Visual Rhetoric Workshop

23 January 2007

Guiding questions

• What is visual rhetoric?

• What should we teach in a PWP course?

• Where does it fit?

What is visual rhetoric?

• Images as arguments

• Page design

• Rhetoric of whole documents

My take on visual rhetoric

Most concepts from traditional (verbal) rhetoric have visual analogs

Examples: visual rhetorical appeals

• Ethos– Full color printing on high gloss paper vs.

monochrome on cheap paper

• PathosPathos– Eye contact and subject distance in photographsEye contact and subject distance in photographs

• LogosLogos– The arguments of stock chartsThe arguments of stock charts– Visual rhetorical figuresVisual rhetorical figures

Examples: visual rhetorical appeals

• EthosEthos– Full color printing on high gloss paper vs. Full color printing on high gloss paper vs.

monochrome on cheap papermonochrome on cheap paper

• Pathos– Eye contact and subject distance in photographs

• LogosLogos– The arguments of stock chartsThe arguments of stock charts– Visual rhetorical figuresVisual rhetorical figures

Examples: visual rhetorical appeals

• EthosEthos– Full color printing on high gloss paper vs. Full color printing on high gloss paper vs.

monochrome on cheap papermonochrome on cheap paper

• PathosPathos– Photographs in which the subject makes eye Photographs in which the subject makes eye

contact can be more compellingcontact can be more compelling

• Logos– The arguments of stock charts– Visual rhetorical figures

Verbal Antithesis

"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues."

— Abraham Lincoln

Visual Antithesis

What should we teach in PWP courses?

What I try to teach…

• Visual arguments

• Documents as visual artifacts

Visual Arguments

• Types (photographs, diagrams, graphs, etc)

• Adapting for audiences (visual conventions, levels of abstraction, etc)

• Relationship between the visual and text

• Ethics (dishonest graphs, doctored images, etc)

Abstraction example: photographs vs. drawings vs. diagrams

Compressor

Combustor1

2 3

4

Turbine

Visual Arguments

• Types (photographs, diagrams, graphs, etc)Types (photographs, diagrams, graphs, etc)

• Adapting for audiences (visual conventions, Adapting for audiences (visual conventions, levels of abstraction, etc)levels of abstraction, etc)

• Relationship between the visual and text

• Ethics (dishonest graphs, doctored images, etc)

The Ethics of Representing Data

Numerical increase = 37.4%

Visual increase = 280%

Documents as visual artifacts

• Visually vs. non-visually informative texts

• Visual constraints

From Bernhardt’s “Seeing the Text”Rhetorical Control Visually Informative Non-visually Informative

Visual Gestalt Varied surface Homogenous surface

Development Localized Progressive

Partitioning Iconic Integrated

Emphasis Visual stress Intensifiers, sentence position

Subordinate Relations

Type-sized, headings, etc. Linear sequence of sentences and paragraphs

Coordinate Relations Listing structures and other graphic devices.

Juxtaposition, cohesive ties (especially additives)

Linking/Transitional Relations

Controlled visually Cohesive ties: conjunctives, deictics, etc

Sentence Patterns Variety. Use of Q/A, imperatives, fragments, etc

Complete. Little variation in mood. Mostly declaratives

Document Design

or

Which would you rather read?

Documents as visual artifacts

• Visually vs. non-visually informative textsVisually vs. non-visually informative texts

• Visual constraints– Typography– Color– Contrast– Etc

Readable slides

Typography – font size

Remember that your audience is far from the screen.

Arial

32 pt28 pt24 pt20 pt18 pt16 pt14 pt12 pt10 pt

TNR

32 pt28 pt24 pt20 pt18 pt16 pt14 pt12 pt10 pt

Courier

32 pt28 pt24 pt20 pt18 pt16 pt14 pt12 pt10 pt

Comic

32 pt28 pt24 pt20 pt18 pt16 pt14 pt12 pt10 pt

Lucida Sans

32 pt28 pt24 pt20 pt18 pt16 pt14 pt12 pt10 pt

Readable slidesColor

Use dark text on a light background

Or use light text on a dark background

Never use red text on a green background

Never use green text on a red background

Colors have emotional effects. This combination is known to cause agitation in audiences

Blue and green backgrounds are more soothing

Red backgrounds can have a similar effect

Where can it fit?

• Document design

• PowerPoint / posters

• Constructing and incorporating graphics

• Ethics discussions

Resources

• Visual rhetoric bibliography

• Electronic resources– IX Visual Exercises– ARHU Visual Literacy Site

• Me