Visual Communication: Insights and Strategies explores visual imagery in advertising, news coverage, political discourse, popular culture, and digital and social media technologies. It is filled with insights into the role of visuals in our dynamic social environment and contains strategies on how to use them.
The authors provide an overview of theoretically-informed literacy and critical analysis of visual communication and demonstrate the ways in which we can assess and apply this knowledge in the fields of advertising, public relations, journalism, organizational communication, and intercultural communication. This important book: - Reveals how to analyze visual imagery - Introduces a 3-step process, Research-Evaluate-Create, to apply the knowledge gained - Combines research, theory, and professional practice of visual communication
Designed for undergraduate and graduate courses in visual communication as well as visual rhetoric, visual literacy, and visual culture, Visual Communication: Insights and Strategies reveals how to apply rhetorical theories to visual imagery.
Table of Contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
About the Authors xiv
Part One: Understanding Visual Communication 1
Chapter 1: Making Sense of Visual Culture 3
1000 Words or One Simple Picture?
Pics or it didn’t happen 3
Key Learning Objectives 5
Chapter Overview 5
How Visuals Work 5
Photographic Truth? 5
FOCUS: A Historical Perspective on Visual Culture 6
Growing Importance of Visuals 7
Our Precarious Visual Culture 7
Political Persuasion 7
Digital Transformation of Visual Culture 8
Smartphones and Visual Culture 9
Multiple Meanings 10
Polysemy 10
FOCUS: Trump’s Hand Gestures 12
Form and Content 14
Decoding Visual Messages 15
Semiotics: Signs and Symbols 15
Visual Rhetoric 17
FOCUS: Saving Big Bird 18
What’s Ahead? 18
Chapter Summary 19
Key Terms 19
Practice Activities 20
Note 20
References 20
Chapter 2: Visualizing Ethics 23
Revealing Shortcuts and Missteps
Friend or Foe? Hero or Villain? 23
Key Learning Objectives 24
Chapter Overview 24
How Visuals Work: Ethical Implications 25
FOCUS: Images of Tragedy:
Afghan Victim 26
Foundations of Ethical
Thought 27
Visual Deception 30
To Tell the Truth . . . or Not 30
Visual Manipulation Issues 31
FOCUS: Digital Manipulation 32
Framing that Distorts Reality 33
Effects of Virtual Reality 35
Visual Metaphors and thics 35
Brand Mascots and Celebrities 35
Favored Strategy in
Advertisements 36
Visual Appropriation 37
Mashups and Remixes 38
Homages 38
Applying Ross’s Ethics 39
Unintended Effects 39
FOCUS: Rethinking Diversity in Visual Narratives 40
The Potter Box 41
Chapter Summary 43
Key Terms 43
Practice Activities 44
Note 44
References 44
Chapter 3: Ways of Seeing 47
Visual Rhetoric
What’s in a Wink? 47
Key Learning Objectives 50
Chapter Overview 50
Three Key Terms 50
What Is Theory? 50
Rhetorical Theory 51
Methodology 51
FOCUS: Visual Rhetoric in Fake Facebook Accounts 51
Visual Rhetoric 53
Two Meanings of Visual Rhetoric 53
FOCUS: The Visual Rhetoric of Quirky and Magical Images 56
Basics for Analyzing Visual Rhetoric 57
Durand’s Visual Rhetoric Matrix 58
FOCUS: Visual Rhetoric Glossary 61
The Different Lenses of Visual Rhetoric 61
Sign Language (Semiotic Theory) 62
This Means That (Metaphor Theory) 63
FOCUS: Visual Rhetoric in Activist Campaigns 64
Storytelling (Narrative Paradigm Theory) 66
Visual Voices (Symbolic Convergence Theory) 67
FOCUS: Visual Rhetoric Analysis: One Student’s Example 69
Chapter Summary 70
Key Terms 70
Practice Activities 70
References 71
Part Two: Basic Ways of Seeing, Interpreting, and Creating 73
Chapter 4: Sign Language 75
Semiotics
The $20 Controversy 75
Key Learning Objectives 78
Chapter Overview 78
Semiotics: The Science of Signs with Meanings 79
What Is a Sign? 79
