Ch. 7 Questions

1.

This graph shows the number of hours vs. the number of cups of coffee a person gets. The x-axis label should be the number of cups of coffee and the y axis is the number of people out of 48 that got the number of hours of sleep that the colorful shapes show.

This is not a very good graph, but does show that the fewer cups of coffee a day lead to more sleep.

2. I found an interactive map for electoral votes at http://www.270towin.com/.

a. The color of the different states can be changed as well as if you are displaying data from 2008 or projected 2012 data.

b. I find this map confusing I think mostly because I don't understand the point of the website. Allowing the viewer to change the color (thus, democrat or republican) doesn't seem to serve a purpose, except for viewers to be allowed to predict which way they believe a state will vote. I think the arrangement of the site is okay because the map is the main focus and is therefore appropriately set in the middle of the page. It is also emphasized by its color and size. However the clarity of the site is not good because it does not specifically state its point.

c. I think the main drawback is that I don't understand the purpose of the site.

Chapter 8

It's my birthday!!!!

Pictures

• Pictures can instruct, persuade, motivate, announce a topic, or set the mood.
• Pictures shape information for particular purposes and audiences.
• Pictures have the functional goal of responding to the rhetorical situation.
• In order for readers to get the intended purpose of a picture, more information is often needed.

Vocabulary of Pictures

Textual Elements: define, clarify, and modify information contained in pictures

Visual Elements: organize space so readers can access, understand, and use the picture successfully

• Scope: how broad of an area to illustrate? what's important to readers? Should all or part of the picture be shown? How wide should the lens be opened?
• Focus: how closely we focus readers on the information in the picture? close up? far away? zoom?
• Viewing Angle: top, side, bottom, front, back, left right? what information do you want to reveal about the object?
• Spatial Conventions: increase the clarity and the efficiency of pictures

1. cross section
2. blowup
3. motion
4. exploded view

Graphic Elements: gives pictures substance; its the stuff that makes them visible (lines, texture, shading, etc.)

• Level of Detail/Abstraction: concrete or realistic? abstract?
• Shades and Shadows: show the effect of light on an object and its surroundings
• Conventional Coding

1. boundaries
2. materials
3. specialized signs

**All of the Cognate Strategies come into play with pictures including arrangement, emphasis, clarity, conciseness, tone and ethos.

Chapter 7

Data Displays

Data displays show quantitative information by transforming textual elements, usually numbers, into images.

-Data displays are extra-level and rely on non-textual signs like lines, bars, circles, shading, dots, and color

-Text plays a secondary role in data displays

Why are data displays useful?

1.) They are a visual representation of numerical data

2.) They show complex sets of data in a easier to read format

3.) They give readers a top-down view of the trends and relationships of the data

Data displays greatly enhance our ability to compare numbers.

Depending on the rhetorical situation, there are different types of data displays that are most effective.

-Different things about the data can be discovered by shaping them in a visually effective way

Process Example

In this example Ed is asked to make a data display for the membership of an organization over the last ten years.

This example emphasizes the importance of:

· Analyzing the rhetorical situation

· Invention

· Revision

· Visual editing

Vocabulary of Data Displays

Textual Elements only play a small role in data displays since they primarily focus on sign systems. Textual elements include labels, titles and legends. They add descriptive information that can both help and hinder the data display.

Spatial Elements include the size, shape and orientation of the display.

Conventional forms:

· Pie Charts: show parts of the whole

· Bar Charts: create a grid for plotting data based on two variables (one is usually time). Simple bar charts show data belonging to a single group, while complex bar charts show data for more than one group of data

· Line Graphs: show the same type of data as a bar chart, but the display consists of lines connecting the data points and can help easily show change over time

· Scatter Plots: show relationships between variables that are often unrelated to time

· Data Maps: reveal information about a given location, and are arranged depending on the space they represent and the relative location of the data in that space

· Gantt Charts: display time in carrying quantities according to the amount needed for a given task or project

· Graphical Matrix: enables readers to see patterns across the whole data set as well as to access individual pieces of data

Certain conventions will be more suitable than others for a given set of data depending on the rhetorical situation.

