Use Of Visual Metaphors Research Articles

Designing complex network visualisations using the wayfinding map metaphor

Despite their widespread use, network visualisations can be rather challenging to design and use. This is due to the fact that such visualisations are generally used to represent highly complex underlying data sets. As such, the resulting charts often include a very large number of visual elements and many non-linear relations between them that must be displayed. More effective design-oriented approaches are therefore needed to better support designers in creating network visualisations for complex data sets that are more understandable and usable for their users. The use of visual metaphors seems to offer such an approach to designing visualisations of complex data. In this article, we propose the use of wayfinding map metaphor in network diagrams to support both the designers and users of this type of data visualisation. We also provide a mapping of the three common map wayfinding tasks – orientation, exploration, and navigation – to three categories of network diagram user interactions. To demonstrate the potential of our proposed approach, we provide an example case study using a prototype network diagram visualisation tool – Colocalisation Network Explorer – which we have developed to support the exploration of relationships between various diseases and the portion of the human genome involved in their onset.

Visual Metaphorical Advertising: The Moderating Role of Creativity and the Mediating Role of Informativeness

The use of visual metaphor is a creative and prevalent practice in the advertising industry, but it poses a significant challenge in terms of understanding the intended advertising message. This study suggests the importance of determining the appropriate level of creativity in designing effective advertising campaigns. It also emphasizes the significance of incorporating informativeness into advertising messages, as visuals alone may not suffice in creating a successful advertising campaign. To address these aspects, a combination of research methods was employed, including the analysis of 3,000 conceptual advertisements. Existential-phenomenological interviews were conducted with eight domain experts, and responses were collected from 305 participants, which were analyzed using Smart PLS. This extensive research effort unravels latent dimensions and provides valuable guidelines for advertising and creative agencies’ design teams. The findings underscore that dependence on visual metaphor alone is inadequate to capture the audience’s attention and elicit their emotions without the addition of informativeness and/or creativity. These findings have profound implications for advertising and creative agencies, offering valuable insights for the design of visual metaphorical advertising campaigns.

Troubled Images: Analysing the Republican Use of Visual Metaphors in Wall Paintings and Pictures in Northern Ireland

The republican movement in Northern Ireland was visually manifested in images drawn on walls and on the gable ends of houses in the towns of Belfast and (London) Derry. As well as being an iconographic expression of the social injustice they suffered (Rapp & Rhomberg, 2013; Goalwin, 2013), these wall paintings were employed by the republicans to convey political and ideological messages in order to heighten awareness and to mobilize people. Blank spaces on walls were increasingly exploited by republican groups and were converted into a visual medium sui generis for their political and ideological claims and demands. Over the years republicans developed this novel communication strategy geared to expressing highly emotional content that served to reflect and influence the sentiments of the communities involved in the conflict. It also served to channel collective memory, recording key events and contributing to the formation of an identity. Intense political disagreements and armed conflict between the Catholic and Protestant communities from 1968 to 1998 led to violent clashes during the period known as “the Troubles”. This complicated time frame has been metaphorically represented in various ways in wall paintings and posters in Northern Ireland. The aim of this paper is to analyze the political and ideological use of visual metaphors in the images of the republican movement during the “Troubles”. More specifically, by applying the most recent methodological tool derived from a socio-cognitive model of discourse analysis, namely Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980), the purpose is to analyse, both from a qualitative and quantitative point of view, the three different types of Conceptual Metaphorical Schemas: Propositional, Image and Event Schema (Soares da Silva, 2016).

Michel Serres, Topology and Folded Time in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk

