"The kind of information one can convey about a situation or object by means of a sign depends on the contextual conditions of that sign. When one changes one's point of view (physically) with regard to an object or situation, different features are perceived, while features perceived earlier appear in a changed spatial position or disappear altogether. The order in which features are perceived becomes a significant aspect in the representation of a situation taking place in time".
By Thomas Ockerse, Hans van Dijk; Semiotics and Graphic Design Education, Visible Language, Volume 13th, Number 4
Notes:
• The frame in a visual representation can be compared to looking through a window (assume you're a peeping tom, travelling in a spaceship or being able to be present at any place - omnipresence).
• By framing one is making choices in composition of information - and it’s also a means of cutting out information.
• Formal variations (in terms of position, size, shape and aspect ratio) of the frame of reference directly influence the semantic content of what is framed. Hierarchy, importance, selectivity, dominance, nearness, closeness, relation etc are some of the semantic characteristics, which can be influenced by the frame of reference.
• Think of the relation the frame of reference has to our vision and perception of the world around us.