Representational, Abstract, and Symbolic Images. (WK 2: Meaning 1)

Sims 3 Character. Representational.

Representational:

The image of this animated woman is from the video game Sims 3.  The game itself is of repetitional design.  It's purpose is to simulate the lives of everyday people.  The designers of the game provide each object and character with very specific details that not many people may even notice without a good graphics card.  It shows the highlights and nearly each strand of this animated woman's hair.  Although this in-game character may or may not be real, it still displays something of reality, therefore it is considered as representational design.

         

An oil pastel painting.
"The Dance of Good and Evil."

Abstract:

This oil on canvas is called "The Dance of Good and Evil," by Curtis Verdun.  This image does not show specific detail on anything that is portrayed here.  From a distance I can see it as a dragon like figure, but I cannot be sure that this is what the artist intended to show.  This image could be argued to be a non-objective abstract image because it does not relate to or represent any real world object.  The colors represent "good" and "evil."  Deriving from the name of this image, we naturally think of the color red to be "evil" because it is normally associated with anger or the "devil."  Blue is a cool and calming color, it can also be associated with purity, therefore most people would likely think of it as the "good" of the painting.  The two colors collides and swirl together, which personally reminds me of the motions of ballroom dancing.

A normal "No Smoking" sign. 

Symbolic:

The "no smoking" sign is one of the most frequently used symbolic designs out there.  Usually, a simple picture of a lit cigarette is shown under bold lettering, reading "no."  From what our parents and the people of our society have taught us, we know that a crossed out circle means "do not do this."  The sign is red for reasons beyond having it catch our eyes.  This color provokes certain emotions in our mind, such as anger and danger, while also signaling our mind to stop, just as we would when we see a stop sign or a red traffic light.  When people people see the "no" sign on top of a picture of a lit cigarette, they would automatically think, "No smoking."