1. Pre-attentive perception
The purpose of this study is to gain insights about the pre-attentive perception of human.
(a remark from Edona, What is pre-attentive perception?)
It is the very first perception of something. So, you just glance for a second, looking at something but not processing consciously the thing that you are looking at. For example it can be used to improve graphic designs concerning to the recognizability and to identify whatResearch Approach
To collect the data I showed the self-selected graphic design to a human test group for a duration of 25 ms in October 2020. The Tachistoscope online tool on Prof. Raff's website helped to show the graphic design exactly 25 ms. Afterwards the test participants wrote down separated from each other what they have seen. The procedure for this study took place via zoom. The test group had no deeper knowledge about graphic design in general. The sample size for this study was 5. The following GIF shows the tachistoscope procedure on the website.
Data Analysis Method
The data was collected from a text message. The data analysis of this research will be mostly represented on quantitative manner. All responds will be analyzed and sorted in groups.
There are some assumptions we can make in advance about how the image is going to be perceived. In the following I will take a deeper look at the gesatalt principles.
Analysis of gestalt principles
The following poster was shown to the test group:
1. Good Gestalt
I'm wondering if there is a Good Gestalt, because of the larger rectangle in the lower area. But because of the large black capitals font, the appearance of the rectangle is massively disturbed. That's why I believe that no Good Gestalt is perceived.
2. Figure-ground
We have a lot of figure-ground objects in this image. A real figure-ground problem can appear in the background. The top right area will not be decodable in the short time. 
The white text on the person should not be problematic to differentiate.
3. Proximity
There principle of proximity has not really a job in the chosen poster. Only the date which is near to the address will be recognized as a related object. 
Furthermore, text modules will be perceived as belonging together.
4. Closure
I'm not sure if the principal of clusure applies here. We have no complex arrangement of visual elements, we tend to look for a single, recognizable pattern. Only the lower area can be perceived as a yellow rectangle in the pre-attentive perception, although there is a large black font on it.
5. Similarity
The poster uses the similarity principal to distinguish different sections. You can immediately tell that the dark section at the top serves a different purpose than the yellow section in the lower part.
6. Continuity
It is quite likely that the visibility of the text "Filmfest" is affected by the bleed. 
Because the text runs into the same color, it is very difficult to distinguish. Thus, it is possible that the black text is only perceived as black something.
The study itself
The poster was shown to the test group of 5 for 25 ms.
Genders of the test group
♂ ■■■■■■□□□□ 60%
♀ ■■■■□□□□□□ 40%
The answers were divided into the categories that were discovered.
Findings
The recognized colors:
With this result I realize that yellow is the dominant perceived color, although it does not take the biggest part in the picture. This is how the real color weighting looks like (made with Image Color Summarizer): 
White was also mentioned very often, probably because the whole picture is perceived as dark and the viewers find the white part worth to mention.
The black base color of the poster seems less worth to mention. It is also interesting that bright yellow can also be perceived as green under certain conditions.
The recognized shapes:
○ □□□□□□□□□□ 0%
▯ ■■□□□□□□□□ 20%
□ ■■□□□□□□□□ 20%
/ ■■□□□□□□□□ 20%
This result confirms that there is no good gestalt in this picture and rather only the whole shape of the poster was described. Also interesting is that 1/5 recognized a diagonal rectangle in the word "Unknown".
The recognized text:
How much of all were able to recognize text?
Abc ■■■■■■□□□□ 60%
How much of all were able to read something?
"UNKNOWN" ■■■■□□□□□□ 40%
This result shows that the white text "Unknown" is more likely to attract attention than the other texts.
The recognized objects:
The recognized objects are
• a man with glasses and a scarf,
• a person in a battle dress,
• a person,
• a poster or flyer,
• a man,
• a grey hoodie
How much of all were able to recognize objects?
■■■■■■■■□□ 80%
80% were also able to perceive a person. Therefore it is very likely that other people also perceive a person. The reason may be that we humans have no problems perceiving people. It can also be that we primarily pay attention to people.
This is how the test group will probably perceive the shown poster:
2. Emotional effect and expression
In the emotions chapter we analyze emotional responses towards images. So, a graphic design has the power to affect us. To study people’s moods and emotions we use an Semantic Differential Setup.
A semantic differential (Osgood, Suci & Tannenbaum, 1967) consists of two opposite poles and choices in between. So that people can easily situate their appraisal. The scale consists of 6 pairs of words, where two pairs always belong together. This is used to determine whether there are connections in anticipation between certain things.
Research Approach
To collect the data I prepared my Semantic Differential Setup matching to my graphic on Prof. Raff's website. The results will be transfered directly. The test group has no deeper knowledge about graphic design in general. The sample size will be 6 for this study. The results are submitted anonymously. The following figure shows my individually prepared setup:
The results of the analysis
What does the result tell us?
