Visual Perception 2/ Feature Hierarchy

Mariah Carey: E=MC2, Island Def Jam Records

This poster is related to feature hierarchy in the way that it uses feature channels to create a visual design which promotes the uniqueness of singer Mariah Carey's album E=MC2. Color is used to pop out preattentively- especially the singer's name and human figure. Secondly, the viewer detects that shape has levels of variation. From the top down, words (the names) become smaller in size, allowing viewers to understand the importance of each phrase: 1) singer's name 2) album's name 3) lead single of the album 4) secondary singles. Together, these words operate by using scale to express how one set of words is more important than the next below or less important than the next up. The viewer next notices the motion created by the photo. From the bottom up, the image's depth creates the illusion that the person is standing over the viewer and that the viewer's perspective looks up at singer. Furthermore, the image's shape is detected due to how the white pops out within the black background. Combined, together, these three feature channels for a spatial layout. The viewer has the intuition that specific parts of the poster have specific roles to guide them in acquiring information rapidly and efficiently.