Visual Information Part III: Where Are We? Chapter 4.3.1

Overview Setting a scene is both geographic and emotional; it is both physical and social. For the DB person to feel connected to the environment and have basic information, it means that we must set the scene. Naming a city or store is not enough. A few specific details are essential. Here too, use a top-down discourse style.

Day-to-Day Shopping

Grocery Shopping On the way, what area of town are you going through? – City streets? – Suburban streets? What kind of stores are these? – Supermarket? – Co-ops? – “Mom & Pop” grocery?

Inside the Store What kind of mood does this store have? What kind of values do you infer from the décor? Why would someone choose to shop here instead of another store? The Safeway, Whole Foods and 7-Eleven are very different grocery stores. What distinguishes them from each other?

Groceries Look at the following pictures of grocery stores. What distinguishes them? What details do you notice that set the tone? Which details would the DB person herself notice? If this was the first time the DB person shopped here, how could you efficiently describe the store to set the scene?

Hardware Store

Another Hardware Store

Drug Store

Another Drug Store

Variation Some stores are ‘big box stores’ designed to keep the costs as low as possible, buying in bulk and providing little sales assistance. Other stores cater to a particular market such as healthy eating or lots of customer service. Space, lighting, as well as added décor details signal the stores’ target audience. Did you notice the piñatas in one of the previous pictures?

Distinguishing Marks Size and a sense of space is definitely one marker. Lighting and the use of color is another. Style of organization is telling. Is everything in tall, neat rows on big shelves or is there an artful asymmetry? Is the focus efficiency or coziness?

Traveling: Context and Details

Geography, Topography What area are you going through? – City – Country – Suburbs – Strip malls – Small town – Desert Thus begins the top-down description.

City The city will be distinguished by its – Age (the era of the architecture) – Size – Overall prosperity – Overall energy (bustling, quiet, etc.) – Style Look at the following photos and again, note what gives each its character.

City Skyline Portland, OR

Portland

City Skyline San Diego

San Diego

Activities Part of what gives a city its flavor is the kind of activities they promote there, e.g. great book stores and coffee shops vs. a great beach town with surfing, snorkeling, etc. Of course this is influenced by the geography, weather and primary commercial activities. Both Portland and San Diego are port cities but they have a very different ethos or style.

History History also influences the style and tone of a city. San Diego is close to Mexico and has its roots in that culture, although it is thoroughly of the United States today. Portland, Oregon, on the other hand, was more influenced by the Native American cultures and its early logging industry. Trees are still very much a part of its identity.

Details

Focus Choose details that add meaning. This will take practice. Choose details that set the mood or tone. When possible, include a description of the people and what they are doing. We will elaborate on describing people in the presentation, “Visual Information Part V: Describing People.”

Conclusion Simply saying this is “a store,” “a bank,” or “a city” is not enough. It is important to set the scene by describing details that provide a sense of space, energy, style and so on. It is important to ‘set the scene’ when you give visual information about a place.