Visual Rhetoric for Student 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?

Visual Literacy

Visual Thinking

Visual Learning

Visual Communication

Metaphoric Thinking

Visualization

Design of Materials

Read Pictures

Art

Media Visual Rhetoric

Source of Imagery

Research on Learning

Aesthetics

Right Brain/ Left Brain

Mental Nodes

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 (authors 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-Designers Design Book and The Non-Designers 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