Visual rhetoric

For our uses, we will define visual rhetoric as the fairly recent development of a theoretical framework describing how visual images communicate, as opposed to aural or verbal messages. The study of visual rhetoric is different from that of visual or graphic design, in that it emphasizes images as rational expressions of cultural meaning, as opposed to mere aesthetic consideration (Kress 18).

Visual rhetoric examines the relationship between images and verbal text. Sometimes both are included in this study and these pieces are referred to as “multimodal texts,” in which image and verbal text are visually combined into a coherent whole. Some examples of artifacts often analyzed by visual rhetoricians are charts, paintings, sculpture, graphs, web pages, advertisements, movies, architecture, newspapers, photographs, etc.

Visual rhetoric is closely related to the older study of semiotics. Semiotic theory seeks to describe the rhetorical significance of sign-making. Visual rhetoric is a broader study, covering all the visual ways humans try to communicate, outside academic policing (Kress 11).

Visual tropes and tropic thinking are a part of visual rhetoric (the art of visual persuasion and visual communication using visual images). The study includes, but is not limited to, the various ways in which it can be applied diachronically, synchronically and perchronically throughout visual art history.

Emphasis in Visual Rhetoric

Emphasis is defined in a number of ways. It can be used in several different contexts; from writing and speech, to visual design and rhetoric. In all cases, emphasis is the prominence or special attention of a particular detail that stresses some idea. In visual design, emphasis is used in an almost discreet manner, where the viewer has to see for themselves what it is that he/she perceives to be most important. In such things as photography or art, the artist can stress certain parts of the photo or painting to show what is and what is not important. Emphasis in visual design can be made in much the same way as in emphasis in writing. For example; web pages can call attention to the most important details by using highlighting, bold print, bright colors, and larger type. The more an object stands out on a page, the better the chances that the viewer will focus in on that object. Stark contrast is another way to catch the eye. Bright colors on a white background or bright green writing on a black background stand out more to an observer than would blue letters on a light purple background. In direct comparison to visual design, emphasis in writing and speech can be used in many different ways. Examples are capital letters, italics, underlining, and speaking more loudly in certain places that are most important. As in writing, using underlining and italics can be beneficial to visual rhetoric. Any words or phrases that look different from the others around it are more likely to be viewed and will stand out more to the audience. Underlining and italics also has the effect of making those words and phrases seem more important, more official, and more professional, depending on the topic or site. When creating a web page, the author should use whatever means necessary to convey his/her meaning as quickly as possible. When the viewer gets bored, he/she will go to another page. Using emphasis on the most integral parts of the page is an essential step to ensure that the viewer will know where to look. Emphasis can also help in creating a more visually pleasing site, where people will enjoy visiting, and using in everyday life. [1] (http://www.mmlab2.rlc.dcccd.edu/digitalimaging1_4/pages/Assignments/project1/DesignConcepts/emphasis.jpg) In this picture, the first thing the viewer notices is the black cat. Not only is the cat in the foreground, but the color is in striking contrast to the background of light blue. The cat is the main point of the picture. It is the object that is most stressed, and most significant to the photographer. The deep color of the cat is stressed by putting it against such a differing color. The contrast in the picture makes it more stimulating, as well as more interesting to view. The cat seems almost sinister in contrast to the light and cheery-seeming background. It is this emphasis on the cat that makes the picture worth viewing; more so than a normal picture of a light colored cat sitting prettily in the sun.

References

• Kress, Gunther, and Theo van Leeuwen. Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. New York: Routledge, 1996. ISBN 0-415-10600-1
• Handa, Carolyn, ed. Visual Rhetoric in a Digital World. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004. ISBN 0-312-40975-3
• Hill, Charles, and Marguerite Helmers, ed. Defining Visual Rhetorics. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, 2004. ISBN 0-8058-4403-1

External links

• WRIT 431--Visual Rhetoric taught by Dr. Pavel Zemliansky at James Madison University (http://courses.pz-writing.net/sp05/)
• Visual Rhetoric Portal (http://www.tc.umn.edu/~prope002/visualRhet.htm)
• Semiotics for Beginners (http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem07.html)
• Pictorial Semiotics (http://www.arthist.lu.se/kultsem/sonesson/pict_sem_1.html)
• Five Principles of New Media: Or, Playing Lev Manovich (http://english.ttu.edu/kairos/8.2/binder2.html?coverweb/sorapure/index.htm)

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