant wheel is one of the iconic elements that can be viewed from the freeway. It’s design and lightings attracts people attention. There are beautiful photos of this shopping center with the image of the giant wheel at night on the shopping mall advertising photos.
Force2: Parking
I believe one important element that can affect people’s visits to a shopping center is the availability of parking spaces. Irvine spectrum looks so overwhelming when there are traffic created due to many people anxiously looking for parking spaces.
Force3: Children’s Attraction
One of the attractions of Irvine Spectrum Center is the Carousel. Most children love riding or watching this antique designed carousel. It affects the ambiance. Hearing kids laughing and having fun creates a satisfying mood for children and parents.
Another interesting attraction I observed was Luckey Climber. I really love the design of this climbing structure for kids. It is both safe, functional, and beautiful.
Force4: Music
One thing that I notice in this place is the ambient background music which is continuously playing in all the areas. I personally music, and I think one thing that makes me want to stay in this place longer is the music.
Force5: Cafes
This area of the shopping mall is full of family activities. I was not surprised to see 3 cafes with plenty to outdoor sitting areas for parents to chill out while their kids are playing
Both these signs pack a punch with their design. The No camp has got some fierce language on their side. Not only is it a no, its a NO. And it’s a STOP. This sign features strong primary colors, dominantly red, evocative of the Republicans, perhaps? Meanwhile in the yes camp its a cheerful, hopeful future in blue, green and yellow. I think both of these signs achieve a lot in the way of being “good” campaign signs.
However, what bothers me about them is they are both deceptive and meant to push people to opposite ends. That is how campaigns are won, but, it bugs me. 1631 is not just about sunshine and clean air. It’s a tax. And it’s also not unfair. Both these signs manipulate the public into voting and it’s super irritating. Of course, if I were voting in Washington I would pick a side and it would be the side that isn’t the fossil fuel companies spending millions to defeat this bill. So color me blue, green and yellow!
I tried to find a campaign sign that wasn’t good, but I didn’t see any. I also only walk and take the bus, so what I see is what I see. Have a look at this cute one. I don’t know that I agree with the bi-tonal “B-Right” but it’s a very memorable sign, with the subject’s winning name and the cute little lightbulb.
In my perspective, adding three names to an election signage this small is confusing and ineffective. This election sign is strategically posted near busiest intersections of Irvine; however, drivers have seconds to read the sign. This sign is ineffective because it lacks focus and creates noise. The designer should consider Signal-to-Noise Ratio in her/his design discipline.
Like
I cannot say I love this sign, but I can say that I like Don Barnes’s election sign. I like the usage of green, white and yellow colors. I can easily associate these colors with sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s star in the letter O is another way to drive the message- Don Barnes is running for Sheriff. I like this sign because it drives clear and concise message.
I was going to change out my last map, as it is too similar to the path view I created. I had the idea for the map of the mall just a little too late too swap it out, I thought I would just add it here since it is after the deadline.
This is map of the Laguna Hills Mall, or what used to be of it. As you can see, it is partially demolished and has several areas that are closed, yet some stores are open, among them a number of restaurants.
The mall has lost 3 of its anchors and has no prospects. Macys was just Scary Town for the past weeks, and the farmers market takes over the parking lot previously used by Macy’s as it is empty now.
This was my mall as a kid and I think I even sat in Santa’s lap for the first time in this mall. It was a big deal for Lake Forest and Laguna Hills so it is sad to see the development stalled, but it also seems somewhat unfeasible that another mall is needed when there are two much better venues for shopping with a few miles in either direction on the 5 freeway.
DISLIKE This campaign poster stood out for me as being really unfortunate. First, the pixelated stretched picture of the candidate is so distracting. Then the black lettering on the dark purple background made that part of the poster almost impossible to read. Finally, the call to action is to “Vote” by sheer dominance on the poster, which is great and all but the candidate’s name gets lost in the poster and doesn’t stand out amongst all the copy and picture. Someone driving by would probably miss her name entirely, which defeats the purpose of the poster.
The principle that is not being represented in this campaign poster is Consistency. The inadequate use of consistency in fonts, sizes, and colors makes this poster harsh on the eyes and brutal on the brain to comprehend.