This article discusses Michel Serres's topological thinking and his approach to space and time from a film studies perspective, specifically looking at connections between Serresian philosophy and the work of Christopher Nolan, using Dunkirk (2017) as an example of folded time. The article provides a selective overview of Serres's topological thinking, which opposes a geometrical approach to space and time, as well as indicating connections between Serresian thought and film studies more broadly. Serres makes frequent use of visual metaphors that rely upon motion, which means discussing Serres's philosophy in relation to film can be a purposeful way to make sense of his topological thinking about spatialized time. Serresian philosophy can bring new ideas to film studies while discussion of Serres's thinking from a film studies perspective can help to visualize some of his philosophical ideas. The article considers similarities with, and distinctions from, Gilles Deleuze's understanding of time in cinema, which is modelled on the work of Henri Bergson. One essential difference is that Serres approaches topological time in relation to space whereas Deleuze only considers topological aspects to time through the virtual qualities of the non-spatialized time-image. Key aims of the article are to contribute to film studies through the application of Serresian thinking in relation to Dunkirk as well as offering a new approach to the recurrent themes of space and time in Nolan's work. The main objective is to present Serresian topological thinking as an alternative approach to space and time in film studies, which includes the capability to potentially complement or enhance ideas developed by Deleuze and Bergson. In keeping with Serresian philosophy this article pursues a new way of thinking about folded time in relation to film, based upon exploring new territory and synthesizing ideas rather than attempting to present a universal argument.

Visual Metaphors in Set and Properties Design for ‘Setengah Nada Bergeming’ Film Trailer

In a film production, production design is an important aspect that supports the narrative or story. In production design visual metaphors are often used as concepts for sets and props which have the ability to transform a long text into a shorter visual. Visual metaphor itself is a representation of a place, person, nature, and object that can be a tool to build a narrative as well as describe the nature of a character in a film. The use of visual metaphors can be done by understanding the characters in the film, because each have different characteristics and its own uniqueness. By understanding and using the 3-dimensional aspect of the character as the basis for the design of sets and props, production designers can apply visual metaphors in the design of sets and properties that are suitable for the needs of characters and narratives in films. This paper uses a qualitative approach which elaborates the process of applying visual metaphors into the set and properties design, by using the 3-dimensional character theory as the base for producing the short film trailer entitled Setengah Nada Bergeming. This research finds that by dissecting each element of the 3-dimensional character, production designer can intensify not only how a character is represented and how its contributes in building the entire narrative of the story.
 
 Keyword: visual metaphors, 3-D characters, sets, properties, short film, trailer.

Visual Metaphors in Set and Properties Design for ‘Setengah Nada Bergeming’ Film Trailer

In a film production, production design is an important aspect that supports the narrative or story. In production design visual metaphors are often used as concepts for sets and props which have the ability to transform a long text into a shorter visual. Visual metaphor itself is a representation of a place, person, nature, and object that can be a tool to build a narrative as well as describe the nature of a character in a film. The use of visual metaphors can be done by understanding the characters in the film, because each have different characteristics and its own uniqueness. By understanding and using the 3-dimensional aspect of the character as the basis for the design of sets and props, production designers can apply visual metaphors in the design of sets and properties that are suitable for the needs of characters and narratives in films. This paper uses a qualitative approach which elaborates the process of applying visual metaphors into the set and properties design, by using the 3-dimensional character theory as the base for producing the short film trailer entitled Setengah Nada Bergeming. This research finds that by dissecting each element of the 3-dimensional character, production designer can intensify not only how a character is represented and how its contributes in building the entire narrative of the story.
 
 Keyword: visual metaphors, 3-D characters, sets, properties, short film, trailer.

Mapping the bipolar mind through comics: An interview with Ellen Forney

This is an interview with comics artist Ellen Forney, author of Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me: A Graphic Memoir and Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life. In the interview, Forney reflects on her personal experience with bipolar disorder and its representation in the comics medium. The interview also presents recent trends in graphic medicine (intersection of comics and health) and the role and use of visual metaphors in delineating mental illness experiences, through examples drawn from Forney’s own work.

Bridging Representational Gaps: The Role of Tension and Multimodal Tools

The human capacity to address complex problems depends on the ability and willingness to effectively engage and problem-solve with individuals who hold different views from one’s own. Bridging representational gaps by creating a shared understanding of these complex problems is critically important because in its absence, collaborators cannot generate viable solutions and, therefore, risk making the problem worse. Yet it is unclear how the process of bridging these gaps occurs and whether the use of multimodal tools may be useful in the process. Thus, we adopt an abductive approach to examining how and why do multimodal tools influence bridging representational gaps. Audio, video, and survey data were collected from 102 individuals who participated in one of fourteen workshops. The participants in each workshop were placed in two teams with opposing representations of the same problem and led through a series of structured meaning-making and knowledge sharing exercises centered on the use of toy building blocks to facilitate communication among team members. The results of our study demonstrate that improved communication across knowledge boundaries can be achieved by using multimodal tools to reify concepts. In leveraging the use of visual metaphors in their explanations, participants were better able to recognize areas of divergence and dependence between teams. This recognition enabled participants to transcend conflicting problem representations by constructing a third solution of mutual benefit, integrating ideas through a process that acknowledges the inherent tensions of collaborator diversity while encouraging shared understanding and creative problem-solving. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

