Hey everyone, Lidoria here with a special report. This month we were not only busy with development, we also attended the 6th ICTVC that took place in Thessaloniki. Although it was not a video game related event we felt that our graphic design team and Hotgates as a whole would benefit from such an experience.
What is visual communication
Visual communication is communication through a visual aid. It is described as the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon. Visual communication in part or whole relies on vision, and is primarily presented or expressed with two dimensional images. It includes: signs, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustration, industrial design, advertising, animation colour and electronic resources. It also explores the idea that the accompanying text of a visual message has a greater power to inform, educate, or persuade a person or audience.
Visual communication is now an established discipline. Across many areas, visual communication is entering a period of sustained growth and expansion. With a burgeoning professional practice, varied educational systems, critical research, international conferences and competitions, trade magazines, and academic journals.
Visual communication and video games
So how does visual communication relate to video games? First of all video games are a means of visual communication. A video game should have the power to inform, educate, or persuade the player. They are often times accompanied by web sites, books, manuals and themselves have plenty of two dimensional images in them too, from the UI to actual images, books, illustrations inside the game world.
One can simply create a video game following no specific design rules. But, the result and the experience for the player can be that much better when following them. Conveying a certain mood to the player can be accomplished when following visual communications principles. From fonts selection, to colour selection, to signage, everything plays a role. These are just a few examples of how important graphic design and visual communication are when designing a video game. The field of visual communication can help us convey the proper experience that we want the player to have.
International Conference on Typography & Visual Communication
On 7, 8 and 9 July 2016 the Institute for the Study of Typography & Visual Communication, in collaboration with the Graphic Communication programme of the Department of Design & Multimedia, the University of Nicosia, and the contribution of the Thessaloniki State Museum of Contemporary Art, organised the 6th ICTVC (International Conference on Typography & Visual Communication) with the theme “Discussing priorities | Developing a field”, which took place at the Helexpo “Nikolaos Germanos Congress Centre”, in the heart of Thessaloniki.
ICTVC is established, worldwide, as a major event that explores the world of typography and visual communication. Since its inception in 2002, people from diverse fields and different disciplines with a passion for visual language research, education, and practice, contribute to the conference. ICTVC attracts speakers and delegates on an international scale, from a wide range of disciplines related to typography and design.
What we experienced
During our visit we participated in many workshops, lectures and exhibitions with topics focused on UI/UX, calligraphy, use of fonts in UI, posters, modern packaging, letter animation, type design and many more. For a complete list of workshops, speakers, exhibitions and events that took place, you can visit ICTVC’s official page or their facebook page. Highlight of the event was Ori Elisar’s talk and exhibition of his Living Language project at “ρω” art space. The Living Language project is a BioDesign project, using scientific procedures and working with a live organism. An ink created by growing Paenibacillus bacteria on petri dishes plus some other chemicals causes the formation of letters. For more information about this very interesting project you can visit Elisar’s official page.
The 6th ICTVC saved the best for last. The conference came to a close with a very special guest. Neville Brody came on stage to talk about how “All design is political”. No matter what your background is, whatever you design expresses something and most of the time that something conveys a political message. Neville Brody is perhaps the best known graphic designer of his generation. He is known for his work on The Face magazine (1981–1986) and Arena magazine (1987–1990). His involvement in the British independent music scene in the early 1980s was also significant. He designed record covers for artists such as Cabaret Voltaire, The Bongos, Level 42 and Depeche Mode. Neville Brody also created the company Research Studios in 1994 and is a founding member of Fontworks. He is also the new Head of the Communication Art & Design department at the Royal College of Art.
Closing
The 6th ICTVC was a fantastic experience and a great journey into the world of visual communication. We are looking forward to visiting the next ICTVC. The knowledge and the friends we made there will help Hotgates to deliver even better experiences for our players. I hope you enjoyed our visit to the 6th ICTVC as much as we did. For more pictures from the conference check our facebook page. Until our next post, take care.