LIKE
What I like about this poster is the ease of understanding the candidate’s name and the pleasant color combinations used on the poster. I enjoy not seeing the standard Red, White and Blue. The contrast used to emphasize the candidates last name is such a nice touch. And I appreciate the poster is using a darker blue on top of a lighter blue, it creates a subtle but distinctive poster. Finally, the call to action is the candidate’s name, nice and big so motorists can read and know the name of the candidate easily while driving by.
The principle of framing is being used in the poster with the candidates last name as a way to call attention to the most critical part a voter will see on the ballot. By using a darker color and making the last name larger the poster frames the name as being the important thing to remember.
As the soccer game progressed and my physical abilities declined, these were the positions I migrated to. Top of the chart (Yellow) reflects first half hour (+ -), my best moments of the game.
Saturday, I decided to clean up the entrance porch of my house. I estimated removing more than 100 spiderwebs. I noticed a clear territorial division between large-legged spiders and their smaller counterparts. I thought this could work for the assignment, so this is my hand drawing.
As I went to pick up the mail there were a few of my neighbors walking in and back from the mailbox. This rendering depicts possible mailbox routs by house number.
I like this sign because it has a clear message. The massage is rendered in red, which attracts people attention. I can easily figure out what the designer wanted me to focus on. Scale and color contrasts are used to attract attention to the most important elements.
I hate this sign, because it does not provide me with any information. I can not understand what it is about. It requires me and extra step to figure out what the message is.
A hotspot of where most of the residents spend their time.
A map of the pathways that are most common that the residents take.
Map 2 – Street View of My House
The black and orange squiglies represent the neighborhood cats that wander everywhere. There is traffic on the main road, and not much pedestrian traffic.
Map 3 – Aerial View of the Entire Neighborhood
The reason why the line near the gas station is extra thick is because that station is ALWAYS busy, since it has the lowest gas rates for the entire area. The McDonald’s also always has traffic that spills onto the street, so that’s why I chose red for that particular street. The neighborhood borderlines against a golf course. The other major road that leads into the neighborhood is less frequently used.
I’m really bad in using Illustrator but I learnt a lot about layers and mapping and my neighborhood from doing this exercise (and also from Project 2). These maps are still ugly but they are a big leap from where I was just one week back.
Here goes:
This is my living room and work area (many times a day)
This is an overview of my grocery run (many times a week)
and this is about my unhealthy snacking habits and healthy workout routine (not enough times a week : )
(Samosa = a fried dish with a savory filling, such as spiced potatoes, onions, green peas, and sometimes lentils too. It is a ‘three-dimensional triangle’ and is usually accompanied by chutney. It. Is. Very. Tasty.)
This is a map of my home and the places where people who spend time here relax within it.
This is a map of the entrance to a walking path that goes through my area and past my home. It’s know as the serpentine walk and it connects several areas of the community to the services both internal and external to the community.
This is the city view of the road to Laguna Beach on the way through El Toro on El Toro Rd.
Here is the first floor of our house, our lot, and a slice of our neighborhood.
This is the first floor of our house and some of the typical traffic patterns for me and my husband. You can see he’s more active in the kitchen, but I’m generally the only one that goes in the front room.Here is our lot and a few of the plants and landscaping features.Here is a slice of our neighborhood showing houses, traffic, and a large green space.
Shown here are three different scaled images around the Balboa Park playhouse. Spoiler alert for future assignments… I love the Park and there’s so many different areas I can talk about! View the full pdf here.
Walking and Running through north Balboa Park
Common paths I use to walk and run through a portion of Balboa Park
The Old Globe Theater, Patrons and Performers
The Old Globe Theater in the the Park with various access areas and those frequenting them.
Snack Order Window at the Old Globe
Order and pick-up windows at the snack area outside the playhouse
Want to leverage Google Maps and Illustrator so you can spend less time tracing roads and more time adding qualitative features? In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to use Google Maps styles, Illustrator layers, and the image trace feature. The entire process took me 10 minutes, but if you’re new to Illustrator expect to spend around 30 minutes.
Step 1: Find your map! We’re using Google Map styles for this tutorial 🙂
1. Go to mapstyle.withgoogle.com 2. Click “Create a Style” 3. Search for your location on the upper right, then zoom in to your desired size. DO NOT zoom in or out from this point forward!
