Stallworth Williams introduces concepts of visual rhetoric and ethics for a classroom exercise in the analysis and revision of a sales letter. This article revisits Stallworth Williams's proposed teaching strategies, suggesting that not only do students need to be instructed in elements of visual design, but they must also be taught to link those…

Using typography as its exemplar with its lack of clear performance criteria, this article questions what is good design and how to measure a designer's accountability. Evaluation criteria are teased out from various perspectives: credibility, ease of use, stakeholder inclusion in the design process, respect for cultural dimensions and whether it…

This paper reviews research on learning from dynamic visual representations and offers principles for the design of animations and simulations that assure their educational effectiveness. In addition to established principles, new and revised design principle are presented that have been derived from recent research. Our review focuses on the…

Drawing on the everyday experience of collaborative design, and using ordinary language, I examine the nature of design practices and rules, how they come about, and how we use them. I offer some arguments to suggest that our conventional ways of thinking about rules are wrong. I conclude by arguing that the practice of designing and doing…

THE DEPTH OF PSYCHOSOCIAL CONSIDERATION VARIES WITH ARCHITECTURAL FUNCTION. THESE FACTORS INCREASE AS A BUILDING USAGE BECOMES MORE ANTHROPOPHILIC. SITUATIONS RELATING TO AMBIGUOUS DESIGN MUST BE ELIMINATED IN BUILDING DESIGN. PROBLEMS INVOLVING VISUAL PERCEPTION SUCH AS (1) GLASS DOORS, (2) APPARENT INSECURITY OF STRUCTURE, (3) AMBIGUOUS SYMBOLIC…

The author discusses some environmental phenomena that should be taken into consideration when designing facilities for instructional media. (AK)

Although violent crime in schools has showed a steady decline in recent years, it remains a serious concern, and administrators are continually looking for more effective approaches to school safety. At the same time, the best school environments are not only safe and secure, but also attractive and comfortable. The right school setting can…

Describes a project to define the images of Telluride (Colorado) held by its residents and tourists and contributing to sense of place. Discusses the design of the town's entry points and efforts to maintain their visual environments in harmony with the town's defined character during ongoing community development. (SV)

This interim report informs the eventual user of the direction of the long-term program; specific criteria are not provided. Five current guidelines in lighting practice were disavowed as follows--(1) that low levels of illumination cause organic harm to the eyes, (2) that the footcandle is the best criterion for determining the proper…

A fundamental change in attitudes toward lighting can produce considerable reductions in the amount of electricity required to operate educational and other facilities. (Author)

In searching for ways of providing suitable school buildings, consideration should be given to the possibility of providing outdoor teaching space and of controlling environment in whole or in part by the planting of shade trees in a carefully controlled manner. Such trees, suitably located, will not only provide shade but may aid ventilation and…

The role of reflected glare and visual viewing angles in near task performance is discussed, and following statements are reported--(1) a worker at a desk normally assumes a position in which his eyes traverse an area of work extending from a point approximately vertically below his eyes to a point not more than 40 degrees from the vertical, (2) a…

The same form of lighting will not be effective in all areas of a school facility. Factors to be considered include physical and psychological effects, visual requirements, and cost. A chart illustrates type of lamp, output/energy ratio, light "quality," and applications. (MLF)

Discusses recent research on how light and color affect bodily functions. (Author)