Relevance, style and multimodality: typographical features as stylistic devices

Brightly coloured textual inserts, which often occupy a sizable part of the TV screen, have become a key feature in Japanese TV. This paper unpacks the contribution of such multimodal stimuli to inference, and the consequences this has for the interpretation process. Using data derived from a mixed-methods approach (i.e. eye-tracking and a multimodal content analysis), we evaluate the relationship between cognitive processing and communicative stimuli. We demonstrate how typographical features (colours and fonts) are used as highlighting stylistic devices by TV producers to manipulate the viewer comprehension process by guiding the audience to an intended interpretation. The results suggest how editorial choices regarding typographical features to trigger certain effects might be subsumed under the current view of style in relevance theory

Children and young people's preference of thematic design and colour for their hospital environment

In this innovative project, the views of children and young people were explored regarding their preference of thematic design and colour for their hospital environment in a new children's unit. The novelty of the approach was that it was driven by the preferred choices of children and young people through the use of 'child-friendly' interviews and questionnaires. Informing the study was the development of a group of children and young people who underwent research training, and with support, developed all data collection tools and helped to verify data analysis. A two-phased sequential study was undertaken. During phase 1, 40 interviews were performed with children and young people, including 10 with additional learning needs and physical disabilities while 140 questionnaires were analysed for phase 2 of the study. Notable issues emerged about preferred thematic designs of walls, doors and floors, while new findings were revealed regarding colour preferences for wards, entrances and outpatient areas. © 2008 SAGE Publications