Visual and Virtual Communication

0.0(0)
studied byStudied by 2 people
learnLearn
examPractice Test
spaced repetitionSpaced Repetition
heart puzzleMatch
flashcardsFlashcards
Get a hint
Hint

1Visual communication definition

Get a hint
Hint

The process of interpeting messages in visual forms alongside verbal language.

Get a hint
Hint

1Why does visual communication matter today?

Get a hint
Hint

In today’s media saturated world, we are more likely to watch than read. Images shape social consciousness.

Card Sorting

1/78

Anonymous user
Anonymous user
encourage image

There's no tags or description

Looks like no tags are added yet.

Study Analytics
Name
Mastery
Learn
Test
Matching
Spaced

No study sessions yet.

79 Terms

1
New cards

1Visual communication definition

The process of interpeting messages in visual forms alongside verbal language.

2
New cards

1Why does visual communication matter today?

In today’s media saturated world, we are more likely to watch than read. Images shape social consciousness.

3
New cards

1Images are used to…

…inform, persuade and evoke emotions.

4
New cards

1Visual literacy

The ability to read and create meaning from images.

5
New cards

1Visual culture

How images represent and transform individuals and society.

6
New cards

1Polyvalence

Visuals evoke multiple and different emotions.

7
New cards

1Polysemy

Visuals can mean different things.

8
New cards

1Authorship

Who created the image and what that means for interpretation.

9
New cards

1Presence(Perelman, Olbrechts-Tyteca, 1958)

A rhetorical effect of making something feel immediate, real on an image.

10
New cards

1Vividness

Emotional, sensory rich visuals.

11
New cards

1Historical Perspective

Visual communication is not new, it dates back to cave paintings, hieroglyphics and stained glass windows——> to shape cultural identity

12
New cards

1Visuals and Persuasion

Images act rhetorically. They persuade by triggering emotions, reinforcing ideas and helping us build identity.

13
New cards

1Pictorial Turn

Major shift in how we think about communication. Shift from focusing on languages to images.

14
New cards

2Visual Semiotics definition

How meaning is created through images and signs and how visuals communicate beyond words. Helps us unpack the hidden codes.

15
New cards

2Ferdinand de Saussure

-Dyadic model- signifier (the form) and signifier (the idea)

-Denonation-literal meaning

-Connotation- cultural/emotional meaning

16
New cards

2Charles Sanders Pierce

-Triadic model: Sign= Representamen+Object+Interpretant

17
New cards

2Three types of signs

Icon(resembles what is represents)

Index(has a physical link)

Symbol (arbitrary, cultural)

18
New cards

2Roland Barthes

Extended Saussure’s work, added myth(connotation that feels natural)

19
New cards

2Color Semiotics

Colors carry meaning too, examples

20
New cards

2Three steps to a visual semiotic analysis

  1. verbal signs: what is written or said

  2. visual signs: what is seen(objects, color, design)

  3. symbolic message: what meanings are conveyed

21
New cards

3Visual Rhetoric definition

The study of how images function persuasively, like language, a form of communication through images that argues, influences or persuades.

22
New cards

3Where is visual rhetoric used?

In ads, political posters, art memes, public campaigns.

23
New cards

3Why argue visually?

Images are not just for seeing, they’re for thinking, judging, interpreting. Visuals can be powerful arguments-they influence attitudes, beliefs and decisions.

24
New cards

4Visual Metaphor

Showing something as something else, based on similarity, ex.: a rhino as a car.

25
New cards

4Visual Metonymy

Showing a part to represent a whole, based on association ex.: a crown for royalty

26
New cards

4Philips and McQuarrie, 2004

3 visual structures, based on how two image elements are arranged. These structures create surprise, attention, interpretive reward——> increasing ad impact.

27
New cards

4Juxtaposition

2 elements placed side-by-side, not blended. Encourages viewers to compare them. ex: beer and lightbulb

28
New cards

4Fusion

2 elements are visually merged into one form. ex: headphones shaped like a woman’s body, sexy sounds

29
New cards

4Replacement

1 element is missing an the other one represents it. ex: chicken as a car, car is as quiet as a chicken.

