The rising of economic stability from the ashes of financial woes

I found this picture on the internet and was intrigued by the different aspect of visual metaphor it could take. The artist explained that one of her friends had noticed that the picture could represent a visual metaphor of the dwindling economy. Before reading her friend's thread, I looked at the picture and saw the dollar surrounded by dead leaves. One thing her nor anyone else noticed, and maybe it's because I'm from the midwest, is the lush green grass under the dead leaves and the dollar. Adding to her friends comment, this picture could portray the grass as a "phoenix" rising from the ashes of a crumbled economy. I guess how someone interprets this metaphor just depends on whether they see the glass as half empty or half full.

Short film: Bridge

Prior to watching the short film, the brief synopsis of the movie describes how the viewer watches two friends as they move toward discovery. The artists' choice of words allows the viewer to prepare their emotions and expectations of what they are about to watch. As the short film unfolds and the two friends sit in close proximity to one another, the viewer acknowledges that they have a relationship stronger than just a friendship. Although many viewers would be upset that the although the female has a significant other, due to the artists' carefully chosen words in the epilogue, the viewer is more comfortable with the idea of there being feelings among the two individuals. The artist does a great job of slowly exposing the viewer to the friends feelings toward each other by positioning both of them at a distance at the beginning of the film and as the film transgresses, they get closer in proximity. The ending allows the viewer to receive as much closure as possible without a subtle feeling of discontent, because the scene cuts with both friends smiling without having kissed, which could have lead to some issues.

Definition of Design, Culture and Language

Depending on the context used, "design" may have different definitions. In general, design can be described as the manner something is expressed in order to attract the attention of others. From government to private sector companies, design is used in all aspects of economics and marketing in order make their ideas or products appealing to specific group they may be attempting to target. For example, a lobbyist for a tobacco company may present a statement to congress litigating the increase tax on cigarettes hinders the economic stimulation. The design of this argument would focus more on the negative aspect of tax increase than on the pleasing and more positive reason of lowering the amount of smokers and smoking related deaths.

Culture is the thought processes and actions in a population that abides by the norms of society of the specific group. The way individuals interact with each other, the laws that are created, and the overall lifestyle individuals take are all based upon the certain culture they live in. What an individual does outside of his or her culture that may seem normal to them, may be considered deviant or illegal in others. This solid distinction of cultures however, has been cloaked by the increase fusion of cultures dues to migration of individuals to new places, as well as to the introduction of new ideas by the media.

Language, may be it verbally or physically, is the way individuals express themselves and communicate with others. Language can be thought as written symbols, auditory expressions, body expressions, or even objects such as art. Although certain verbal language can change from culture to culture, many physical languages are shared world wide. From infancy, although highly debated, humans are taught to smile when they are happy and frown or cry when they are sad.

Culture, language, and design intertwine greatly and determine the overall success of all businesses. As mentioned previously, if a company wants to market its product to a specific target group it must take into consideration all three aspects to ensure a high chance of success. For example, if a pharmaceutical company was attempting to sell its new blood pressure medication to individuals older than 55, it would have to produce commercials that are directed to an older audience. First of all, the marketing group would have to take into consideration the time of day their audience is most likely to be watching T.V. Then it would have to make the commercial using actors of the target groups age, obviously would have to be perceived as enjoying their lives, and in a setting that most individuals of the target audience would say "hey those people are engaging in activities that normally do!" With outh taking into consideration culture, language, and design the field of marketing would not exist and companies would find it difficult to yield high profits if any.