ABSTRACT

How do frames influence our way of perceiving?

Perceptual frames. The relationship between the frame and the human experience of looking. The way we perceive the world around us, is the same way we present the same world. We know how images and spaces look, because we’ve seen them, but also because we’re seeing them in our daily lives all the time. If we look around, we are surrounded by frames or framed imagery, they are significant for our environment and for us.

When we talk about the frame, we do not only talk about the frame itself, but what it frames; the exterior and the interior. There’s the spectator, the frame and the content we see through or in the frame. The environment of the frame is as important as the content, because it is where it frames the content with the surrounding. Also the frame can appear as a physical frame, or simply as borders.

Frames are very relevant for graphic design. In graphic design we frame; that is, we organize visual perception and experiences. Using a frame not only means in the way we use it to perceive, but also how we use it to create images. Content is framed in posters, books, websites, videos, screens, etc... Graphic design is always framed, as it is always a frame by itself. The right medium is used for the right content and as a result, every medium has its own characteristics and limitations. Its own borders. By framing experiences it is good to know the relationship between content and the frame.

In my research I focus on five frames that have a relevant meaning. The different frames in historic chronological order are: the window frame, the painting frame, the photography frame, the film frame and the screen frame. They all create different openings onto different worlds. When choosing different frames, I can compare them to each other and ask what do they show and why it is framed