Semiotic Knowledge Expands Visual Awareness 80
FOCUS: Perception =
Interpretation 82
Question “Common Sense” 83
FOCUS: The Semiotics of
Cultural Appropriation 85
Meet the Semioticians 85
Denotation and Connotation 86
Icon, Index, and Symbol 86
Social Semiotics Explores
“What’s Going On?” 89
Signs Are All Around Us 89
Marketing and Movies 90
FOCUS: Semiotics in Marketing 90
News 91
Advertising 91
FOCUS: Semiotics of Visual Appropriation 92
Public Relations 93
Activist Art and Installations 93
Doing Semiotic Analysis 94
Example Analysis 95
Applying Semiotic Analysis in Your Work 97
Chapter Summary 98
Key Terms 98
Practice Activities 99
References 99
Chapter 5: This Means That 102
Metaphor
Life is a Puzzle 102
Key Learning Objectives 104
Chapter Overview 104
Metaphor: When This Stands for That 104
FOCUS: Visual Metaphors Have Dramatic Effects on Your Own Creativity 105
Metaphor is All Around Us 106
Conceptual Metaphors 106
Types of Conceptual Metaphors 108
Metaphor’s Extended Family 110
Visual Metaphors 111
FOCUS: Funny . . . and
Sometimes Creepy 113
FOCUS: Culture Clash: When Visual Metaphors Can Misfire 116
Visual Metaphor Lessons from the Media 118
Three Categories of Visual Metaphors 118
FOCUS: Verizon’s “Better Matters” Campaign Showcases Visual Metaphors 121
Visual Metaphor Criticism 122
Example Analysis 123
Applying Visual Metaphor
Criticism in Your Work 124
Chapter Summary 125
Key Terms 125
Practice Activities 126
References 127
Chapter 6: Storytelling 129
Visual Narratives
Simple Stories 129
Key Learning Objectives 132
Chapter Overview 132
People are Storytellers 132
Look Below the Surface 132
Narrative Paradigm Theory 134
Myths and Archetypes 136
FOCUS: Storytelling with Color 137
FOCUS: Character Archetypes 139
The Art and Science of Visuals 141
Descriptive Content and Literal Form 141
FOCUS: Storytelling
with Graphics and Typography 143
Figurative Imagery 145
Narrative Criticism 147
FOCUS: Ethical Implications of Storytelling Through Immersive Journalism 147
Analyzing Narratives 148
Example Analysis 149
Applying NPT and Visual Narrative Analysis in Your Work 151
Practice Activities 152
Chapter Summary 153
Key Terms 153
References 154
Chapter 7: Visual Voices 156
Fantasy Themes
Pictures Can Speak
Louder than Words 156
Key Learning Objectives 157
Chapter Overview 158
Everyday Dramatizing: We’re all Drama Queens and Kings 158
Symbolic Convergence Theory: A Merging of Imaginations 158
Key Assumptions 159
Visual Images Make Emotional Connections 162
Puppy Love 162
True Believers 162
Activism 163
Master the Basic Concepts 165
Fantasy Theme Analysis 165
FOCUS: Hands Up, Don’t Shoot: The Power of Visual Protests 165
Applying FTA to Visual Strategic Communication 171
Research 171
Public Relations: City Images and Political Campaigns 173
FOCUS: Political Issue Advertising 174
Public Affairs: Questioning News Sources 175
News Coverage: The Pope, a Nobel Prize, and a Nice Grown-Up 176
Magazines: Voices from, and for, Teens 176
FOCUS: Where to Find Symbolic Convergence? Nonprofit Fundraising Campaigns 177
How to Analyze and Create Visual Symbolic Messages 178
Fantasy Theme Analysis 178
Example of a Simple F TA Analysis 179
Your First Fantasy Theme Analysis 181
Applying Fantasy Theme Analysis 181
Chapter Summary 183
Key Terms 184
Practice Activities 184
References 185
Part Three: Using Visuals in Professional Communication 187
Chapter 8: Advertising 189
#FaceAnything 189
Key Learning Objectives 191
Chapter Overview 191
Photography in Society 192
A History of Photographic Influence 192
FOCUS: Culture Jamming Creates a Visual Battlefield 194
Strategic Visual Communication 196
The Power of Visuals in Advertising 196
Historical Snapshots 196
FOCUS: The Early Image Makers 197
Visual Rhetoric in Advertising 199
FOCUS: Color and Contrast 201
