INTRODUCTION OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION
Every
day, we use visual communication to understand our surroundings. To understand
what we are looking at, we use websites, advertisements, commercials, films,
business cards, and GPS. Interpreting the messages in the visual elements can
be an important key to visual literacy. When you look at your phone, you will
notice icons and symbols, colors and shapes, and moving visual
elements.
Visual
communication is the use of images and visuals to communicate and share
information. One part of communication design is involving producing and
educational, motivating and engaging message and one other part of
communication design is involve using design principles to communicate that
message in a clear and appealing manner. Visual communication should be equally
appealing and informative. Visual communication is the use of symbols and
imagery to convey information and ideas. Along with verbal communication and
nonverbal communication, it is one of the three main types of communication which
is tone and body language. People are said to rely the most on visual
communication, which includes signs, graphic designs, films, typography and
other examples.
There
are five visual examples around us that related to visual. Based from my
observation, there are three theories of visual communication which are
perceptive theory, semiotics visual theory, and rhetoric visual theory to
analyze and rationalize
Perception
theory is the process of selecting, organizing and interpreting information. B.
Berelson and G.A Steiner proposed perception theory in 1964 and assume that the
goal of mass communication is for audiences to pay attention to their messages
and change their attitudes or beliefs, or to produce the desired behavioral
responses. Perception theory describes how the brain interprets data from the
senses. Sense organs such as the eye, ear, and nose are suited to receive
information from the environment. Each sense organ is a part of the sensory
system, which receives sensory information and delivers it to the brain.
Semiotic
visual theory is the study of how images convey meaning and a branch of
semiotics concerned with visual sign. Ferdinand de Saussure, Roland Barthes and
Charles Sanders Peirce proposed semiotic visual theory in 1916 and there are
three key principles to remember which are semiotician believe all people see
the world through signs, the meaning of sign is created by people and semiotic
systems provide people with variety of resources. Semiotic visual theory has
two main components. First, there's the signifier, which gives a word or image
meaning, and the signified, which elicits a mental image or personal
interpretation of the signifier. Icons, symbols, and indices are three
different types of signifiers. Denotation and connotation are two further
components of the signified.
Rhetoric
visual theory is the study of visual imagery within the discipline of rhetoric.
Rhetoric is a body of knowledge that stretches back to classical Greece and is
concerned with the study of how people communicate using symbols in the most
basic sense, rhetoric is an ancient term for what we now call communication.
Visual rhetoric is a relatively recent subject of study within this
centuries-old profession
PRESENTATION
Picture
1: Presentation
Presentation is one of the examples
of visual communication. Using graphics to show information and data is easy
with a slide deck or presentation slides. When working with text-heavy data,
this is extremely handy. Presenting information through bar graphs, pie charts,
or tables helps the audience understand what speaker trying to express. Consider
reading full text during a presentation make the majority of the audience will
lose interest at some point. Visual aids are a great way to share important
information. Audiences do not want to view presentations with a lot of text on
the slides. Too much text distracts audience interest and understanding. The
slides will be good if the speaker know how summarize the material.
The visual communication of
presentation has been made possible by easily accessible software. Such
information appears to make it easier to understand, modify and transform
reality. Example of data presentation are lists and bullet points, table, line,
graphs, bar chart and flow charts. The tool kit included paradigms,
spatialization, vertical and horizonal orientation, graphic shapes and icons,
temporality and causality and research question.
The theory of visual perception can
be applied to the presentation. The brain gets information and then process it
using various brain parts. The founder of visual perception theory, Hermann Von
Helmhotz claimed that vision was a form of unconscious inference.
Semiotic visual theory can be used
to examine visual signs and symbolic messages in presentations. The steps of
semiotic visual theory are to analyze and interpret what the audience sees.
Semiotic visual theory will analyze the way audience receive the message from
the presentation.
Although rhetoric visual theory is
frequently used to describe non-textual, the usage and presentation of words is
still crucial to comprehending the visual as whole. The message is covered in
the presentation. By analyzing the rhetoric context, rhetoric visual theory can
be used to presentations. The purpose of presentation is to educate the
audience.
