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?

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 theoretical to the down-to-earth and everyday…” Robert Mc. Kim, 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

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