The Contemporary Advertising Landscape 203
Social Media/Mobile Visual Messaging 203
E-mail Marketing with Visuals 204
Outdoor and Ambient Visuals 204
Televisual Ads 206
Product Placement 206
Chapter Summary 209
Key Terms 209
Practice Activities 209
References 210
Chapter 9: Public Relations 213
Fearless Girl 213
Key Learning Objectives 215
Chapter Overview 215
A Brief History of PR: How Visuals Defined It 215
The Golden Age of Press Agentry: Publicity Stunts 216
Historical Snapshot: Popular Culture Images of the PR Practitioner 217
The Power of Visuals in the Modern ERA of PR 218
Environmental Issues 218
Nonprofit and Activist PR 220
FOCUS: What Does Mental
Health Look Like? 221
Political Communication 223
FOCUS: The Art of Making a Political Ad Feel Like an Uplifting Movie 225
Visual Rhetoric Strategies in PR Campaigns 226
Communicating CSR with Facts, Credibility, and Emotion 226
Visual Persuasion in Risk, Issue, and Crisis Management 228
City Branding and Destination Image-Making 229
Chapter Summary 233
Key Terms 234
Practice Activities 234
References 234
Chapter 10: Journalism 237
Refugee Border Crisis 237
Key Learning Objectives 239
Chapter Overview 239
Photojournalism 240
Archived Visual Evidence 240
Photojournalists and Popular Culture 241
FOCUS: The Seven Sisters and their Influence 243
Loss of Professional Photography 245
Television 246
News: Visual Society. Visual Anxiety 247
The How and Why of News 247
FOCUS: Seeing the Refugee 248
Digital Manipulation 249
FOCUS: Deepfakes Challenge Our Trust in Reality 251
Ethical Dilemmas 252
Digital Innovations and Social Media 253
Instagram 253
Social Media as Launch Pad 254
Video’s Giant Wave 254
Best Practices for News Sites 255
Critical Engagement with News Visuals 256
Morality Metaphors in News Front Pages 256
Visual Narratives in Editorial Cartoons 257
Visual Rhetoric of Political Satire 258
Racist Visual Framing in National Geographic 260
FOCUS: Magazines, Women, and Sexuality 262
Chapter Summary 264
Key Terms 265
Practice Activities 265
References 266
Chapter 11: Organizations 269
1984 269
Key Learning Objectives 272
Chapter Overview 272
Visual Modes 273
Four Major Areas 273
Understanding Organizations as Cultures 274
Becoming a Culture Detective 277
Values and Visuals 278
FOCUS: User-Generated Videos in the Workplace 279
Visual Cues in Marketing
and Promotion 279
Images Gone Wrong 280
Controversies and Crises 280
The Power of Visuals in Organizational Communication 282
Communicating Interpersonally: You’re the Visual 282
FOCUS: Hey, You! 282
Communicating Using Digital Media 283
How to Use GIFs in the Workplace 284
How To Put the Visual Edge in Presentations 284
FOCUS: Using Visual Systems to Drive Business Results 286
Chapter Summary 288
Key Terms 288
Practice Activities 289
References 291
Chapter 12: Intercultural Communication 293
Welcome to Middle Earth 293
Key Learning Objectives 296
Chapter Overview 296
Ways of Looking at Intercultural Communication and its Place in Mass Communication 296
Intercultural Visual Communication 297
FOCUS: The Founders: Hall and Hofstede 297
Corporate Intercultural Communication 299
Intercultural Communication and the News 301
FOCUS: La Peña: Intercultural Understanding and Social Justice 303
Intercultural Communication in Nonprofit Organizations 304
Cultural Imagery and its Ethical Implications 305
Fair LGBTQ+ Reporting 306
FOCUS: First Impartial LGBTQ+ Global News Service Confronts Stereotypes 306
Honored and Misused Cultural Symbols 308
Ads Lost in Translation 309
Deconstructing Intercultural Imagery 309
Culture-Specific Public Relations 310
FOCUS: Using Photography to Build Intercultural Literacy 311
The Transcultural Greenspeak of Greenpeace 312
Chapter Summary 315
Key Terms 315
Practice Activities 315
References 316
Index 319
