Posters and Comics: Design, History, and Analysis
Posters: Definition and Functions
A poster is a large-format sheet of paper, printed with advertisements or notices, produced in bulk for public display.
Functions of Posters:
- Information
- Advertising or publicity
- Education
- Environmental enhancement (becoming part of the urban landscape)
- Aesthetics (created with attractive designs)
- Creativity (designing a poster is a creative endeavor)
Many posters have become art market products, sold to collectors or the general public. The poster represents a “public image” and is one of the most popular and widespread art forms, often used as a publicity tool.
Comics: Concept and History
Concept
Comics or cartoons are composed of stories and dialogues. It is considered the ninth art, although it is not as widely publicized as cinema or theater.
History of Comics
The comic is the result of centuries of experimentation. It is an industrial product with aesthetic value. In the late nineteenth century, European and U.S. newspapers sought to attract more readers. In 1893, in the U.S., Sunday supplements began featuring a color page in a newspaper with a vignette by artist F. Outcault. The character wore a yellow nightgown, common in the neighborhoods of New York.
Comic Features
- Narrative message
- Integration of verbal and iconic elements
- Use of codes and conventions
- Wide dissemination
- Intended to entertain
Elements of a Comic
The Bubble
The speech bubble is the smallest unit of meaning in the story.
Framing
Framing refers to the real space where the action takes place within the panel. This includes:
- Great Floor Plan
- General Plan
- American Plan
- Detailed Plan
- Middle Flat
- In Focus
Framing also depends on the angle of view:
- Normal viewing angle (or medium angle)
- Sharply angled
- Contrapicado (low angle)
- Zenith angle (bird’s-eye view)
- Nadir angle (worm’s-eye view)
Color
Color serves both figurative and aesthetic functions.
Speech Balloons
Speech balloons are the spaces where the characters’ text is placed.
Caption Boxes
Caption boxes contain the narrator’s voice.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is the imitation of a sound.
Lettering
The most widely used font is a printed style.
Comic Variants
- Strip: A story told in 3, 4, or 5 panels. If humorous, it’s often a single joke.
- Page: A series of variable panels. The length of the story can be 1, 2, 3, or more pages.
- Books and Albums: Complete stories contained in a single volume or a collection of short stories.
Visual Forms and Compositional Analysis
Visual communication uses images that we perceive through visual stimuli. Images consist of visual forms, which are structured into compositions.
A visual form is a unit with visual-perceptual autonomy, a particular arrangement, an orientation in space, and intrinsic meaning. Examples include a point, line, or shape (simple or complex), provided that the elements it contains are perceived as a single whole, with no single element standing out.
In the perception of a visual composition, not all existing data are recognized as forms. Some elements may exist and go unnoticed, others may not be displayed in perception, and some may even be perceived in a distorted or altered way.
Receiving a visual message means capturing the overall structure of a composition within the visual field. Every element in a composition has a function and meaning in relation to the whole. A composition is achieved when the structure reaches equilibrium.
Structural analysis involves examining the elements that make up the image and the relationships between them. The meaning of a message arises from the interaction between the structure of the image and the interpretation given by the recipient, based on their cultural and personal experience.