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Other Theories

Author: Sophia

what's covered
In this lesson, you will learn about the three theoretical models of visual communications. Specifically, this lesson will focus on:

Table of Contents

1. Constructivism

Constructivism is a sensory-based theory centered on the idea that eye movements capture a visual outline, and then the mind constructs understanding.

There are many theories by the name of constructivism, but this one is specific to visual communications. You can think of it like visual blueprinting, as this theory relates to how we perceive images directly. The basic idea is that our eyes are constantly moving as they scan an image.

If you look at the image below, your eye quickly scans it and is able to figure out that it's a person doing yoga.

Yoga Image

If you were able to track your eyes as you look at an image, you'd notice that your eyes jump around and scan, then quickly discern what they are looking at—even if they only have a short amount of time to view the image, or if the image is abstract.

IN CONTEXT
This theory plays a role in understanding things like billboards and ads that you pass along the highway.

People drive past those images pretty quickly, so a designer needs to be able to layout the elements in a fashion that allows the viewer to construct the image or idea in a short amount of time.

term to know
Constructivism
A sensory-based theory based on the idea that eye movements capture a visual outline, and then the mind "constructs" understanding.


2. Huxley/Lester Model

The Huxley/Lester model is a theory based on the work of Aldous Huxley and Paul Lester, and stresses the importance of sensing, selecting, and perceiving. It's called the Huxley/Lester model because Aldous Huxley began work that was later adopted and continued by Paul Lester.

Aldous Huxley was a writer and experimental scientist whose credo was "The more you see, the more you know." Huxley had quite an interesting life. He came from a lineage of scientists, and–believe it or not–had terrible vision and experienced blindness various times, prompting him to learn Braille. His problems with sight actually led him on a quest to better understand how we see. His theory was broken into stages that were built like a formula, where sensing, plus selecting, plus perceiving, equaled seeing.

Puzzling Image

Looking at the image above, the idea is that when you put all these pieces of the puzzle together, you can make sense of what you're viewing.

Paul Lester is a photographer and visual communications theorist whose theories stress the value of studying the full range of media and media production techniques. Paul Lester took over where Aldous Huxley left off, taking great interest in his studies and expanding on them. Paul Lester continues to work today, and he believes that it's important to use media in ways where images provide usefulness.

Bar Code House

As an image consumer and producer, you want to see images that you remember, and make images that others remember.

terms to know
Huxley/Lester Model
Theory based on the work of Aldous Huxley and Paul Lester which stresses the importance of sensing, selecting, and perceiving.
Aldous Huxley
Writer and experimental scientist whose credo was "The more you see, the more you know."
Paul Lester
Photographer and visual communications theorist whose theories stress the value of studying the full gamut of media and media production techniques.


3. Omniphasism

Omniphasism is a relatively new theory which attempts to combine the best thinking from previous theories.

Omniphasism means "all in balance," referring to its focus on the use of all abilities of the mind. So again, it's much like the previous theories. The driving force behind this one is that when you combine your experiences, intelligence, intuition, and association, you can make sense of what you see.

For instance, look at the Absolut Vodka ad below.

Absolut Vodka Ad

The ad doesn't need images of the bottle because the combination of your association, experiences, intuition, and more allow you to figure out the brand's message and idea—even though the ad is rather abstract.

term to know
Omniphasism
A relatively new theory which attempts to combine the best thinking from previous theories; means "all in balance," referring to its focus on the use of all abilities of the mind.

summary
In this lesson, you learned about three additional visual design theories: constructivism, which states that the mind constructs meaning from the visual outline seen by the eye; the Huxley/Lester model, which emphasizes sensing, selecting, and perceiving; and omniphasism, which combines the best thinking from previous theories to form the idea that all of the mind's abilities work together to create meaning from an image.

Keep up the learning and have a great day!

Source: THIS WORK IS ADAPTED FROM SOPHIA AUTHOR MARIO E. HERNANDEZ

Terms to Know
Aldous Huxley

Writer and experimental scientist whose credo was "The more you see, the more you know."

Constructivism

A sensory-based theory based on the idea that eye movements capture a visual outline, and then the mind "constructs" understanding.

Huxley/Lester Model

Theory based on the work of Aldous Huxley and Paul Lester which stresses the importance of sensing, selecting, and perceiving.

Omniphasism

A relatively new theory which attempts to combine the best thinking from previous theories; means "all in balance", referring to its focus on the use of all abilities of the mind.

Paul Lester

Photographer and visual communications theorist whose theories stress the value of studying the full gamut of media and media production techniques.