VISUAL LITERACY Another medium for

VISUAL
LITERACY
Another
medium for
constructing
meaning
and the
terminology
that goes
with it
*What are different forms
(genres) of visual
communication?
-posters/bumper stickers
-commercials
-buttons, bobbleheads,
other paraphernalia
-billboards/signs
-fliers/pamphlets/brochures
-clothing/costumes
-cartoons, anything
animated
-videos, movies, TV shows
-anything on the internet
-graffiti
-art forms
-graphs/charts, etc.
*What can be
interpreted/analyzed
through visual literacy?
-symbolism
-viewpoints
-tone
-bias
-actual information
-allusions
-intended audience
-purpose
-credibility
-emotions
-popularity
My list of genres
 In
general: gestures, objects, signs,
symbols
 More specifically: dance, film, fashion,
hairstyles, exhibitions, public monuments,
interior design, lighting, photography,
computer games, advertisements (print
and TV), pamphlets, bumper stickers,
posters, architecture, and art
My list of aspects to analyze








Subject matter
Cultural context
Structure (how it’s organized)
Techniques used to produce it
Aesthetic merit
Purpose and audience
Merit in terms of communicating purpose and
reaching intended audience
Emotional impact
Visual literacy can be
analyzed in terms of:
 Syntax
(textual definition?)
 Semantics
(textual definition?)
Syntax – arrangement or structure of words in a
sentence
Semantics – study of meaning in words. This involves
issues in:
 connotation vs. denotation
 how language can be manipulated, logically,
ethically, and emotionally
 context
 tone/emphasis
 bias and propaganda
*Visual Semantics = Semiotics= study of signs/symbols
What might we therefore look for when it comes to
visual syntax? Visual semantics?
Visual syntax terms (aka techniques that produce
effects that influence the semantics of the visual)








Font (bold, italics,
style, size, sans)
Scale and dimension
Motion
Arrangement/layout
(balance b/w text and
image)
Framing/zooming/
cropping
Relative size of items
within images
Labeling
Captioning






Harmony, contrast,
emphasis
Resemblance
Juxtaposition of
images
Depth, color, light,
shadow
Filled space (vs.
purposeful white
space)
Symbolism
Five Key Questions to answer in
order to understand the
semantics of a visual
 Who
created this message?
 What techniques are used to attract my
attention?
 How might different people understand
this message differently from me?
 What lifestyles, values and points of view
are represented in, or omitted from, this
message?
 Why was this message sent?
Visual Literacy Activity
1.
2.
3.
Study the visual your group has been
given.
Discuss the 5 key questions about visual
semantics and how they apply to your
group’s visual.
Write answers to the key questions using
the terminology of visual syntax to
support, especially for Question 2 where
it is most relevant.
Politics/Social Media/Punditry
Seminar Questions
*For all questions, use examples from
your HW explorations to support.
1. How does social media influence
politics?
2. How does punditry influence politics?
3. How does the combination of social
media and punditry influence
politics?
4. How is a bias in an issue? Does
technology enhance the possibility of
bias?
Op-eds Comparison
1.
2.
3.
Discuss your annotations on both op-eds.
Compare and contrast: content,
context, audience, purpose, writer’s
techniques, credibility/background of
publication (look up more info on
publication if you need to).
Answer the question: what textual
conventions do you think are particular
to the op-ed genre?
Op-ed vs. editorial vs. blog
 How
are they similar?
 How are they different? (discuss specific
examples of features/conventions)
Essential Unit Topics/Terminology




















Language
Technology
Social media
Visual language/visual literacy
Visual syntax/visual semantics/semiotics
Objectivity vs. subjectivity
Bias/propaganda
Punditry
Ideology
Mass media/communication
Rhetorical appeals
Rhetorical strategies
Public speaking strategies
Historical politics vs. modern politics
Partisanship/party affiliation
Audience/purpose
Context
Genre
Persona
Message
Unit Text Types and Names