“The thought is gonna come and the thought is gonna go”: A qualitative study on how non-meditators learn and apply brief mindfulness-based instructions for food cravings

While brief mindfulness-based interventions have emerged as tools to modulate automatic responding in various domains of health and wellbeing, findings are primarily based on quantitative experimental research. However, these group-level findings do not capture the rich subjective experiences of individuals learning mindfulness. In the following qualitative study, we explored how non-meditators learn and apply brief mindfulness instructions in the domain of food cravings. Ten non-meditators listened to ‘normal viewing’ instructions, which asked them to view foods in the way that they normally would. They then viewed a video of attractive foods, and were interviewed about their experiences of learning and applying the instructions. Next, participants listened to a 5-min recording of mindfulness instructions, viewed another food video while applying the mindfulness instructions, and were interviewed again. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. When participants applied brief mindfulness, their relationship to the food stimuli changed such that they started perceiving their experiences as transient. Certain factors (e.g., use of visual metaphors) and processes (e.g., listening to the ‘normal viewing’ instructions first) facilitated this change. The ease of applying the instructions fluctuated with food preferences and perceived strength of cravings. Participants reported that they would apply the instructions in daily life if they felt a need for this, including in domains other than food. However, they anticipated challenges such as remembering and finding time to apply. Our findings highlight the specific aspects that influence how brief mindfulness instructions are learned and applied. These insights may change how brief mindfulness is studied empirically, and may inform the development of simple and empowering techniques that can promote wellbeing in daily life.

Α path to our heart: Visual metaphors and “white” space in advertising aesthetic pleasure

Contemporary advertising is increasingly based upon the successful implementation of two creative design tools, visual metaphors, and “white” space. Yet, despite their established coexistence, there is not enough evidence on the mechanism that takes place to affect consumers’ attitude toward the ad (Aad). The present study builds on the scarce evidence on the combination of visual metaphors with “white” space to decipher the role of “white” space on the effectiveness of metaphoric advertising. A content analysis of 405 international print ads establishes the widespread use of visual metaphors (fusions) with extended “white” space (monochrome, in shades of grey). Based on Berlyne’s theory of aesthetic preference this study proposes a serial mediation model with novelty, arousal, aesthetic response, and pleasure as successive mediating factors on the impact of visual metaphors (and especially visual metaphors with “white” space) on Aad. Three between-subjects (two with a Greek sample and one with U.S. and U.K. sample) experiments provide solid evidence in support of the proposed model. The attested sequence of effects fire starts a discussion on the significant creative opportunities and the associated communication implications for both academics and practitioners. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2021.1914446 .

Metaphorical Visualization of Marginalized Groups in Advertisements and Its Impact on the Viewers’ Responses

This study examines the use of visual metaphor on marginalized groups in print advertisements and its impact on the viewers’ responses; namely, on the brand evaluation and on the viewers’ negative emotions. To this end, a questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 70 respondents who saw four advertisements two of which included marginalized models without any visual metaphor cues, while in the two other commercials visual metaphors were added on the marginalized models. The main findings show that respondents reacted positively towards the use of marginalized models used without visual metaphor. However, their reactions were unfavorable and showed more negative emotions towards advertisements using metaphorical visualization on marginalized groups. These results highlight that diversity and non-standardization are welcomed in advertisements as long as the viewers’ schemas are not violated. Put differently, viewers’ negative emotions and unfavorable brand evaluation were due to the use of visual metaphor on marginalized groups which violated their schemas and evoked messages of racism, inequality and injustice. Henceforth, this study suggests that using visual metaphor on marginalized groups should be dealt with carefully, especially when companies aim to gain higher retention rate and brand awareness. Indeed, they should take into consideration several aspects such as historical, social, political and cultural factors when using visual metaphor on marginalized portrayals in order not to deviate the target audience.

