Reply #42: OMG! I am TOTALLY impressed that you noticed that!!! [View All]

[Dangerously Amused]

Okay, this is silly. Really REALLY silly. About as silly as silly gets.


It's like this: My undergrad degree is in Fine Arts, which included (for me, at least) a lot of graphic design. After school I couldn't find a reasonable income being "just" a fine artist, so like actors who wait tables, I supported myself doing graphic arts (typesetting, page layout, business identities, catalogs, brochures, flyers, etc.), and I still do a little of that for fun, stuff for myself and friends, because I enjoy it. So. Okay, anyway. When I look at the post I am writing, I find that my avatar (which I love) is visually distracting because, unlike most avatars, he is in black and white and therefore competes with the type: black type on a white page, depending on the font, creates a certain "weight" to the writing, which is too close to the "weight" of the black and white design element (avatar), therefore they "compete" for one's visual attention; my avatar is also not in a square or circle or other typical "bullet" form, which can compensate for the "weight"problem, so his irregular shape also competes with the type. Result: too much visual distraction. Options: Change avatars to one which does not compete (no friggin' WAY am I going to lose my Gene!), OR... create more white space between the avatar and the type, which will separate them into two separate "design" elements and keep them from competing with each other/being visually distracting.


See? I TOLD you it was silly!