Expressive things. Part 2
From previous articles
The expressiveness formula
Expressiveness — is when you perceive information quickly.
The more information there is in an object and the faster we perceive it, the more expressive it is. Therefore, the expressiveness formula:
Expressiveness = information ∕ time.
Make expressive — part 1, 2, 3, and 4
There are two methods to make an object more expressive:
1. Increase information — the numerator of the formula — in a way that creates a story.
2. Simplify. And by that, decrease the time of perception — the denominator of the formula.
More examples of expressive things.
A scheme in a Thai massage parlor
The scheme connects points on feet to human organs. The general message of the image: feet massage revitalizes the body.
The scheme is overburdened with excessive elements — these elements don’t add information. They are thick lines and colored zones. They attract too much attention and make it harder to see the idea — that feet are connected to the body.
The other scheme gets rid of colors and thins out the lines — in terms of expressiveness, simplifies:
Now the first thing you see is the connection between the feet and the whole body.
A detail. On a thumb nose is a part of the contour, instead of a barely seen zone on the first scheme:
It’s a way to deal with medium limitations — “Make more efficient.” The contour was needed to draw the foot, it doesn’t add information by itself. Here it becomes efficient — takes for of the nose.
A wall near the metro
The wall hints that there is a metro nearby. Its bricks are curved — like metro train lines.
It’s a result of increasing information. A simple wall became a benchmark that helps find a metro station.
Street sign
The sign says: “Friends of the streets Comtessa Sobradiel and Palau — don’t litter in the streets.”
First they increased information, then simplified.
Increased information
To the sentence “Don’t litter on the streets” — which is the main message of the sign — added two things. 1) An appeal “Friends of the streets” and 2) a floral pattern around the perimeter. They both help show a friendly attitude towards a reader. The floral pattern also shows that people treat the streets with care — they are ready to spend their time and draw the pattern just to make it prettier.
Simplified
The font and the border — medium limitations — became more efficient. They started to look similar to the floral pattern, and by then increased the friendliness and care effect.
Sign on a gate with graffiti
It’s an example of information increase. The letters on the sign are embossed. That’s why with the graffiti on the top it’s still readable. But the graffiti made the gate — and the sign — prettier.
Cardboard graffiti
This graffiti is attached to a lattice on a window.
Usually graffitis are bright — they might distract from the overall appearance of the city:
Cardboard graffiti is an example of increasing information. It doesn’t fight with the city’s appearance with its bright colors — doesn’t interfere with the city’s story. Yet, it’s still there and still pretty:
Another example of information increase with graffiti:
The buildings in the area are completely covered with graffiti. And that’s how you get an art quarter.
The graffiti increase expressiveness. They don’t interfere with the area’s story — like if there would be two stories at the same time. Instead, they completely transformed the story of the area.
Let’s check it with the sentence method.
Before: A district.
After: An art quarter with buildings covered with graffiti.
P.S. —
Thank you for reading!
This was the 6th article in the Expressiveness series. In these articles, I am looking for a single method to make design more beautiful and efficient.
← Previous articles
Make expressive — part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4
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This was the last article about the core principles of Expressiveness.
Next, we’ll dive deeper into the two ways of making expressive: increase information and simplify — what are the exact techniques and cliches to make expressive.
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