30
New cards

4Why are visuals so persuasive?

They evoke involuntary reactions, “you can’t unsee it”

31
New cards

4Enthymemes

Leaving parts unsaid so the viewer completes meaning.

32
New cards

4Types of persuasion in ads

Convincing, manipulating, forcing

33
New cards

4Heuristics

How ads catch our attention. They are mental shortcuts ads use to influence us.

34
New cards

4Representativeness

Looks like quality, people believe it is.

35
New cards

4Halo effect

One positive trait influences others, ex: attractive influencer

36
New cards

4Bandwagon effect

Everyone else is using it, so you should too.

37
New cards

4Ingroup Bias

Creating an “us vs. them” identity

38
New cards

5Feminized Environments

Nature as passive, fertile, erotic, nurturing

Associated with flowers, butterflies, fruits, sunsets, smooth curves, soft focus

Color: Pastel, soft greens, yellows and gold

39
New cards

5How is the woman portrayed?

As one with the nature, objectified and idealized, reinforcing essentialist femininity.

40
New cards

5Masculine Environments

Nature as wild, rugged, powerful, a place to conquer

Associated with mountains, desert rocks, snowy peaks

Colors: Deep reds, browns, blues, high contrast, sharp focus.

41
New cards

5How is the man portrayed?

As a dominant agent over nature and self.

42
New cards

5Hope(2004)-Gendered Environments

Ads merge nature and gender to mask overconsumption and hide environmental degradation.

-feminine nature- consumption tied to beauty and romance

-masculinized nature- consumption tied to control, adventure, risk

43
New cards

5Gender neutral advertising

Many brands aim for inclusivity. Fluid and inclusive portrayals.

44
New cards

6News definition (Perloff, 2020)

A narrative account of new or recent matters of public interest, Perloff, 2020.

45
New cards

6News are not neutral…

…they construct reality. News frame events to shape perception.

46
New cards

6Visual rhetoric in news

Backdrops (flags, government buildings)

Photos evoke emotions, frame stories and enhance credibility.

47
New cards

6News values(Harcup and O’Neill+Bednarek and Caple)

These guide what becomes newsworthy

Power Elite, Celebrity, Surprise, Negativity, Timeliness, Personalization, Aesthetic Appeal, Impact, Proximity, Superlativeness, Entertainment

48
New cards

6News Images

Affect us emotionally and fast, shape what we consider important, urgent or real

49
New cards

6Cartoon definition

A visual parody that exaggerates reality. May be humorous or savage, included political cartoons and animated media.

50
New cards

6Cartoon functions

Use fantasy and exaggeration to reflect reality

Combine precision of meaning with symbolic shortcuts

Often express opinions, challenge norms or satirize authority.

51
New cards

6Disney and Looney Tunes

Created a fantasy world that blurred the line between fiction and social critique

They contained racist and censored content, now banned.

52
New cards

6How do films persuade

Through credible narratives and emotional immersion. Use of cinematic tools to construct meaning.

53
New cards

6History of films

First film: Roundhay Garden Scene 1888

First colored motion picture: Flowers and trees 1937

Snow white: first full length animated Disney film

54
New cards

6Seeing is believing

Film is more than storytelling, it feels real due to visual illusion. It constructs belief systems, identities and values through emotional engagement.

55
New cards

6Visual argumentation in different genres

Visual argumentation doesn’t belong to one form-it crosses genres. Each genre uses visuals in a specific way to inform, influence and entertain. They build narratives, shape opinions, and argue through emotion, framing and symbolism.

56
New cards

7Film rhetoric

Is about how movies persuade, evoke emotion, shape meaning and reflect ideology using visual and auditory language.

57
New cards

7Film language

Treats film as a grammar of visual signs. Focuses on how the movie is made: camera angles, editing, sound, color, POV.

