The Pedestrian: A Visual Exploration of Tone and Imagery

Abstract

Words that emphasize the theme and mood are highlighted in purple, italicized, and bolded, so they stand out to the reader at first glance to give an idea of what the story is about without reading it. In contrast, on the right side, words that portray feelings of fear, anxiety, and the symbolization of his dystopian society are highlighted in red. Behind specific keywords in red, there is an echo of them in distressed typography to exemplify how Leonard feels hearing them and emphasize their importance to the tone and theme. The title is tracked out and has its baseline adjusted to symbolize Leonard’s walk and the story’s abrupt turn. Purple footprints lie under the text to act as imagery describing the footsteps he leaves. They connect to the title to make it appear like it has turned into footsteps, emphasizing his walk’s central part of the story. The overlay of a purple to red gradient symbolizes the shift in tone from Leonard’s calm, lonesome walk to his fearful encounter with the police car. A different typeface is used when the police car speaks to separate the two speakers in the text visually. It is also more prominent than the body text to demonstrate the police’s power over Leonard and their stronger voice. A fourth treatment is applied to specific words when Leonard speaks. It minimizes the text size and tracks the text out to portray the sound of his voice like a distant whisper.

Department: Design

Faculty Mentor: Constanza Pacher