Example Analysers

(You should bear in mind that in some typefaces, the letters O and Q which are in Group 1 may move to Group 3).

3.4.3 Letter Construction

For the letter construction, we will start with the block letters. These are the easiest type of letters to construct. Using the illustration given above as an example and guideline, you should draw two parallel horizontal lines that are 4cm apart across your sheet of paper. By drawing a perpendicular line, break these lines into squares and ensure that you leave a space between them. Then, divide each square vertically into four equal parts.

3.4.4 Spacing

Spacing refers to the gap or space between each letter in a word in the construction of letters, as well as the space between words. This is very important as it helps us to distinguish one word from another. When a word consists of the letters A, L, T, P, V, Y and W and other letters, the even spaces between such letters is changed to prevent the space from being too wide in comparism to the spaces between other letters. Sometimes B, C, D, O, and Q are also affected by this due to their round nature.

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dimensional or three-dimensional objects. Line art is usually monochromatic, although the lines may be of different colours.

3.5.2 Illustration

Simply put, an illustration is a visual representation. Examples are drawings, paintings, photographs or other works of art that lays more emphasis on subject than form. The purpose of an illustration is to explain or decorate, for example, a story, poem or piece of textual information (for instance, a newspaper article) by providing a visual representation of an item described in the text. A good example is the editorial cartoon (also known as a political cartoon) which is an illustration which conveys a political or social message.

Illustrations can be used to display a wide range of subject matter and they serve a variety of functions. They may be used to give faces to characters in a story, to display a number of examples of an item described in an academic textbook (e.g. a typology) or to visualise step-wise sets of instructions in a technical manual.

Illustrations can also be used to communicate subtle thematic tone in a narrative, to connect brands to the ideas of human to expression, individuality and creativity or simply to create humour and fun.

3.5.3 Graphs

A graph or chart is a type of information graphic that represents tabular, numeric data. Charts make it easier for people to understand large quantities of data and the relationships between different parts of the data.

3.5.4 Diagrams

A diagram is a simplified and structured visual depiction of concepts, ideas, constructions, relations, statistical data, et cetera. They are used to visualize and clarify the topic.

3.5.5 Symbols

Basically, a symbol is a representation of a concept or quantity (that is, an idea, object, concept, quality, et cetera).Psychologically and philosophically, all concepts are symbolic in nature, and representations for these concepts are simply token artifacts that are allegorical to (but do not directly codify) a symbolic meaning or symbolism. Simply put, the art of creating symbols is known as symbolism.

3.5.6 Maps

A map is a simplified depiction of a space. It is a navigational aid which highlights relations between objects within that space. A map is often a two-dimensional, geometrically correct representation of a three-dimensional space.

3.5.7 Photography

Photography is a method of picture making which is based on principles of light, optics, and chemistry. The method was developed in the early 19th century and the term photography comes from Greek words which means “drawing with light.”

There are many functions of photographs. They serve as carriers of news, as scientific evidence, as historical documents, and as works of art and records of family life. There is no doubt that you have seen many photographs and you have also seen people taking photographs as many do world –wide.

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The type of photography made for artistic rather than documentary or commercial reasons is called Art Photography. It includes both objective and manipulated images and can involve purely photographic or multimedia presentations.

The most important tool of photography is the camera itself. Basically, a camera is a light tight box with a lens on one side and light-sensitive film on the other.

Exposures are made with cameras and there are many types of cameras such as still cameras, box cameras point-and-shoot, cameras, digital cameras to mention a few (Fig.40).

Fig. 40: Camera Anatomy Source: Microsoft Encarta

Digital photography is a method of making images without the use of conventional photographic film. Instead, a machine called scanner records visual information and changes the data into a code of ones and zeroes that a computer can interpret.

Various computer programs can be used to manipulate photographs in digital

form. Digital photography has been extensively used in advertising and graphic design since the late 1990s, and has rapidly replaced conventional photographic technology in areas such as photo-journalism.

Digital and other types of cameras are used by both professional and amateur photographers. Most professional photographers use the more expensive types of professional digital cameras such as the sophisticated 35-millimeter cameras that can record picture information as pixels, or digital dots of colour. There can be several million pixels in a high-resolution, full-color digital photograph. Some digital cameras are able to transmit their large picture files straight into a computer for storage. Others accept a disc or similar portable storage unit to accomplish the same purpose. The original high-resolution image and the image can be reproduced later in ink (in a magazine, for example) or as a conventional silver halide print.

The type of Digital cameras meant for non-professionals or the amateur photographer function just like the point-and-shoot cameras with automatic focus, automatic exposure, and built-in electronic flash. Pictures from these types of cameras contain fewer pixels than those from a more sophisticated costly camera and are for that reason not as sharp.

To view the photographs taken, the camera can be connected directly to a television set or video cassette recorder. Alternatively, image files can be transferred to a home computer, stored on disks, or sent to friends via electronic mail. (Microsoft Encarta, 2009).

3.5.8 Computer Graphics

There are two types of computer graphics: raster (pictorial elements) graphics, where each pixel is separately defined (as in a digital photograph), and vector (line

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drawing) graphics, where mathematical formulas are used to draw lines and shapes, which are then interpreted at the viewer's end to produce the graphic.

Using vectors results in infinitely sharp graphics and often smaller files, but, when complex, vectors take time to render and may have larger file sizes than a raster equivalent.