analyzing visuals
DESCRIPTION
Analyzing Visuals. March 9 th , 2011. Three Primary uses of visuals. Visual as f ocus Visual as support Visual alone & No visual. Visual as Focus. Visual as Support. Visual Alone. No Visual. Why Take Different Approaches?. Some Background. Plato’s Problem. Images > Language. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
March 9th, 2011
Analyzing Visuals
Visual as focusVisual as supportVisual alone
&No visual
Three Primary uses of visuals
Visual as Focus
Visual as Support
Visual Alone
No Visual
Why Take Different Approaches?Some Background
Images > LanguageVisuals/sight/images
are always TrueLanguage could hide
TruthRefined/educated
language ≈ the sign of wit and wisdom, but also dangerous power
Plato’s ProblemLanguage > Writing
Not everyone sees things the same way…
Sorry Plato…
How ironic is this guy?Yes, those are painted.
Language as Arguments
Visuals are interpreted through languageLanguage (and visuals)
show value “other” have a certain literacy attached to them
Some Similarities
Show Value
Othering
Visual Literacy
Visuals and text share terms:compositionsubjectobjectactiontensionfigures
Some people are “visual people” & can’t help but pair language and visuals
More Similarities
Visualizing Language
Verbal & visual arguments have requirementsTopicSourcesTonePositionInternal cohesion (consistent
terms/position/tone)Anchored evidence
introduced referencedsynthesized
Visuals as Arguments
Visual ≈ Verbal Arguments
2 Most Common Visual Arguments
Visual as SupportConcepts are
difficult to imagineConcepts are best
served with visual evidence
Audience (maybe) reading quickly
Audience (maybe) more attracted to visuals
There is no space for visuals
The concepts are simple or easy to visualize
The concepts are too abstract for visuals
Visual as Support vs No VisualNo Visual
AnchoredVisuals are
integrated into the text
Visuals are discussed
e.g. “As the chart in Figure 1 shows…” or “Republicans are known for conservative spending practices (Figure 1)”
Visuals are not discussed in text
Language and visuals, although focused on same topic/subject, are not explicitly linked
Visuals can be more difficult to connect to text
Visuals of Support: 2 typesUnanchored
Concepts Are Difficult to Imagine“Black holes are avaricious negative spaces, in outer space”
Black holes, avaricious, and negative space can be confusing if not entirely impossible to imagine
Concepts are best served with visual evidence“Yakuza are Japanese gang members that have their entire bodies tattooed”
“Their entire bodies” isn’t 100% accurate, the visual here shows the full meaning and how it is a symbol of belonging.
Audience Has Limited Attention…You have 7 seconds (that’s pretty standard) to analyze the next visual...ready?...
What is the title?What is the purpose?
What are the major symbols?What is the ideological framework?
So?
Audience More Attracted to Visuals...Some audiences simply gravitate more toward (meaning they want more) visuals than text…
No Visual is an Argument too
No space for visualsPublishers or standards won’t allow visualsMedium does not support visuals
No Place for Visuals
Simple conceptsEatingSleepingWalkingRunningSitting
Easily Imagined ConceptsFlyingSailingCycling
Simple or Easily Imagined Concept
When explaining the visual would take more time then explaining the concept itself or when the visual would be too complex to realistically processEvolutionMaking a difficult decisionSucceeding on a testFacebook connections in Lubbock
Too Abstract of a Concept
How Would You Analyze These?
Our Old Friend Banksy
Map of Time in InceptionGood? Bad? What is your analysis?
GOOD article on ScrabbleAppropriate? Too much? What do you think?
How Important is That Visual?Does it lend to your understanding of the article? How does it contribute to the author’s argument?
Measuring the Information SocietyLet’s see how the technical communicators do…
Cognitive Strategies for Learning from Static andDynamic VisualsAnother tech comm text
Fun OnesMaking the fun, funner!
Brief Assignment 6Due Tuesday, March 22th
Read "The Politics of Cohabitation" on pg. 411-418 of First-Year Writing. Joy Van Marion uses four visuals, which are intended to provide strong
support for her argument. Which visual is most strongly "anchored" in the text: Table 1, 2, 3, or 4?
In other words, which visual does Van Marion provide the most reference to in the text in using it to support her argument?
How might she have better anchored the other visuals to provide stronger support that is clear to the reader, rather than a vague implication which is left up to the reader to draw for himself or herself?
Be sure to support your decision with solid, logical evidence from the text.
Read "Unmarried with Children" on pg. 422-426 of First-Year Writing. Though this article details the results of a study, Kathryn Edin and Maria
Kefalas do not use any visuals to explain their findings. Why might they have chosen this rhetorical effect? What effect does their decision not to use visuals have on the reader? Be sure to support your discussion with solid, logical evidence from the text.
Answer one of the following in a 300-500 word essay