The three basic factors in making meaning in an image

• Composition: or the combination and arrangement of components
  • Placement and divisions of space gives the responder clues to their relevance and significance within the layout

 Comments: The books fill two thirds of the frame with dark space above them and, to a lesser extent, to the sides with the dark wood of a table beneath them. The darkness frames the creamy pages thus emphasizing them. Although this is not a black and white photo it has been composed to emphasise light and dark or the contrasts within the image.

• Grouping helps the responder to make connections between the elements and therefore helps to make meaning. This is often a matter of bringing some elements closer together and placing a space between them and other groups.

 Comments: The shapes are placed in opposing corners, reaching towards each other towards the centre of the frame. The colours are also opposing: warm and cold.

• Harmony is the agreement of visual elements generating visual harmony. This can be achieved through repetition of elements, for example.

 Comment: The left half of the photo depicts tall trees from almost ground level to beyond the top of the frame of the photo. The right half features a park table with shrubs in the background, reaching from ground level to half way up the frame. The photo is soft focus and emphasises light and green and blue.

• Emphasis is the dominance of specific elements over others for the purposes of making meaning.

 Comments: The central word, dictionary, is in crisp focus. The remainder of the page is blurred. The emphasis is clear because of the placement of the word and the use of focus.

• Alignment is the framework of the composition or concept.

 Comments: The window is placed centrally in the right half of the photo. The left half is the blank wall it is placed within. The window frame is emphasized in it’s asymmetrical placement.

• Visual flow is the capacity of a composition to take the responder’s eye through the image or layout.

 Comments: The text is placed diagonally and the first and last letters are incomplete although the word itself is obvious. The space beneath the word is darker than the space above it. The word itself is a paler tone of the two colours.

• Components are the visual elements such as:
  • Photos
  • Illustrations
  • Colour or colour sense is a powerful way of making meaning in visual media. There are three primary colours – blue, red and yellow; three secondary colours – orange green and violet, which are placed half way between the primary colours; tertiary colours created when primary colours are mixed with adjacent secondary colours; and complementary colours which are opposites on the colour wheel. Colours become infinite in their variety when the variables of hue, saturation and value come into play.

Comments: The beach scene moves from sand to sea to sky. The colour tones of the sand, the sea and the sky are harmonious. The sand and the clouds seem to share similar tones. The emphasis on colour is muted with the effect of light on the water fairly central. 

The tree against the dark, stormy sky appears to be black and white, having its colour scheme manipulated to heighten the stark contrasts and thus emphasise the dramatic and moody nature of the the scene.

• Typography with its contours, curves and characters – the characteristics of fonts is equally powerful.

Comments: The yellow hand written chalk on the bright blue board complement each other. The handwriting gives the word a context.

The word is clear if cropped. One letter is clearly enlarged as part of the background. The background is muted and its lines move in opposing directions to the focus word.

The serif font, the black text in Latin and the lithographic image suggest a text from an earlier time.

• Linework
• Decoration
• Borders
• Background
• Concept
  • Theme: What is the composer's subject and purpose that is communicated through the image?
  • Connotation: Do all the elements in the composition need to support and reinforce the theme of the image design?
  • Message: What is the theme behind the theme?
  • Style: Is it traditional? Modern? Grunge? Simple? or Flamboyant? Does it mimic a style?