Step 2: Apply styles, take screenshots Now we need to capture each type of feature (roads, buildings, etc) separately in black & white.
1. First up, roads! Click on the three vertical dots to the right of “Create map style” and click “Import JSON”. Paste this code and click IMPORT JSON 2. Take a screenshot of JUST the black and white parts of the map, without the sidebar or any of the “Google Maps” logo and info. 3. Now click the three dots again and paste this code for buildings. Don’t forget to take your screenshot! (If your buildings include residential houses, see note below.) 4. Repeat for parks, if applicable. Here’s the code 5. Repeat for water, if applicable. Here’s the code
NOTE: If your buildings are houses, they may not show up with the code I provided. I haven’t found a way to make houses high-contrast in map styles, so we’ll do it the old-fashioned way:
1. Refresh the page, and zoom your map back into the spot/distance where you were before. 2. Adjust all three sliders at the top left to remove roads, landmarks, and labels. 3. Take a screenshot.
4. Open the screenshot in Photoshop. Go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate 5. Go to Image > Adjustments > Levels. Drag the left slider almost all the way to the right (until the houses are dark but the background is still visible) then drag the white slider to meet it. Save your file!
Screenshot of roadsScreenshot of buildingsScreenshot of parks
Step 3: Bringing it all together! Let’s set up your layers and import those screenshots.
1. Open Illustrator and create a new document. I chose Web > Minimum. You can always adjust your artboard size later. Be sure to save your file! 2. Name your first layer “roads”. (If you don’t see the Layers panel, go to Window > Layers.) 3. Drag and drop your Roads screenshot into Illustrator. Lock this layer by clicking the empty square to the left of the layer name. I like to lock any layers I’m not working with, to avoid accidentally altering the content in them. 4. Create a new layer, name it “buildings”. Drag and drop your Buildings screenshot into that layer. 5. Repeat for parks 6. Repeat for water
What your layers should look like.
Step 4: Image trace This is where the magic happens!
1. Hide every layer except “roads”. Unlock it. 2. Click on the screenshot to select it, then go to Object > Image Trace > Make and Expand 3. Do the same with your other layers 4. That’s it!! All of your map elements are now vector shapes. You can go into each layer to adjust colors, remove background areas, etc.
NOTE: You may need to adjust positioning of your layers. Refer back to a regular Google map to make sure that each layer is lined up correctly. Select-all on each layer (MAC: cmd+a, PC: ctrl+a) and nudge using the arrow keys.
This sign cleverly applied a few design principles, such as colors, and highlighting that help the politician to deliver the right message he wants to send out. It has a good color contrast (the rule of highlighting) to expose the politician’s name and the role he is aiming for. The shape of State of California adds the politician’s commitment for what he is running for: the State Assembly.
Hate
I wonder why the politician chose to enlarge and expose his/her first name instead of his/her last name. This is a violation in naming convention in political campaigns. Secondly, I had a hard time figuring out what role this politician is going after as the tiny text of his/her target position is so easily missed in the very bottom of the sign (A lack of visibility) . All I can see is a pretty common first name with a blank blue background that has a lack of information.
For my first map, I illustrated my entire house and the pathways of animals inside and outside. Then I focused on my desk alone, and the ways objects are rearranged to accommodate different activities. Finally, I zoomed all the way in on my keyboard to examine frequency of certain keystrokes during various tasks.
My house, with paths of the animals in & around it. Larger dots indicate more time spent.My desk, rearranged for four different activities.My keyboard use, during three different activities. Larger dots indicate heavier use.
I chose to create “Poop Maps” in Illustrator for this assignment. At the neighborhood level and street level, the poop emoji indicates areas where I have noticed unattended dog poop (or something else!). At the apartment level, this is related to where my roommate and I had discovered mouse poop during the “Great Mouse Crisis of October 2019”.
Neighborhood Level (Hayes Valley, San Francisco)
Street Level (Fell St. between Octavia St. and Gough St.)
WOODBURY TOWN CENTER (PREVIOUSLY ALL HANDS CAR WASH)
Woodbury Town Center is a community plaza surrounded by new residential developments in Irvine, CA. The plaza is owned by the Irvine Company and is a part of City of Irvine’s master building plan. It is situated at the corner of a busy intersection between Irvine Blvd and Sand Canyon Ave.