First it should be said that emotions are a difficult topic to analyze. They can touch delicate matters and generate unpredictable reactions from people. But let's give it a try!
Started in the red rectangle:
Even though the results are located rather centrally in the bipolar scale, one could think that there is a rough correlation between contrast and clarity. To finally determine this, one would need a larger test group. But actually that wouldn't be surprising, since the graphic design itself consists only of the colors white, black and yellow. These colors can be visually differentiated very well, resulting in a clear appearance.
If we now move on to the blue rectangle, we can come to the next conclusion:
This time it is a bit clearer that there seems to be a correlation between might and repellence. The perspective of the photograph seems to triggers a real submissiveness in the viewer, which makes it look mighty.The second level observation is that this brings a sense of distance/rejection.
Let's move on to the yellow rectangle:
Here, too, the result is so clear that conclusions can be drawn. There seems to be a correlation between loud (in the visual sense) and aggressive. But why is it loud and aggressive? Probably because of the bold headlines and the middle finger that the person in the photo points right into the viewer's gaze. The high amount of black also makes it look very gloomy, which pays off in aggressiveness.
3. Construction
The analysis of the construction mainly questions the arrangement within the selected image. We are trying to figure out how basic structures support certain perceptions, to the point that they help to produce meaning.
1. Which arrangement is suggested by the format?
The elements are arranged according to the vertical format. The elements are sorted from top to bottom. As a small experiment, I tested how I would arrange the design in a landscape format. I came to the result that the arrangement in landscape format would change only slightly, because the main lettering depends very much on the big yellow rectangle at the bottom.
2. Overall composition / balance
The chosen graphic design is quite balanced in it's appearance. Each design element has a counterpart, as I have tried to show in the sketch. Even the slanting lettering "UNKNOWN" is compensated by the person's arm in some way.
If we look at the graph under the Gaussian blur, we can suspect a slight overweight on the right side.
3. Color contrast
In this graphic design we have a light-dark contrast.
Light-dark contrast
(A hint from Edona was to add a contrast of extension) This is not 100% clear in my opinion and I can't give a final answer to that either. According to "Image Color Summarizer" we have 37.19% black and 23.47% yellow. That's not enough for me to confirm that contrast.
This is the summarized color weighting (made with Image Color Summarizer):
4. Generative principals of axes and grids
We can see that the graphic elements of this piece are stacked and centered on the vertical axis that makes up the composition as suggested by the format. In addition, the lower yellow part is separated from the image part. So this is also part of the grid, because this is definitely relevant if you would continue this poster to a series. So we have a vertical and a horizontal axis.
5. Meaning in composition
In this case the position of the text in the center of the poster has its function as a title. The meaning here comes from compositional hierarchy of the text size. After the perception of that more information like date or location is relevant. This decoding of such a hierarchy is something quite normal that we humans have learned in the course of life.
4. Semiosis
Semiosis is the process in which something functions as a sign to an organism. So, I try to evaluate the graphic design on the meaning making. In a multimodal analysis, I look at the overall in the graphic design and how the parts work together.
Here are my findings:
Text (Symbol)
Words are symbols – there is no actual link between the words and the object because if there was, the words would be the same in all languages.
Image (Icon)
The person in the image is a sign that physically resembles what it stands for, thats why it is an icon.
Middle finger (Symbol)
In Western culture, "the finger" or the middle finger is an obscene hand gesture. It is a sign which has no link at all with the thing it represents. The only reason we know what they mean is because we have learnt what they mean over time. It gives the image a general "I really don't care" attitude.
Bike (Icon)
It is a sign that is closely related to the thing it represents and looks excactly like it. In this case the sign looks like a bike.
Wrong way sign (Indexical-iconic-symbolic)
In correlation to the traffic light where the sign hangs (indexical) it stands for "do not ride your bicycle here in this direction".
Let's look at the yellow color at the bottom of the graphic design as a semiotic resource. What is it's contribution? Not much! It only says: "I am an eye-catching yellow!
Multimodality: How do the different "semiotic models" play together?
Let's put all together: The graphic design looks really repellent because of the Middle finger (Symbol) and the Wrong way sign (Indexical-iconic-symbolic). I think it is not random, that ths "Wrong way sign" is positioned in the background of the portrait photography. This "do not go here"-message supports the middle finger that the person is showing up, which has the same meaning in a way. Due to the fact that the content of the poster is very unusually arrogant and repellent, it is very eye-catching. So here you can see that the yellow color supports this. It stands out. Only the text (Symbol) creates a connection to the event, which is actually what it's about.
