Visual Literacy

Pay Attention To:

• Body language - Non-verbal communication.

• Gestures - Hand movement.

• Facial expressions - What emotion are they showing, need to explain how you came to this conclusion.

• Verbal communication - What is said.

• Tone - How it is implied to be said.

• Setting - What the background is.

• Scale - How large or small one character is to another.

• Stereotypes and Caricatures - Is the cartoon showing a generalisation about a group.

• Speech bubbles - How what the characters are saying is shown.

• Thought bubbles - What the character is thinking about.

• Mood - How does it make the reader feel using tone.

What to Focus on:

• Caricature:

  • A drawing that distorts a person or thing for humourous reasons.

• Stereotype:

  • A generalisation of a group of people.

  • Often based on prejudice.

• Symbolism:

  • Simple objects that stand for larger objects or ideas.

  • Identify the symbol then think about what they mean.

  • Exaggeration can be symbolic.

• Exaggeration:

  • Things that seem overdone or overblown.

  • Find the symbolism.

• Labelling:

  • Objects are often labelled to make what they stand for clearer.

  • Think about why something has been labelled as it has.

  • Does the label make the object clearer?

• Analogy:

  • A comparison between two unlike things that share similar qualities.

  • Eg. Comparing a complex situation with a more common one to help readers see it in a different light.

  • Say if the point is made clearer or not.

• Irony:

  • The difference between the ways things are and they way they should be.

  • Think of the point of the irony and what it is emphasizing.

  • Does it make the meaning more clear?

Questions to Ask:

• What issue(s) is/are being explored?

• What is the cartoonist’s opinion on the issue.

• What is another possible opinion on the issue.

• Do you find it persuasive, why or why not?

• What other techniques could make it more persuasive?

First Steps:

• Orientate yourself.

• Identify the product/service/message.

• Who is present, if anyone?

• What techniques are used?

What to Focus on:

• Purpose:

  • Is it advertising a product/service or raising awareness?

  • Overall purpose is to attract attention.

• Target market/audience:

  • The specific group that would be most likely interested in the product.

  • Advertisements are designed with this in mind.

• Catch phrase:

  • The first set of words in the advert.

  • Attracts the viewers attention.

  • Usually in bold or larger.

• Slogan:

  • Short, hard-hitting phrase that appears underneath the product name.

  • A good slogan will become associated with the product.

• Logo:

  • An image or text that is unique and shows what the business or product is about.

First Steps:

• Analyse and show understanding of the relationship between the text and images.

• Identify:

  • Context - What has happened before this scene.

  • Setting - Where it is.

  • Characters - Who is shown.

  • Story - What is happening.

• Look for anticlimax, irony, puns, misunderstanding, etc.

• Find the humour even if you don’t find it funny.

What to Focus on:

• Cartoons:

  • Reflect social trends or highlight serious issues.

  • Can have major impact despite its simplicity.

  • Common topics include human behaviour, public figures, politics, fashion, sports, relationships and everyday life.

Terms:

• Comic strip - A sequence of drawings telling a story. Found in newspapers, etc.

• Frame - Each separate picture in a strip.

• Punchline - The final phrase providing further humour.

• Font - Size and style of the letters.

• Movement lines - Lines that show that the character or object is in motion.

• Punctuation - Used to create more meaning.

• Speech bubbles - Indicates words are being spoken.

• Though bubbles - Indicates words are being thought.

• Visual clues - Parts used to help show what the cartoon is about.

• Irony - One thing is said, another is meant.

• Stereotype - Generalisation of a group.

• Satire - Humour used to make a serious point.

• Anti-climax - Tension is created and something important is expected but instead it ends ordinarily.

Analyse:

• The images and general layout of an ad.

• Logo, slogan and headline.

• How the pictures are positioned, which fonts are used, how the background is filled and which colours are used.

• Product being sold.

Textual Elements:

• Messaging.

• Analysis of the words in the ad.

• Identifying language/diction used in the ad to persuade customers.

  • “Persuasive Devices”.

• Eg. Alliteration, rhetorical questions, exaggeration, emotive language, repetition and personal pronouns

• Persuasive Modes:

  • Ethos (Ethics) - Establishing personal credentials, trust.

  • Pathos (Pity) - Inspiring emotions, feel.

  • Logos (Logic) - Arguing based on facts and reason, think.

Persuasive Techniques:

• Bandwagon.

• Celebrity endorsement.

• Rule of three.

• Repetition.

• Rhetorical questions.

• Personal pronouns.

• Hyperbole.

• Anecdotes.

• Expert opinion.

• Statistics and examples.

• Bias.

• Generalisations.

• Puns.