Force 1: Traffic and Parking
The Woodbury Town Center has total of nine parking lots and seven entry points. The center’s major traffic flows from Irvine Blvd. side of entry point and Sand Canyon Ave. entry point. On weekends, parking lots by Ralphs, Trader Joe’s and restaurants are mostly full, making people park in other parking lots and walk towards Ralphs and Trader Joe’s.
Force 2: Locals
Woodbury Town Center attracts many local families. There is a playground for kids in the center, near all the restaurants where children can play while parents socialize and watch the kids. I see many multigenerational families of kids, parents and grandparents in this part of the center.
Force 3: Water fountain
A large water fountain is located in front of LA Fitness, in between restaurants and the playground. The falling water sound creates tranquil atmosphere by blocking out busy noise from all around traffic.
Force 4: Variety of Restaurants
All the restaurants, except one- Fish District are located in one section of the plaza. From sandwich to sushi, a wide variety of available restaurants.
Force 5: Hidden Alleyway
I found a hidden alleyway next to LA Fitness by accident. As I was taking photos of the water fountain, I saw a small alleyway in the photo. In my exploration, I found amazon’s locker in the alleyway.
#6: Create a map of each of your five forces
Force 1 map: Traffic and Parking
Force 2 map: Locals
Force 3 map: Water Fountain
Force 4 map: Variety of Restaurants
Force 5 map: Hidden Alleyway
5 Forces Combined: Final Map
5 Forces Combined: Final Map Revised
After reviewing all comments and suggestions, I have made an update to my final map. A legend is added as a quick reference guide to Woodbury Town Center. Varying levels of color transparency represents high and low volume. Also, the representation of people feels more natural in the final map revision. Download PDF
The area in which I am focused on is considered midtown San Jose. It’s a great area that I have chosen to live in, in part because of the forces below.
Transportation
Transportation is a significant force in the area because it is a high commuter city since the majority of the residents work in the tech space in and around the Bay Area and there is also a large college close by, San Jose State University. The below picture is one side of the San Jose Diridon Train Station. This major transportation hub includes buses, Amtrack, the Altamont Corridor Express ( ACE) Train, the Cal Train, the major train line that goes up to San Francisco, and the VTA Line, which is a light rail that goes in and around cities in Silicon Valley. In addition, commuters can also access ride share scooters for their travels.
Parking
Parking in and around this area can be very challenging because of all the different rules that change from block to block and street to street. Some areas require a permit others allow only parking on some days or for a certain amount of time. This can be extremely confusing and frustration for residences as well as people just coming to visit or shop in the area.
Stores and Restaurants
The presence of restaurants and storefronts both small and large name brands throughout the area is a force that helps to influence the foot traffic all around the midtown area. The restaurants and stores including a coffee shop, cleaners, a CVS and more allow for easy access which again influences the number of people walking in the area.
Wholes Foods, San Jose. Also includes a Brewery and outside seating area.Local Coffe shop with outdoor seating area, next to cleaners and other storefronts.
Apartments
Throughout midtown, new apartments are going up on what seems to be like every corner. These new dwellings all have businesses or office space available at the ground level which adds to the culture of the area. Businesses such as new restaurants and exercise studios are usually the first tenants in these mix dwelling apartments.
Modera the Alameda Apartments- Open Sep 2018New Apartment Construction 1 block from Modera the Alameda Apartments.
Park and Green Space
There is a huge beautiful park and tall tree’s line all the streets which creates such a suburbia feel amongst the midtown hustle and bustle of people rushing to work, school and moving about. People are often seen walking their dogs, playing frisbee or fetch with their dogs as well as flying kites with kids and children playing in the area under the watchful eyes of a parent or adult.
My final map included feedback from my peers which helped to present the force of Parking in a more precise representation. Instead of single cars that looked like traffic, I grouped the cars together to represent cars parked behind one another. This helped to open up the map more so that the other force Green Space on the streets could be emphasized better.