MIND
MAP
Picture
2: Mind map
Mind map is a diagram that is used
to visually organize data in a hierarchy, displaying relationships between
parts of the whole. It is frequently based on a single concept, which is drawn
as an image in the center point of a blank page and to which related
representations of ideas, such as images, words, and parts of words are added. Mind
map is also known as brainstorming exercise. It begins with a central topic
surrounded by a bubble then expands ideas by adding connected together with
lines to create relationship. Mind map can be used for more than just
brainstorming.
In mind mapping, perception visual
theory might be used. The mind map is about communication and language. A mind
map is a useful tool for helping students organize their thoughts while
learning to write. Before writing, the students used a mind map to help them
think and arrange their thoughts. Students can also use a mind map to help them
recall more information. According to Gestalt, there is a link between mind
maps and Gestalt theory, particularly the closeness principle. The Gestalt
concept of Proximity relates to the visual inclination to arrange similar
shapes together. In terms of categorization, the principle of proximity is
similar to mind maps. This visual perception theory operates on the basis of
proximity. Since we can develop mind maps that are useful in various
disciplines, proximity functions naturally in the brain.
The rhetoric visual theory has been
utilized to create a mind map. A mind map of communication and language using
rhetoric visual theory selects visual techniques to educate. Rhetoric visual
theory aids in the creation of a more efficient mind map. It comprises the
placement of elements within a text as well as font selection. The mind map is
designed to help students comprehend information more easily.
The mind map is analyzed using
semiotic visual theory. The most extensively used visual communication tool is
the mind map concept. The mind map will allow the audience to learn about the
symbols, signs and signifiers. A mind map is a diagram that depicts ideas and
concepts. A mind map can help can help to organize knowledge, analyze it,
synthesize it, recall it and come up with new ideas.
INFOGRAPHIC
Picture
3: Infographic
Infographic is a visual
representation of information or data. Infographic use a range of elements such
as photos, icons, text, charts, and graphs to convey information quickly. Infographics
present complex information or statistics in a great visual and impactful
format. Charts and graphs help viewers quickly understand data in a way that
words cannot. Infographics are sharable, search engine optimization friendly,
easy to understand and reliable sources. Readers process the visual content
more efficiently because infographics help cover lengthy text. Besides, readers
spend more time looking at the infographic than reading text on the page.
Infographics are effective in communicating information and data because they
combine the written word with visual elements to pack big ideas into small
spaces.
According to perception visual
theory, infographic help the information more detailed. L. H. Priego believes
that infographic can make the process of cognition more emotional. Infographic
as visual communication product representing a contracted multi-level visual
message and help to structure information. This infographic poster is about
student unemployment.
According to semiotic visual theory,
infographic poster applied five semiotic systems which are linguistic, visual,
audio, gestural and spatial system.
Infographic poster applied semiotic visual theory to make audience
easier to understand. This infographic poster about student unemployment
includes text, icons, illustrations, and graphs. All these elements together
are colored, sized and placed in a shared apace. An information graphic poster
that explains about definition of unemployment, factors of unemployment, how to
solve and conclusion.
According to rhetoric visual theory,
infographic tend to have minimal text because contain some writing and mostly
rely on visualization to communicate. Icons, graphics and images in
infographics can effectively communicate vast sums of information. An
information infographic poster designed to inform audience about main issue
about student unemployment
SCREENSHOT
Picture
4: Screenshot
A
screenshot also known as a screen capture is an image of the desktop of a
computer or image of a phone that can be saved as a graphics file. There are
several programs available for creating screenshot but it is easy to do without
any special program. Simple screenshots are an excellent example of a simple
technique to generate an image while delivering a relevant message.
