Apply Shannon & Weaves model to an example of communication. How widely is this applicable? How useful do you find this sort of exercise?
The information source was the brief given to a client, with the task being to 'communicate the joy of using Durex'. They are a competitive condom brand, and want to make their products seem desirable by adding pleasure to sex, as they often have the stigma for reducing pleasure.
By the designer thinking of the idea for the campaign which was 'don't tell it, demonstrate it', this is them being the transmitter. They are transmitting the brief into a design, with the concept being to show the feelings of people when using the product during sex.
It is a good concept because it is a topic which can be x-rated and taboo, but by using type as image the designer can still approach the adult topic in a censored manner, allowing it to be channelled in more formats and locations because it can be shown to a wider range of audiences.
It can be easily decoded, because although there is no illustration or photography, the type is in the shape of two people in a sexual position and you can also easily see the tone of voice which is very playful. By using colloquial words such as 'bush' and 'boobs' it creates a playful tone of voice, which reflects the product as well. It also adds humour by placing 'brain matter' and 'iq wisdom' around the males genitals because it is often a joke that men think with their penises. It makes the product seem like a fun thing to use, and not awkward by adding humour into the campaign.
Although it could show potential customers that the brand is playful and enjoyable, it could also offend a lot of people, especially with children who could find it inappropriate to be placed in certain locations incase they see it, as it isn't aimed at them and is an adult topic.
I think the model is extremely applicable to this piece of advertising because the brief is clear - to communicate the joy of using Durex, and the designer has answered the brief by using playfulness and humour which communicates joy to the audience. The idea being to demonstrate the product is also communicated, as the logo is used where it would be used, and although no photography is used, it is clear by the placement of the text how the product should be used, and is demonstrated in a number of positions possible.
What are the main communicative functions of redundancy? What do we mean by saying the English language is 50% redundant?
The main communicative functions of redundant design is that it's functional and easy to be communicated to a mass audience. It is design which has high predictability to it, such as a McDonald's advertisement which is simple, with the imagery of the product which everyone is familiar with. The Big Mac is known to be the most popular burger from McDonald's, so to call it 'The Famous One', people know immediately that it is the Big Mac. It is a very simple poster, with the red curtains giving association to the McDonald's brand, and suggestion they are stage curtains for the Big Mac's appearance.
To say the English language is 50% redundant is to say that we actually don't need all of the words in the dictionary to make conversation that makes sense, and we actually only need half of the words that we have.
Discuss the ways in which convention can be said to facilitate understanding. Think of visual communication that breaks or extends specific conventions. How does this affect the desire to communicate or the audience they reach?
Convention is how something is usually done, and so when design meets convention it is easy for the audience to understand because it is predictable and redundant. However, when a designer pushes conventions and makes the audience think, interact or causes a strong reaction from people it can affect how the audience interprets the design. It can limit the audience it targets because it can offend, annoy and be too clever for them, but it can also widen the audience by intriguing people and enticing new people to see what the design is communicating.
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