Exploring the Use of Visual Metaphors in Teaching Business and Management Subjects

The use of visual metaphors has received growing attention in recent years, but their widespread use is not without certain challenges. The most common critique of visual metaphors in teaching indicates that they can be misleading as the meaning attributed by the recipient can be far apart from the intended one. This can make learning less intuitive and even create confusion. This paper explores the merits and demerits of the use of visual metaphors in business education.

A novel approach to learning music and piano based on mixed reality and gamification

Learning music has been demonstrated to provide many benefits for children. However, music students, especially beginners, often suffer from lack of motivation and even can be frustrated if their musical skills do not improve as they practice over and over. In such situations, they usually end up dropping out of music school. To face this challenge, in this work a novel approach based on mixed reality and gamification is proposed to motivate music students. This approach has been validated thanks to HoloMusic XP, a multimedia tool that helps students learn music and piano. The devised architecture that supports HoloMusic XP has been designed and developed to scale when new music concepts must be addressed. Thanks to the use of mixed reality, the usually steep learning curve for beginner students can be mitigated and complex music concepts can be simplified due to the use of visual metaphors. The system has been evaluated in a real environment by teachers and students to measure its effectiveness and usability. After conducting the experiments, an increase in the students’ motivation and a general understanding of the multimedia representation have been achieved.

Revealing Unconscious Consumer Reactions to Advertisements That Include Visual Metaphors. A Neurophysiological Experiment.

The main challenge of advertising is to catch consumers’ attention and evoke in them positive attitudes to consequently achieve product preference and higher purchase intentions. In modern advertising, visual metaphors are widely used due to their effects such as improving advertising recall, enhancing persuasiveness, and generating consumers’ positive attitudes. Previous research has pointed out the existence of an “inverted U-curve” that describes a positive relationship between the conceptual complexity of metaphors and consumers’ positive reactions to them, which ends where complexity outweighs comprehension. Despite the dominance of visual metaphors in modern advertising, academic research on this topic has been relatively sparse. The inverted U-curve pattern has been validated regarding ad appreciation, ad liking, and purchase intention by using declarative methods. However, at present, there is no evidence of consumers’ neurophysiological responses to visual metaphors included in advertising. Given this gap, the aim of this research is to assess consumer neurophysiological responses to print advertisements that include visual metaphors, using neuroscience-based techniques. Forty-three participants (22W–21M) were exposed to 28 stimuli according to three levels of visual complexity, while their reactions were recorded with an electroencephalogram (EEG), eye tracking (ET), and galvanic skin response (GSR). The results indicated that, regardless of metaphor type, ads with metaphors evoke more positive reactions than non-metaphor ads. EEG results revealed a positive relationship between cognitive load and conceptual complexity that is not mediated by comprehension. This suggests that the cognitive load index could be a suitable indicator of complexity, as it reflects the amount of cognitive resources needed to process stimuli. ET results showed significant differences in the time dedicated to exploring the ads; however, comprehension doesn’t mediate this relationship. Moreover, no cognitive load was detected from GSR. ET and GSR results suggest that neither methodology is a suitable measure of cognitive load in the case of visual metaphors. Instead, it seems that they are more related to the attention and/or emotion devoted to the stimuli. Our empirical analysis reveals the importance of using neurophysiological measures to analyze the appropriate use of visual metaphors and to find out how to maximize their impact on advertising effectiveness.

How Alfred Hitchcock Distanced Robert Bloch. Psycho once again (on the sixtieth anniversary of the famous film adaptation of the novel)

In Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock appears to have explored the entire potential of Robert Bloch’s novel, employing a variety of solutions allowed by the polysemiotic audiovisual medium. Hitchcock made signifi cant compositional changes in comparison with the original (including the „false end” effect) and introduced new motifs, thus thoroughly modifying the symbolic implications of the story (e.g. the ornithological motifs). Another issue addressed in the article is the depiction of death, framed through references to the work of Gérard Lenne, who argues that in artistic exposures of the body, death undermines the illusion of the spectacle. The famous shower scene in Psycho solves this problem through stylistic solutions (e.g. the use of visual metaphors).