Key question: How do visual techniques shape meaning?

example: in psycho the shower scene: using close ups, fast cuts and music to create terror, without showing the actual stabbing.

58
New cards

7Film ideology

Sees film as a carrier of cultural values or critiques. Analyzes what the film says about power, gender, race, capitalism,etc.

Key question: What ideologies are reinforced or challenged?

example: in psycho,explores gender roles, mental illness and control

59
New cards

7Film interpretation

Is a rhetorical situation involving director, viewer and text. Meaning is open and created in the act of viewing.

Key question: How do different audiences interpret the same film?

example: psycho-normans house has three floors, interpreted as Freud’s psyche (id,ego,superego)

60
New cards

7Film Identification

Rhetoric as emotional engagement and character alignment.

Key question: How does the fulm create or block our identification?

example: psycho, our sympathy is constantly manipulated. feeling uncomfortable with identifying with a killer.

61
New cards

7MacGuffin

A plot device that seems important in ths early story turns out to be not important at all.

62
New cards

7Voyeurism

Watching someone without them knowing.

63
New cards

7Camera work

70angles, slow motion, editing instead of gore

64
New cards

7Music

Violins by Bernand Hermann—→audio horror, music=rhetoric

Leitmotif-repeating melody tied to a character

65
New cards

7Leitmotif

Functions: emotive, informative, descriptive, guiding, temporal, rhetorical.

66
New cards

8Political Image making

A candidate’s image is a carefully constructed visual identity. Visuals often merge the identity of the candidate with the nation.

67
New cards

8Convention Films

Replaced speeches with short, emotional, patriotic films.

68
New cards

8Tactics of Convention films

Patriotic music+montage of the ideal America

Focus on values, community, empathy

Show human side of the candidatez

69
New cards

8Recurring rhetorical patterns

Ideal american man-military,sports,politics

empathetic individualist-connects with the public

visionary-introduces hope filled future

no conflict shown-creates unity illusion.

70
New cards

8Modern Political Visuals

  1. Branding and Identity-Obama’s hope poster, iconic campaign symbol

  2. Memes and Remix Culture ex:Bernie Sanders mittens or kamala harris brat meme

  3. Official Photography ex Obama-candid, warm, Trump-dramatic,dominant

  4. Deepfakes and Disinformation-ex Zelensky deepfake calling for surrender

71
New cards

10Visuality in Sports

Uses symbolic images, national narratives and emotional rhetoric to shape public perception. Sports media is not just about reporting events but also about contructing shared meaning, pride and spectacle.

72
New cards

10What is sports communication?

“A process by which people in sport, in a sport setting, or through a sport endeavor, share symbols to create meaning through interaction.” (Pedersen, 2007)

73
New cards

10Topics in Sports Communication Research

Social media, sport magazine covers, sports photography, gender portrayal, visual framing, objectification and bias, visual analysis

74
New cards

10History of Sport and Media

Sports were visual and symbolic:

-egyptian pharaohs ran to show strength

-ancient greek olympic winners-epinikia

-achievements were carved in stone inscriptions

-media of the past-epics,sculptures, public rituals

75
New cards

10Olympics as a Media event

The olympics are a media spectacle and economic tool.

Since 1984 Los Angeles-profit driven

The games create emotional, national and heroic narratives.

76
New cards

10Rhetorical Narratives

Heroes vs. Villains

National pride, unity, identity

77
New cards

10Visual Frames

Athletes are shown as ideal bodies, icons, patriots.

78
New cards

10Case Examples

Sydney 2000-boosted economy and tourism, framed as national celebration

Athens 2004- beautiful visual campaign, long term effect: debt

Rio 2016- great scenery, hospitality, issues: empty seats, security, inequality

79
New cards

10Olympic Promotion Videos(1988-2024)

First video: Seoul, 1988.

Videos use: emotional music, rich visuals, cultural pride and identity, targeting global audiences not just nationals