Visual Rhetoric: Pink Floyd

The cover of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon may appear to be very simple, but it has different meanings that can change, based on the perspective that the observer brings. It displays a beam of light passing through a triangle lens, which then diffracts the light into all colours of the rainbow in long, thin strips. This image is then imposed on a black background. It represents the science associated with light diffraction, but the meaning behind this can be much more. The meaning of it can change for people who are listeners of the band, for example, or based on their education in science and other topics. For me, this image represents our actions (represented by the beam of light) which are then seen or heard by others (represented by the triangle) and then impacted by the person with which we are interacting. We cannot see from the original beam of light the many hidden things that it conceals, but when we place it through a mirror or other refraction device, we can see beautiful colours. In the same way, we may not know the consequences of our actions, but it impacts others in a huge way. We must make sure to make these positive actions so that we can make beautiful colours in an otherwise dark world.

I thought that this submission would be interesting to include in my Final Portfolio Submission, as it breaks away from the people theme that I have replicated throughout the rest of my posts. While the modality (computer altered image) and the verisimilitude (computer altered image) are obvious, the input is rather abstract and is up for its viewers to decide. I chose this image initially because of my love for their music, and because of the uniqueness of the image. Afterwards, I realised that viewers' opinions on this vary significantly. Its implications in the business world may be that, by using an abstract image such as this for their brand theme, it allows customers to create their own interpretations. This technique is not employed much in businesses, opting for more, definitive, story-telling images, but it is an interesting approach.