5. Aesthetics
Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy which deals with questions of beauty and artistic taste. An aesthetic judgment, in Kant's usage, is a judgment which is based on feeling, and in particular on the feeling of pleasure or displeasure. It is the most subjective judgement we have, because anything can be experienced as beautiful, even something seemingly ugly.
The study of aesthetics is very subjective and it is hard to find a consistent answer to the question "hot or not". What we can do, however, is to sort the used style a little bit.
Aesthetic of the grapic design:
I started to cluster them and sort them into categories in a two axis graphic correlating the concepts of beauty and pleasure to guide through. What is striking is that we have a mixture of very modern and reduced elements, combined with analog photography, which has its own unique aesthetic. We also have a destructive and rebellious component. Let's compare it with my own aesthetic!
My aesthetic:
There is a connection between my aesthetics and graphic design if we look at the simplistic aspect. I myself am a big fan of minimalism and clearly structured things/order. We see that in graphic design as well, that there is the clear separation between the two imagery and the message is not overloaded. What I don't show so much is the rebellious aspect, but it still doesn't repel me if I look at the graphic design.
6. Socio-cultural background
1. For what purpose was this designed?
The poster was part of a thesis project of Victoria Silova, published on Behance. It is not a single artwork, it is a fragment of a whole brand design idea to improve the 'Unknown Film Festival' brand. In reality the purpose of the poster would be to generate more event attendees as well as more audience and to strengthen the brand.
2. Who designed this for whom?
It was designed by Victoria Silova. She is a Graphic Designer, Art Director and Illustrator from Moscow, Russian Federation. She desingned it for 'Unknown Film Festival'. What is 'Unknown Film Festival'? UFF is a platform for amateur filmmakers around the world that provides a stage for short films, animations, visual arts and any variations of branded content. The aim of UFF is to discover new talents and possibly create further opportunities for them in the russian and international filmmaking industry. Young filmmakers can speak to the world and share their works
3. What technique was used?
The advertisement contains two main components. A photography component and a graphic design component. The photography looks like a analog photography, also known as film photography. Is a catch-all term for photography that uses chemical processes to capture an image, typically on paper, film or a hard plate. The tones and organic nature of analog film are things many of us have began to long for in our digital age. It is also possible to simulate the look of an analog film using Lightroom. It is not clear to say what was applied here. The graphic design was safe to say added in a design program like one of Adobe or Affinity. The only applied technique worth mentioning is the tilted part 'KNOWN' of the word 'UNKNOWN'.
4. To wich style does this refer?
The style refers to a modern and bold advertising, with a rebellious attitude, which is intended to address young film makers. It makes the poster very authentic and I believe that many producers find themselves in the rebel role. It's almost like the archetype 'Rebel' that the poster takes on.
5. What is the socio-cultural precondition for this?
For decades, cameras in which you have to insert film have been gathering dust in attics and cellars. A few years ago, it suddenly became hip to take analog photos again. So, we have a comeback of analog photography. Many professionals and amateurs are into it again. And because the poster picks up on the current style from the industry, more filmmakers feel it speaks to them. If it was just another time when highly professional, crisp images were in vogue, this poster would make you feel like it's not current and maybe even a little outdated.
6. What is the discourse?
But why do we suddenly find this look beautiful again, even though we have been striving for the ever sharper images for a long time? The reason could be that we are post digital. We've had our fill of all the digital innovations and high-quality shots.
That's why we devote ourselves to other aesthetics, in which we find our satisfaction. It is called the cultural avant-garde. The avant-garde are people or works that are experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society. It is frequently characterized by aesthetic innovation and initial unacceptability.
Also, the question is why we think it's great to get the middle finger shown to us.
Because the message can be understood as "fuck the mainstream, here are the rebels". The rebellious image only works in the mainstream. And the rebels don't see the middle finger pointed at them. They see themselves as a part of the poster, speaking to the mainstream.
7. Excursion
What if me move things a little bit around to play inside the topic of socio-cultural background.
Let's first look on the whole poster row of the design I am currently talking about:
As already started to explain in the discourse, in the posters we have a rebellious, repellant look in the upper section combined with a yellow/black mix that is very brightly eye-catching. Now the big question is whether this specific combination makes the design interesting. Or how would the graphic design look with a more inviting image? So let's just swap out the dark expansive images for friendly bright images that say "come with me" rather than "fuck you".
I changed the images to more inviting:
For my taste, it still works quite well. I also added the grainy look in Photoshop to keep the analog photography look for now.
Purely from the image style, it continues to address a young and modern target audience. In general, the whole event now looks more fun and not so avant-garde.
Now I can test again how it looks when the bright color is exchanged for a more subtle color. In this case, the colors are quite similar to the images, making the whole graphic design look rather flat and uninteresting, because ther is not a big play with contrasts.