The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures by Noelle Stevenson

Reviewed by: The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures by Noelle Stevenson Kate Quealy-Gainer, Assistant Editor Stevenson, Noelle The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures; written and illus. by Noelle Stevenson. HarperTeen, 2020 208p Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-06-227827-2 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-06-227828-9 $12.99 R Gr. 8-12 Stevenson, author of the popular webcomic and book Nimona (BCCB 7/15), co-writer of the similarly popular Lumberjanes, and current show runner of Netflix’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, tracks both her personal and artistic journey, beginning as an insecure undergrad in her first Sequential Arts class to a rising and then award-winning artist and writer, all the while dealing with confusing relationships, questions about sexuality, fears of failure, and bouts of depression and anxiety. Comic-styled vignettes are punctuated by end of year reflections, and the chronological reviews give a solid framework in which her authentically complicated and messy thoughts and feelings play out. Fans will appreciate the opportunity to see Stevenson’s growth as an artist, and her use of visual metaphors will feel especially resonant for readers sorting out their identity and future paths. She thankfully avoids the oversimplification of mental health struggles that places a direct line between sadness as Point A and happiness as Point B; instead she acknowledges the chaos and range of human emotion and acknowledges that successes and stability bring their own set of complications. Stevenson makes herself vulnerable here, and readers will appreciate her honesty, compassion, and hard-won wisdom. Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

The Effect of Visual Structure of Pictorial Metaphors on Advertisement Attitudes

With the development of the economy, the advertising industry has also flourished, and visual metaphors have been frequently used in advertising. Through the use of visual metaphor, advertisers are eager to give consumers a deep impression, and the ultimate goal is to sell the products in the ads. Previous visual metaphor research has contributes more to understand the needs of consumers better, and offered advertisers some guidance in the advertising design. The current study works on the liking degree of people of different backgrounds toward the ads using visual metaphor of hybrid structure. This study takes 101 Chinese college students as participants to measure the extent to which they appreciate the ads using visual metaphors. 20 sets of ad pictures, covering a wide range of products, categorized conceptually and perceptually, are tested in terms of ad liking, elaboration, and comprehension. The results indicate that the visual pictures that have both similar functions and shapes rank top in all the perspectives examined, followed by those having dissimilar shape and similar function and those having similar shape and dissimilar function. The visual pictures that are dissimilar both in shape and in function are least favored. In addition, demographical analysis was performed, showing a higher appreciation for the ad visual metaphors among participants of bachelor’s degree and master’s degree, females and younger generation. Moreover, the findings, with specific marketing implication for designing and managing visual metaphors in ads, are very valuable for marketers who target at college students.

THE ROLE OF DAMAR KURUNG LANTERN AS A TIME SIGNAL OF GRESIK SOCIETY

Damar Kurung Craft is one of the typical Gresik cultural products that have been widely recorded the civilization and life of Gresik people through its handiwork. The existence of Damar Kurung has been around since the Hindu-Buddhist era. It is a lantern that made of bamboo paper with painting embedded that become Javanese’s symbol of life. This research is qualitative research with descriptive approach. The object of this research is on the use of visual metaphor that described by Masmundari about Damar Kurung. The purpose of this research is to understand the meaning of symbols that embedded on Damar Kurung by Masmundari. At the same time, this writing is made to understand the environmental context where decoration of Damar Kurung is made, in order to establish the identity and identification of Javanese people.

Heartfelt images: learning cardiac science artistically

There are limited curricular options for medical students to engage in art-making during their training. Yet, it is known that art-making confers a variety of benefits related to learning. This...

Decoding the Metaphor of Internet Meme: A Study of Satirical Tweets on Black Friday Sales in Nigeria

This study examined an emerging trend in Internet discourse as metaphorical constructs used by individuals for communication online. The Internet meme is an evolving trend used for satirical illustrations and expression of intents in multimodal ways. While previous studies have focused on verbal metaphors signaled by Internet discourse, none of these studies have examined the relevance of memes in communicative contexts. This study drew from conceptual metaphor theory of cognitive linguistics to investigate the use of visual metaphors across Twitter which reflected consumer’s feelings on Jumia and Konga’s Black Friday sales. Five tweets were selected at random from ynaija.com, an online news blog for youths. Our study revealed that Internet memes serve as a strong rhetoric for ideological manipulations. This study will spur further research along the shores of Internet discourse. Key Words: multimodal, metaphor, Internet Memes, Konga, Jumia