Visual Rhetoric forStudent Writers
Purdue Writing Lab
Overview
• This presentation will cover– Definition(s) of visual rhetoric– Why visual rhetoric is important today– Visual rhetoric and
• Text• Color• Graphics• Overall design
What is Visual Rhetoric?
• Definitions and applications– Use of images as argument
– Arrangement of elements on a page
– Use of typography (fonts, etc.)
– Analysis of existing images and visuals
What is Visual Rhetoric?
Why is Visual Rhetoric Important?
• We use visual thinking as a major part of our cognition (thinking process)
• We live in a visually dominated world, so…
• We must be able to read, dissect, and produce effective visuals
Why is Visual Rhetoric Important?
“Visual thinking pervades all human activity,
from the abstract and the theoretical to the
down-to-earth and everyday…”
Robert McKim, Experiences in Visual Thinking, 1980
Visual Rhetoric and…
• Text elements– How type functions and choosing fonts– Headline versus body text– Text and the Web
• Color• Visuals and graphics
– Clip art– Illustrations and diagrams– Graphs– Photographs and manipulated images
• Overall design
How Type Functions
• “Personalities” of type
– Formal and informal fonts
– Consequences and font choices• Consider effect of font choice
• Personality and appropriateness
Font Personalities Example
Choosing Appropriate Fonts
• Font choice will build or harm ethos (author’s credibility)
–Context and purpose of document is
important
–Cultural and visual associations of fonts should fit document
Font Choice Example 1
Font Choice Example 2
Headline Versus Body Text
• How text functions
–Type of text dictates font choice
• Emphasis and attention
• Information
–Sustained readability
Headline & Body Text Example
Text and the Web
• Differences between print and the
Web
– Accommodating users and browsers
– HTML standard fonts
– Screen readability
Color and Contrast
• Most basic and critical choice
–Black text on white background
shows high contrast and is most
common
–White text on black background is
not ideal
Font Contrast Example
Computer Screens and Color
• Pixels and colors on screen
–RGB values
–Color saturation
• Cultural associations of color
More Color Examples
Clip Art
• Using packaged clip art–Avoid the “cartoony” effect
–Choose clip art that truly fits the purpose of the document
–Match design schemes
• Consider creating images
Clip Art Examples
Illustrations and Diagrams
• Purpose to inform– Conveys specific information– Relates to content in document– More than an accent
• Striving for clarity– Avoid clutter– Choose selective pictures of reality– Break up large amounts of information
Graphs
• Choosing how to represent quantitative information
– Pie charts and showing parts of a whole
– Bar graphs and numeric comparisons
– Line graphs and plotting changes
Photographs
• Found images versus captured photographs
–Copyright–Composition and quality
• Achieving effects with photos
Photo Examples
Overall Design
• Creating paths for the eye– Striking, eye-catching elements– Finding information easily
• Design as rhetorical organization
• Consistency in design– Avoid “kitchen-sink syndrome”– Pitfalls of pre-fab templates
Stepping Back
• Is your design clarifying your information?
• Is your design unique enough to make it stand out?
• Is your design readable from its intended distance?
• Have you checked for typos and errors?
• When designing for the Web, have you checked your design on different computers and in different browsers?
Additional Resources
• The Non-Designer’s Design Book and The Non-Designer’s Web Book, both by Robin Williams
• Color Index by Jim Krause
• Idea Index by Jim Krause
• What is Graphic Design? by Quentin Newark
For More Assistance
The Writing Lab at Purdue
226 Heavilon Hall
765-494-3723
OWL: http://owl.english.purdue.edu
The End