Visual Communication is the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon. Primarily associated with two dimensional images, it includes: art, signs, photography, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustration, color and electronic resources.
Visual Communication Images with messages attempts to explore several questions. Since the widespread use of Gutenberg's printing press,there has always been the cultural assumption that information is best communicated through written formats. But since the invention of the computer and desktop publishing, the role of visual messages in the communication process is expanding.
The most powerful, meaningful and culturally important messages are those that combine words and pictures in equally respectful ways.
We experience the world most of the time through our eyes. Recognition of vision’s unique power has led to the development of many new forms of visual communication. Our eyes are now seen as valuable targets for
visual content hoping to make an impression. Visual communication comes in many forms, many of which are designed to entertain us through moving images, such as film, television, and video games.
You can touch something, smell something, hear something, see something, taste something and all the things you apperceive, you can turn in to a visual in your mind. Most of the time, that is what we do with our senses.
The study of signs. Signs can take many forms such as the form of words, images, sounds, odours, flavours, acts or objects. It are not just signs themselves. The process in which sings are being used for communication and meaning-making.
Uses visual communication
Ideogram
An ideogram or ideograph is a graphical symbol that represents an idea, rather than a group of letters arranged according to the phonemes of a spoken language, as is done in alphabetic languages.
Digital storytelling
Digital storytelling consists of a series of still images or video images, combined with a narrated sound track to tell a story
Point of View
The goal of digital storytelling is to allow the writer to experience the power of personal expression.
Dramatic Question
A digital story holds the attention of the audience by having a dramatic question that is resolved at the end of the story.
Emotional Content
The most effective digital story evokes an emotion from the audience.
Voice and Images
Digital storytelling allows students to be heard. Students record themselves narrating their owns scripts. This is one of the most essential elements that contribute to the effectiveness of digital storytelling.
Sound Track
Properly used, music can enhance and underscore the accompanying story.
Economy
Digital stories are powerful, but short. This is the most difficult part for the creators. The author must express their ideas in two to three minutes.
Pacing
This is the art of storytelling. Rhythm and voice punctuation cause the audience to “get into” the story.
Cinematography
The first attempt at cinematography can be traced back to the world's first motion picture film,Roundhay Garden Scene.
Aspects of cinematography
Film stock
The lab
Filters
Lens, Focal lenght
Depht of field and focus
Aspect ratio and framing
Lighting
Camera movement
Special effects
Frame rate selection
Semiotics
You can analyse this process with three layers.
Semantics
This is the relation between signs and the things they refer to. That means ‘meaning’.
This is the relation between signs and the things they refer to. That means ‘meaning’.
If we use the semantics with words it is about the actually meaning of the word separated or connected as in phrases. It is the denotation of the word. For example the word ‘chair’, you know that it is something you can sit on.
Syntactics
This is the relation of sings to each other in formal structures. That means ‘form’
If we use the syntactics with words it could be for instance contain grammer.
The structure of a sentence should be in the right following. For example:
Do you take that? OR Take you that does?
Pragmatics
This is the relation of signs to their impacts on those who use them. That means ‘function’.
If we use the pragmatics for words, the interpretation could be different than the sender means. A simple word like ‘that’ can refer to different things depending on the context. The practical use of signs.
Code and message
In our lives we constantly send messages that consists of different signs. These messages (basis anything from making a phone call, waving your hand or clothes we wear) are bases on codes, culturally systems of relationships. Living in a certain environment we internalize sets of codes that effect our semiotic behaviour, whether we are aware of it or not.
Denotation and connotation
Denoration is the 'literal or obvious meaning' or the 'first-order signifying system'. For example the denotative meaning of an image refers to it's literal, decriptive meaning. Connotation refers to 'second-order signifying systems', additional cultural meanings we can also find from the image or text.
To illustrate the denotation and connotation you can watch this movie:
Denotation & Connotation
Semiotics could be systematic the signifying process of images dividing in three levels (Anke Coumans):
- The aesthetic level, ‘form’
It is the relating to the visual form. - The referential level, ‘meaning’
It is related to the content or the referential force of the image. - The discursive level, ‘function’
It is relating to the communication or sense
Semiotics is a field of research that studies signs as an essential part of cultural life and communication. According to semiotics, we can only know culture (and reality) by means of signs, through the process of signification.
Roman Jakobsen wrote: "Every message is made of signs; correspondingly, the sciense of signs termed semiotic deals with those general principles which underlie the structure of alle signs whatever, and with the character of their utilization within messages, as well a with tge specifics of various sign systems, and of the diverse mesages usging those different kind of signs"
Signs are the perceived aspect of communication. Reading and interpreting signs is a fundamental cultural activity.
There are two historical theories about semiotics. The Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure and the Americam philosopher Charles Sandres Peirce.
You can read more about them on Wikipedia.
Code and message
In our lives we constantly send messages that consists of different signs. These messages (basis anything from making a phone call, waving your hand or clothes we wear) are bases on codes, culturally systems of relationships. Living in a certain environment we internalize sets of codes that effect our semiotic behaviour, whether we are aware of it or not.
Denotation and connotation
Denoration is the 'literal or obvious meaning' or the 'first-order signifying system'. For example the denotative meaning of an image refers to it's literal, decriptive meaning. Connotation refers to 'second-order signifying systems', additional cultural meanings we can also find from the image or text.
To illustrate the denotation and connotation you can watch this movie:
Denotation & Connotation
Linguistic and Cultural Semiotics is a branch of communication theory that investigates sign systems and the modes of representation that humans use to convey feelings, thoughts, ideas, and ideologies.
If the semiotics didn’t exist, there would be a huge problem in de communication with other cultures and languages.
Visual Communication terms
Visual Communication terms
- Visual perception
It's a sencery thing. Example: you have the feeling someone is watching you but you can't see him. - Visual field
The physical 'eye' - Visual sensation
It's a wider sense than just physical. Your whole body will react on it and not just you eyes or brains. Example: The Coca Cola commercial on Christmas. If you like Coca Cola or not, it gives you a warm feeling. - Visual Modulations
- Visual Disciminations
This is mental. You are organising a image and edit it physical. Example: You see a horror movie and how do you react on it? How do you physical edit it?
Uses visual communication
 |
| Identification |
- Identification
We see things. Like the example of Simon Palser in class of the olympic sports - Characterisation
You can create things in different ways. Like the toilet symbols of woman and man. You can create them in different ways but we still recognize. - Evaluation
Who is powerfull? Who is more important? - Prescripting
This is a sort of intsruction. Like the medical icons in a hospital. That are codes. - Relating
It show relationships between something. Try to make things easier to understand. Like we try to explain how big something is and we talk about 'three footballfields' or 'dubble busses', or a 'deck of playing cards' It is a reference point to visual images.
How analyse images
- Personal > gut reaction
- Historical > when? (like mobile phones)
- Technical > the image of Da Vinci art or a building plan of a house
- Ethical
- Cultural > the ritual like the colour orange in Holland
- Critical> This is the combination of all the point together. You think about it, Does it belong to me or works it better somewhere else?