Graphic Elements control the texture, weight, and color of the lines, bars, plot frames, tick marks and a variety of other forms. Graphic elements alone represent the data of a data display, although often rely on textual elements to help define them.

-Gridlines, plot frames, tick marks, background shading, and color are elements that help define the data

Applying the Cognate Strategies

Arrangement involves choosing an effective conventional data display and the order and placement of the data within this framework.

Emphasis can be created by stretching the plot frame in one direction, the thickness of lines, color, etc.

Clarity is key to an effective data display. If the display does not make the data from a table more clear, than it is not effective.

Conciseness requires that the data display be direct and easy to understand, and not include extra embellishments that serve no purpose.

Tone shows the voice or attitude the display reveals. Is the data display formal, technical, authoritarian, friendly, accessible or humorous? Picking the right tone depends on the rhetorical situation.

Ethos requires that the display is honest, and displays the information so readers have an accurate story about the data.

Chapter 6 Exercises

1.) a. lines, shading, boldness, title size

b. version 2 is arranged so that it implies the first 3 labels are related and the last 4 are related because of the dividing line between them. In some ways version 1 is easier to read because of the lines and table format. The spacing makes up for this in version 2, though.

c. version 1 better coheres to the visual conventions for scientific tables. Version 2, while less conventional allows the reader to see the relationship between the groups, and the numbers stand out more.

2.) To revise this price list I would add spacing, bold the titles, and add lines to make it more clear.

Chapter 6

Nonlinear Components

-Nonlinear designs are those that differ significantly from the line-by-line layout of paragraphs.

1. Nonlinear design allows readers to more easily find information than a continuous text allows
2. The relations among the textual elements call for a schematic rather than a line by line expression

-Nonlinear designs often include:

• tables
• flowcharts
• organizational charts
• decision trees
• concept charts

*Nonlinear reveals information, rather than writing out an explanation of the information

Vocabulary of Nonlinear Components

• Textual elements: text is divided into fragments and distributed across the field. Lines, arrows or boxes often connect the text. Usually simple text and font are used, and then enhanced by the surrounding space.
• Spatial elements: strings, matrices, and branching displays are the three spacial systems that nonlinear uses.

-strings create statements through one-directional tracks of text units, arranged vertically or horizontally

-matrix organizes text both vertically and horizontally at the same time

-branching displays structure text into hierarchical layers

*these 3 spacial systems provide the building blocks for a variety of conventional genres that are used in nonlinear design (listed above)

• Graphic elements: are used as framing devices, further isolating text into discrete units

Chapter 5 Questions

1.

a.) headings, lists, columns, field grid, bullets, line work, shading

b.) I think version 1 is more effective. I think the columns, bullets, and bolding makes the most difference.

c.) I think version 1 is also more effective in regards to the warnings because the black boxes stand out more in the column format. If the warnings are not emphasized properly it could lead to harm to the reader.

d.) I think version 1 has better clarity. There is a better contrast between the wording and background, the headings are a little bigger, and the bullets help to make it easier to read. Someone in the cold would want to be able to quickly read the directions so they can get back to the warm.

e.) No

f.) I think version 1 builds the best ethos because the warnings and tips are more emphasized, thus giving the reader the feeling that the instructions are really in their best interest.

2.

Grand opening!

Joan's Tea Garden and Craft Emporium.

You're invited to celebrate the grand opening of Joan's Tea Garden and Craft Emporium. Come browse among the tables of potpourri, the baskets of dried flowers, and the shelves of books and collectibles. Whether you're shopping for a special gift or you enjoy doing your own crafts, you'll love the selection.

Saturday, May 17th, 9-5.

125 South Main.

Free croissants! Free tea! Free potpourri!

4.

a.) check

b.) dot

c.) square

d.) snowflake

e.) dot

My Second Life House

This is me in front of my second life house! It's obviously not perfect, but an ok first attempt.