The Shannon-Weaver mathematical model explains the process of communication in an effective way which has been set in place since 1949 across a variety of social science fields. It was originally used in telecommunications.
We can also relate this model to graphic design, and this is how:
- Information Source: Client giving a designer a problem
- Transmitter: Designer solving the problem and designing it
- Channel: The medium and format - poster etc
- Receiver: Audience seeing it
- Destination: Audience understanding it and using it
There are many problems that could happen during this communication process in relation to graphic design:
- Information Source: Could misinterpret the brief or information might be inaccurate
- Transmitter: Creative block, timescale, not considering audience, technical issues, printer issues, not having skills
- Channel: damaged or destroyed during transit, wrong location, production problems
- Receiver: Aimed at wrong audience, deemed offensive, misinterpreted, illegible - font, size etc, can't understand it
- Destination: Can't get feedback from it
There are ways we can fix this obstacles if we come across them:
- Information Source: Ask client questions to understand brief, have enough research and information on project
- Transmitter: Making design appropriate for audience, applying right skills and tone of voice, time management, thoroughly exploring options
- Channel: Choosing correct formats, right location, easy to understand
- Receiver: Using correct language for audience, making it visible to them and legible
- Destination: Getting feedback, whether it be through online comments, survey etc
Noise
Anything unitended added to the signal between transmission and reception. Noise sometimes isn't the problem and adds to the design.
Noise is things that can obstruct the communication process such as
- Information Source: hard client, inaccurate information, changing information, working for a unethical company
- Transmitter: Corrupt software or memory stick, tools or mac break, working in a team could cause problems
- Channel: Lorry in front of billboard etc, surrounded by lots of other advertisements, thrown in bin etc
- Receiver: colourblind clients, blind/deaf clients, short attention span, stupid audience
- Destination: Location of product/advert could attract wrong customers, poor reputation, lack of interest, offensive, bad mouthing, made into a joke
There are three types of communication problems:
- Level A - Technical Problems: How accurately can the message be transmitted
- Level B - Semantic Problems: How precisely is the message conveyed
- Level C - Effectiveness Problems: How effectively does the received message affect behaviour
These are Level A problems:
- Printing issues
- Cost
- Trial and error
- Timescale
- Protoypes
- Not understanding process
- Lack of skill
These are Level B problems:
- Misinterpration
- Tone of voice
- Visual inefficiency
- Boycott if offensive
- Colourblind audience
- Metaphor not clear
Redundancy
Redundant is successful design because the amount of information is low and the content is conventional, understandable and predictable. If we see a McDonalds advert which says 99p with a picture of a cheeseburger, that is redundant because it is the kind of thing we see everyday, it makes sense and there is no other way to interpret it.
Entropy
This is the opposite of redundant design, and has low predictability, is unconventional, and is attention grabbing.
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