The screenshot shows how many tickets for Malaysia
Railways Limited or Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad are still available. KTMB is
Peninsular Malaysia’s main rail operator, this screenshots how many tickets are
still available to inform user. When a user wants to compare gold and platinum
service, perception visual theory is applied. For example, while considering
whether to get gold or platinum service tickets, the perspective may be “I will
purchase gold service because it is more affordable”. Perception allows us to
operate within our environment as well as create experiences around us. Because
everyone views life situations and decisions differently, perception is
important to understanding human decision-making.
Semiotic visual theory is used in the screenshot. Icons
are used to recognize visual signs and express their purpose with a single
glance. For instance, the button symbol to select which ticket. Symbols used in
a KTMB screenshot to convey the meaning of some metaphorical and
non-metaphorical items. The example of metaphorical is the viewing two choices
provided by KTMB to the user which is gold or platinum. This screenshot also
contains a non-metaphorical sign. The example of non-metaphorical is the seats
available. It believed that the icon and symbol used in the KTMB screenshot are
a visual indicator that show cause and effect and communicate metaphorical and
non-metaphorical information.
Rhetoric visual theory also used in the screenshot. The
screenshot explains about seat availability between gold and platinum train
services. The target audience is the user of KTMB. The purpose is to inform
user.
ADVERTISEMENT
Picture
5: Advertisement
In
visual communication, advertisement refers to messaging the customer through
visual content. Advertisement in visual communication is the skill of employing
images as visual signals to explain a business. Whether using static or moving
images, multimedia marketing approaches drastically improve campaign success.
Visual content is important because it is so important in our lives. It is a
powerful way to draw someone's attention when it comes to advertising. Visual
communication is useful in advertising because it attracts more attention than
words, engages and maintains interest, and communicates quickly. Most
importantly, advertising is important because it can drive business growth by
reaching out to the right audience with targeted messages that convert
potential customers into buyers.
Perception visual theory is
essential to advertisement. Advertising message increasingly appear in a
variety of formats and in different media. Perception can be an important tool
in advertisement to make consumers want to try the product. Customer perception
refers to customers’ awareness, their impressions and their opinions about Nasi
Lemak by Ali’s Family advertisement. Perception in advertising relates to a
consumer’s impression of a particular product or service. Advertisement affects
customer’s perception when an advertisement gives a new information. Perception
visual theory methods are used in this advertisement to build a brand image
that customers will perceive as trustworthy, valuable and suited.
Semiotic
visual theory is used in advertising. A good example of this advertisement is
rice emoji. The rice does not directly show the customer what Ali’s Family
sells but when customer see the emoji, customer instantly know. The chicken
emoji shows that Ali’s Family sells Nasi Lemak Ayam that cost RM2. The fried
egg emoji shows that Ali’s Family sells Nasi Lemak Telur Mata at RM1.50.
This advertisement used rhetoric
visual theory. Rhetoric visual theory is explored through the advertisement and
becomes the basis of visual communication. The advertisement is to persuade
customer to buy Nasi Lemak by Ali’s Family. This advertisement also inform
customer to place order before midnight for next day delivery.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, visual communication
is the process of conveying a number of specific requirements or purpose to
others through the use of visual communication examples that can only be read with
the sense of sight. Visual communication using art, symbols, typography,
graphic design, illustration and color. There are three theories discussed
which are perception theory, semiotic visual theory and rhetoric visual theory.
Among the three forms of
communication, visual communication is clearly the most successful. People
recall 80% of what they see, 20% of what they read and 10% of what they hear.
Visual communication is important if people want to transmit information in a
variety of ways. It in incredibly effective and efficient if individuals can
use it effectively. Visual communication allows people to navigate through the
world. Visual communication is purposefully created to shape various elements
of our lives.
Visual communication has three
advantages. Firstly, time is saved by using visual communication. The exchange
of information via written and oral communication takes a long time. However, a
large number of receivers can be reached. Secondly, visual communication also
aids in speedy decision-making. When communication with others, the audience
prefer visual communication. Thirdly, visual communication is quite popular.
People do not like to spend time listening to speeches or reading extensive
explanation
REFERENCE
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