Post on 27-Jan-2015
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Game Design 2Lecture 6: Semiotics & Icons
http://gcugd2.com david.farrell@gcu.ac.uk
2013
Sunday, 3 November 13
Reading
• Duarte p44 - p61 (icon stuff)
• These two short articles:
• http://bit.ly/t5CK8s (Bejewelled 1)
• http://bit.ly/tEfaaC (Bewjewlled 2)
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Semiotics
A sign is “something that stands for something to someone in some capacity”
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Sunday, 3 November 13
Literacy
• Literacy is normally thought of as the ability to read and write.
• But - you can interpret meaning from other stimuli than just text.
• art, music, film, fashion, advertising
• Many mediums convey more through images than text
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Reading & Writing
• You don’t just read, you read or write something in some way.
• newspaper vs rap
• essays vs fiction
• Each domain has its own rules & requirements
• These can be considered separate literacies
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What does this mean?
“The guard dribbled down court, held up two fingers and passed to the open man.”
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Semiotic Domains
• Within each domain, all sorts of things can take on meaning.
• Someone can be musically literate without knowing how to read notation.
• they are part of a different semiotic domain
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Games Literacy
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Game Domains
• Game literacy is really an umbrella term for many sub domain literacies.
• FPS game domain expectations of a box would differ from a platform game
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Short Cut
• By understanding the meaning of symbols, the designer can avoid the need to explain or teach the player what something does.
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Cultural Semiotics
• Swastika symbol has many meanings but in western culture the association with Naziism is overwhelming.
• Possible to cause offence or create meaning where none intended.
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• Escapist discussed train
• http://bit.ly/18QuKV9
• can watch Brenda Brathwaite’s talk on the GDC Vault
• http://bit.ly/1aV95jj
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Game Tells
• The decisions you make about your game’s art style convey information to the potential player.
• This is not aesthetics this is games design.
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Sci Fi Corridors
• Sci Fi corridors and doors often have angled or curved walls.
• In the future, we’ll probably have rectangular walls but the art design isn’t trying to be realistic, it’s trying to communicate.
• Desaturated, gloomy colours are often used to imply a grim future environment.
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Association
• People associate and identify themselves with certain things.
• Blue for boys, pink for girls
• Brands like Apple, The Hundreds have a lot of meaning for people.
• The visual style of a game is important.
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Sunday, 3 November 13
Sunday, 3 November 13
Part 2: Icons
• Reading:
• Duarte
• Gnome Project
• Rule of thumb: If you have to think about an icon to ‘get it’, the metaphor is too complex.
http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gup/hig/2.0/icons-design.html
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Rules of Icon Design
• 1: An icon should suggest its function.
• 2: Icons shouldn’t suggest the name
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• 3: Avoid text in icons
• text provides no metaphor and requires more effort to scan than a good icon.
• 4: Don’t rely on information users won’t have
• users should be able to predict outcome
Rules of Icon Design
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• 5: Avoid useless information
• if you have an icon for the game’s help files, having a pen would mislead - implying the creation of documents.
Rules of Icon Design
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• 6: Icons which work as silhouettes work better than those which require detail
• 7: Avoid ambiguity
• if two icons could represent same function, one should be redesigned
Rules of Icon Design
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Abstract Vs Realistic
• It is challenging to design visual representations of some concepts.
• Some game functions may represent abstract notions and suit an abstract icon.
• Other functions are more specific and realistic and don’t require a distant metaphor.
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Abstract
• Abstract icons are usually shapes that combine to show relationships.
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Abstract: Flow
• Linear Flow: Flow construction that illustrates a process with a definite start and end point.
• The Diagram can follow a straight line or be a series of steps along a line.
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Circular Flow
• Flow that represents a continuous process without an end point.
• Any closed loop shape could work.
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Divergent and Convergent
• Flow that occurs when two or more elements either collide or separate out form each other as if splitting off.
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Multidirectional
• Flow that expresses complex relationships - flow charts for instance.
• Often these flows result from a combination of the preceding types.
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Sunday, 3 November 13
Abstract: Structure
• Matrices - structures that compare data with at least two different data sets.
• One set of data can even be a yes / no set of data as in a checklist.
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Abstract: Trees
• Structures that indicate clear hierarchy.
• Relationships can be expressed between any number of objects.
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Abstract: Layers
• Structures that show elements that stack or build on each other.
• They can depict both hierarchy and sequence.
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Abstract: Cluster
• Overlapping - Clusters that overlap and indicate shared sets, interest, or responsibility.
• Sometimes they form a new shape or area within the overlap.
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Closure
• Clusters that emerge when shapes combine to create another shape.
• This principle of Gestalt psychology can be useful when expressing the idea that “the sum is greater than the parts.”
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Enclosed
• Clusters that are enclosed and contain at least one element that envelops another.
• Grouping in this way indicates which elements are part of a higher order, and which stand alone.
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Linked
• Clusters that are linked as a unifying element to group items.
• A unifying element links related groups of items.
• It could be a line, shape, or connector of any kind.
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Abstract: Radiate
• From a point radiation occurs when a single directional “burst” emerges from either a graphic or point that has a clear point of origin.
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With a Core
• creates a parent - child relationship.
• The outer elements connect with a central element to hold the family together.
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Without a Core
• Implies that the elements connect through proximity or mutual attraction.
• They are tied to one central area.
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Realistic: Pictorial
• Process pictorials are snapshots of how things work sequentially as a product or system.
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Reveal
• An illustration of hidden information shown by slicing, peeling or otherwise exposing a thing’s inner workings
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Direction
• Showing where to go or how to get somewhere.
• Usually feature a starting location and destination, and may contain directions.
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Location
• Showing where something is in the context of geography, topography, system, or shape.
• These diagrams call attention to a specific location while providing context.
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Influence
• Demonstrating the resulting impact of various interacting elements.
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Realistic: Displaying Data
• Comparison icons juxtapose two or more sets of information to illustrate differences.
• Bar graphs, pie charts and other methods are suitable.
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Trend
• One parameter of data represents time, to indicate a trend.
• Change over time is the most important aspect of these diagrams.
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Sunday, 3 November 13
Distribution
• Expression of a pattern in seemingly disparate data.
• Whether a scatter plot, bell curve or other model, distribution diagrams correlate singular instances into a larger pattern.
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Sunday, 3 November 13