Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Monday, September 14, 2009

Misleading Graphic

During the outbreak of SARS in April 2003, the New York Times printed a graphic about worldwide epidemics. Many people thought the graphic was misleading due to the size and emphasis put on different diseases. However, I feel like this theory is irrelevant once the visual is examined more closely.

When initially looking at the graphic, the variation in font size and style is most noticeable. The diseases are bolder and larger than the corresponding text in each box. Some people believe that the New York Times was trying to correlate to the epidemic’s rectangle size to its prominence around the globe. However, that misconception can easily be disproved by reading the surrounding statistical information. I believe this technique of using various font sizes was chosen in order to draw attention to the different types of epidemics affecting people around the world. As stated in the textbook, “readers respond more positively to large visuals” (Dobrin, Keller, and Weisser 200-231). Therefore, using the oversize fonts intrigues the reader to go on and read the article as well as the technical statistics displayed. Also, the epidemic font size appears to gradually get smaller while moving down the page. This technique allows the reader’s gaze to move down the picture without being too overwhelmed with all of the text.

Another visual rhetoric technique used in the graphic is the variation of background color in the text boxes. The choice of colors helps to distinct the epidemic and related figures from each other. Also, the decision to have the background color dark with the white font color highlights the graphic’s purpose to present information on other worldwide epidemics besides the new scared of SARS.

Overall, the graphic is not misleading and is relevant to the corresponding article. The graphic’s use of font size and color help to draw attention to the collected data of various epidemics. By realizing that the font size was chosen only to make a statement and not for statistical purposes, I believe that the graphic was a good selection for this article.

Citations:
Dobrin, Sidney, Christopher Keller, and Christian Weisser. Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2nd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

"Race for the Prize"



After listening to The Flaming Lips song Race for the Prize, this image was created to represent what it makes me think of. In the first part of the song it talks about two scientists racing "for the cure that is their prize." So I was reminded of the sponsored races to raise awareness and money for cancer research.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The Cruzer Mini

Audience: Students in a college Computer Programming class.

Computer programming entails many files, software, and pictures, so why not back up that hard work with the new Cruzer Mini Flash Drive? This pocket size device is able to store up to 1.0GB of memory and can be used on any computer! Now you can conveniently transfer information with fellow students without the hassle of e-mail or burning CDs.

Audience: New incoming students during the general orientation.

Getting adjusted to the college life isn’t always easy, but the new Cruzer Mini Flash Drive can help you stay organized and prepared for your classes. This handy device can save 1.0 GB of memory; including documents, pictures, music and much more! Another great benefit to this new gadget is that you carry it with you anywhere. Be the incoming student with the “technology know-how”.

Audience: Press release for the local newspaper

The new release of the Cruzer Mini Flash Drive has turned heads in the technology world. It is a compact, pocket size storage device that can hold up to 1.0 GB of memory. Soon burning CDs will be a thing of the past, because the Cruzer Mini can quickly save information and transfer to other computers. Plus, it small enough to be taken with you everywhere!