IB SL Paper 1 - Style Devices

line

can be used to create more complex shapes or to lead your eye from one area in the composition to another

value

• the contrast between black and white and all the tones in between

• can be used with color as well as black and white. contrast is the extreme changes between values.

  • high contrast - small range of values

  • low contrast - large range of values

shapes

can be organic (irregular shapes found in nature) or geometric (shapes with strong lines and angles such as circles, triangles, and squares)

forms

• three-dimensional shapes with length, width, and depth. Balls, cylinders, boxes and pyramids are formed.

• light, shadow effects, contrast, color used to create the illusion of depth

space

the area between and around objects. increasing or decreasing the amount of space around an object affects the way we view that object.

color

differentiates and defines lines, shapes, forms, and space

texture

• the surface quality that can be seen and felt

• are often implied

balance

the way that visual aspects and elements are distributed within a piece

contrast

• the pairing of elements that are opposite from one another

• draws the eye from place to place and allows artists to create focal points, or areas of high visual interest

movement

• the path the viewer's eye takes through the work of art, often to focal areas

• can be directed along lines, edges, shape, and color within the work of art

emphasis

used to attract a viewer's attention to the focal point, or main subject, of an artwork

pattern

a design in which lines, shapes, forms or colours are repeated

proportion

the dimensions of a composition and relationships between height, width and depth

unity

• a sense that all the parts fit together visually

• cohesion and agreement within different aspects the painting

headline

bold text that reveals the topic of the article and should provide a hook

images

• photographs of people and places are common features of magazine articles

• almost always posed and unnatural

layout

look out for box-outs, bullet points, ears and other kinds of features

buzzwords

being up-to-date, relevant and current means some articles make use of buzzwords and words that are popular at the time of publication

viewpoint

blogs normally represent the interests and opinions of an individual, so are normally first person

diction

depending on the topic, writers of blogs could employ a specialist vocabulary or use technical terms

visuals

blogs may illustrate the text with cartoons, images or photographs (perhaps illustrated or taken by the writers themselves)

structure

chronological and linear structures with subheadings, clear connectives or other features helping organize the text

ethos

emotions of a speaker or writer that are expressed in the attempt to persuade an audience, gives a person credibility

logos

author makes clear, logical connections between ideas, and includes the use of facts and statistics

pathos

to persuade an audience by purposely evoking certain emotions to make them feel the way the author wants them to feel

juxtaposition

two things are put beside each other with contrasting effect

exaggeration

overdoing physical characteristics of people or things in order to make a point

labeling

Objects or people are often labeled to make it clear exactly what they stand for.

symbolism

objects are used to stand for larger concepts or ideas

allusion

a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance

analogy/metaphor

a comparison between two unlike things

irony

the difference between the way things are and the way things should be

exposition

text that tells the story is presented as captions

emanata

items such as dots, lines, exclamation marks or onomatopoeia that depict action, emotion or sound

punchline

especially apparent in four-panel comic strips, the joke is revealed in the last panel

cartoonification

how realistic the images in the cartoon are

• realism is measured on a spectrum from photorealistic or lifelike to simplified.

illustrations

icons are simplified mages that symbolize certain ideas from the text

copy

infographics are multimodal, meaning there will be some brief text included

• headlines, labels, snippets of text

design

color, typography, font and other features should combine to help you get information and also engage your interest

composition

the term given to a complete work of art and, more specifically, to the way in which all its elements work together to produce an overall effect

syntax

the way the words are organized

punctuation

marks indicating how a piece of written text should be read and, consequently, understood

imagery

visual symbolism, or figurative language that evokes a mental image

hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

simile

figure of speech that directly compares two things

dramatic irony

occurs when the audience knows something that the characters don't

verbal irony

when what is said is the opposite of the literal meaning

situational irony

when the outcome is the opposite or completely different from what was expected