I changed the yellow to dark blue:
I changed the yellow to a discreet reddish color:
What can we take away from this experiment? It's probably because of the dark colors I have chosen, that the friendly and inviting images no longer seem at all like they did before with the yellow color.
So you can see from this that the eye-catching color is a good stylistic tool to give the whole graphic design a more offensive effect. Also, I notice that the yellow tone is unlikely to happen in images. Thus, a conflict between image color will rarely happen. Because if image and color are too same the graphic design looks contourless and homogeneous.
Let's try something else. What if instead of the analog look, we just went back to using crisp images. We try to avoid the post digital trend and go back to the digital perfectness.
I changed the analog images to crips images:
Now images are inserted that could be from modern filming scenes. They are very sharp and look like they were shot with the latest technology. What can be observed now is that especially they scenes that look rather random also make the whole graphic design look very impersonal. To me, the posters now look like movie posters that are supposed to be advertisements for movies.Below are again examples of subtle color.
I changed the yellow to grey:
Conclusion of the excursion
Now that I've tried a few things and I'm finding that there's something special about the original rebellious posters. For me it feels like they interact with the viewer. So the motto unknown, unseen, unheard is visualized in the images and that appeals to our senses. Also, I'm probably totally the target audience and the rebellious still appeals to me a lot. I think that for the first contact with the poster a friendly look would be better to be picked up more easily. When I remember the first time I saw the poster, I realize that I was very triggered by the middle finder, that the context didn't interest me that much. But if you come into contact with the poster more often in a promo phase, then it's easier to find an approach to it anyway.
8. Practices
The poster interacting in the wild
Here is a short poetic text of an interaction with the graphic design.
The phone rings. "We're having lunch, should I answer it?" - Marco asked his colleagues in the office. "Sure, go ahead and answer it!" - said the rest. It's the management on the line and they've got another good potential client on their hands. A well-known rapper from Germany. Marco is all excited, because he loves to get involved in new projects. It's about a music video. He and his team are preparing the offer. The shooting should take place in Russia, because the rapper has Russian roots. "How cool" - rejoices the team.
A week later, they get a positive response from the management. The video planning is done and sthe trip can start. The management prepares the planning of flights and accommodation. The small team of cameramen and assistants sets off for Frankfurt airport. They land near Lake Baikal in Siberia. Lake Baikal is an unforgettable Russian highlight: an ancient, venerable lake in a mountainous landscape near the Mongolian border - it is not only huge, but also considered the deepest lake. There they want to shoot unforgettable scenes. The shoot goes perfectly. When they are back at the airport, Marco discovers a large poster on the wall while waiting. "Unknown Filmfest“ - he read. "Such a nice analog look" - he remarked. He was directly captivated by the poster, because he has an eye for the aesthetics of the poster directly, because he knows it from his work.
He visits the website and is immediately taken with it. "That's where I want to submit the music video we did today. Russia we meet again" - he said.
Due to the face that we can't observe our graphic design in the wild, we chose another design we could find. The following one, I recognized in Berlin when I visited the East Side Gallery.
All my observations are condensed in a short poem:
I walked down the street
in my ears a beat
new buildings growing like a seed
It is cold on my feet
my girlfriend walking in her UGG’s
suddenly read: Hallo Max
here is something that impacts
they not only having Macs
cool how they are telling a story
if I had money I would buy it, don't worry
a phone fits perfectly in everyones inventory
but to achieve it I need to work more in a factory
I also condensed the observations in a song text:
The night sets softly
With the hush of falling leaves
Casting Artworks
On the houses through the trees
And the light from a street lamp
Shows an advertising on a wall
Like the pieces of a puzzle
Or an agency leaves its scrawl
Impaled on the wall
My eyes can dimly see
The pattern of my life
Beacause the iPhone fit me
From the moment of my birth
To the instant of my death
There are patterns I must follow
Just as I must breathe each breath
9. Summary
I was able to gather many new insights into human perception. In short, I summarize what I was able to take away for this graphic design analysis.
In this study I discovered a lot of interesting background that I would never have learned about it otherwise. I found out how the graphic design is perceived in the pre-attentive perception. It is very interesting to see what the test group considered relevant and how elements in the design can be misinterpreted in just looking at something quickly. It was also interesting to see how the poster is perceived on an emotional level. Because as soon as we interview a test group, we are no longer dealing with facts, but have to make assumptions. I was able to gain the most knowledge in the socio-cultural area. Here we are really dealing with this rebellious and old look that is not repellent for various reasons, even if it seems so at first glance. I am very curious to see how the development of the aesthetic aspects (post digital and cultural avant-garde) will continue. Will analog photography always remain an issue? Or will we soon have the desire for the perfect high-resolution images again? Let's stay curious!