WEEK 2 Visual Literacy Foundations Flashcards

Flashcards for reviewing key concepts from Visual Literacy lecture notes.

Visual Literacy

The ability to recognize and understand ideas conveyed through visible actions or images.

Visual Literacy

A set of abilities that enables an individual to effectively find, interpret, evaluate, use, and create images and visual media.

Eye Anatomy

Parts of the eye responsible for vision: cornea, pupil, lens, iris, retina, optic nerve.

How the Human Eye Sees

The process by which the eye focuses light to create an inverted image on the retina, which is then sent to the brain via the optic nerve.

Optical Illusions

Illustrations that exploit how our brains process visual information, often leading to misinterpretations of size, shape, or color.

Blind Spot

The area where the optic nerve exits the eye, resulting in a lack of photoreceptors and a blind spot in our vision.

History of Visual Literacy

Has been around for generations but became a field of interest in the 1960s.

International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA)

Founded in 1968, credited John Debes with the term ‘visual literacy.

Body Language

Gestures and bodily movements used for communication.

Object Language

The use of objects for non-verbal communication.

Semiotics

The study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation.

Abstract Language Elements

Color, Light/Shadow, Line/Flow, Juxtaposition of Items, Perspective, etc.

Sign (Semiotics)

An entity that signifies another entity; a stimulus pattern that has meaning.

Natural Signs

Signs arising out of nature without intentionality (e.g., illness symptoms, rustling leaves, thunder).

Conventional Signs

Signs created with human intention (e.g., words, gestures).

Signifier

The word, gesture, or speech act that conveys meaning.

Signified

The meaning gathered from the signifier.

Symbols

Bear no physical resemblance to the thing they represent; the association is arbitrary and must be learned within a culture.

Examples: Peace signs, traffic lights, words, math symbols.

Icons

Have a perceived physical resemblance between the sign and what they represent.

Examples: Photo of Serena Williams, represents Serena Williams.

Indices

Show some type of physical relationship with what they represent and point to or indicate its meaning; often connected by cause and effect.

Examples: Smoke is a sign of fire, fever is a sign of illness.

Symbolism

The use of things to represent other things or to convey meaning beyond the literal sense.