I’m biased because I don’t support Ted Cruz, but I also don’t like his yard signs and branding. I think the image of the State of Texas is overused and the icon in the middle looks like fire, so I’m not really sure what that is supposed to represent. Also, his tag line “Tough as Texas” is good, but it occupies real estate that could be used to say what he is running for. On the plus side, the large, bold text in black and red on a white background is very eye-catching, contrast-y, and very readable. Also, I included the picture of this whole yard because it’s just funny to me. They have a Beto sign, who is Cruz’s opponent. Then, they have a sign for the Governor, but it’s facing a different way. Why?
LOVE
I love this sign for Mayor Adler. What’s his first name, anyway? Who cares. His last name is unique enough for ballot recognition and leaving it out leaves room to remind everyone that he IS the Mayor. This strategy takes advantage of the exposure effect. Mayor Adler is the Mayor and I think this will persist in peoples’ minds when they go to the polls. Visually, I love this sign as well. I like it that they used secondary colors that are complimentary. The diagonal banners create a sense of motion that support the tag line of “Forward”. (Full disclosure: I didn’t take this picture. The one I took didn’t come out and I’m currently traveling for work, so I grabbed this one off the internet here.)
I saw a few elections signs but none of them had a complete message to convey. All of them wanted me to do something but did not really make an effort to tell me why I should be doing it. Political candidates seem to be saying similar things. (Some are more unoriginal than others.)
Peter Choi wants us to vote for him, I’m not sure why.
Katherine Lee wants us to elect her. I’m not sure why should we be choosing her. The Smog Check sign, next to Katherine Lee’s, gives me a better reason to choose them, at least I know the price I’ll be paying.
And then there is Johnny Nalbadian, who seems to be unabashedly unoriginal.
As compared to politicians, interest groups seem to be a little better, at least they give some space to their cause/interest.
Stepping back and thinking about these election signs from the point of view of design principles that we’ve learnt, I’d say that all of them fail the “attractiveness bias” test. Even if a voter does not know anything about the candidate, a beautifully designed poster can never hurt.
But, it’s the ACLU posters that really stand out.Single minded headlines like “Dissent is patriotic,” “Fight ignorance not immigrants” and “There is no planet B,” use the principle of stickiness to their advantage. They are simple, carry an element of surprise, are specific and concrete, and trigger emotions among the passersby. These hand-made posters seem to communicate things more effectively than the printed sings from politicians.
To close this, I’d say the design of a poster, like any design, needs to view things from the audience point of view. Sure, politicians want us to remember their name, and choose them, but it’ll help them if they first thought about what voters want : )
I picked Pacific City mall in Huntington beach as my site because it is only 10 minutes from my house. The site is taken from the old name of Huntington beach city, which was an ocean front village. It sits across from the Huntington Beach pier and offers a mixture of restaurants, gym, coffee shops, and shopping stores.
Force 1: Retail-tainment
As we can see the old type of malls, which only offer shopping stores like Macys, Jcpenny, are slowly dying and out of favor. There is a rise for a new future type of mall, called retail-tainment.
This new type of mall offers its guests with entertainment, shopping, and locals event options. Shoppers come here not only for shopping, but can also enjoy the food, spending time socializing with others while enjoying the amazing views of the beach. It is a whole new experience that people are rapidly embracing.
Force 2: Green building
The Pacific City mall is built as a green construction. This natural environment can be observed throughout their landscaping, to accent outdoor decor. Mixing between shopping stores and restaurants, there are beautiful green arrangments, wooden walkways with plant pots, give people the relax feeling while visiting. Additionally, the usage of natural materials like wood is very prominent through the complex.
Force 3: Location
Sitting just across from the beach is a prime spot not a lot of places can beat this location. You can sit from the restaurant, enjoy the sunset while having your fish taco, or hanging outside drinking coffee, where there is plenty of outdoor furniture provided that help you relax and enjoy the scenery.
Force 4: Environmental awareness
The building has trash can everywhere, which also has fun signs to remind people to keep the place clean. They also offer priority parking for electric vehicles as an incentive. We can see how they embrace the environmental awareness.
Force 5: Local
Since the outdoor mall is in the beach city, we can see there is an influence of the ocean vibe everywhere, from the deco design to how the local dress up. From the photo, we can see the design of the lights was inspired by ocean waves.
The local people are all in relaxed, chill outfits, taking their time drining their coffee, enjoying the sights of nature.
