Introduction to Visual Rhetoric

Theory, Practice, and Method

AP English 112006

So What?Why Care? Or: but the essay’s been working fine!!!

Not an either/or situationResponsive to calls for multi-literacies

within composition pedagogyIt’s part of the AP examReal world practicality/applicabilityBecause it’s fun!

Definitions: or: Ever notice rhetoricians can’t agree on the definition of anything?

Quickest definition: a form of communication that uses images to create meaning or construct an argument

At the core:the idea that visuality and materiality are important parts of creating meaning within any communicative act

Major Concerns: or: what’s at the bottom of all this?

Poststructuralist Analysis

Beyond the Aesthetic

Expression or Argumentation

Poststructa-what?: or give me the jist

Sign: what is seen, read, or experiencedSignified: what is meant or interpreted

PS abandons the primacy of authorially intended meaning of a signifier

PS teases out the infinite multiplicity of the signifier

PS asserts sign/signifier interpretation is historically, culturally, and socially situated

Invisible Visual Rhetoric: or: that sounds kinda cool,

huh?

Margins use alignment to guide the eye downward smoothly

Black words on white paper allow for maximum contrast

Just the right amount of space between words allows for proximity of connection but also distinctive elements

Flimsy weakness of paper suggests the ephemeral andtemporary nature of the work?

Invisible Not Natural: or: on checking your assumptions

These visual conventions of the essay are normalized, not normalThese are cultural conventions that have developed socially over time.

The Culprit: or: Standards, standards, standards

Cultural Associations: or: you don’t see what I see

I’ll always ask you this question first:

What do you see?

Forward pushing motion suggests a “let’s go to work” mentality

Muted gold suggests potential riches while remaining humble

The figure of the Boilermaker suggests blue-collar, hard-workingdetermination.

Heavy on top, skinny on bottom suggests strength and swiftness

He’s white. He’s a he. What do you make of this?

And how do these relate to the purpose, audience, and context of a mascot figure?

Cultural Associations: or they just keep on coming!

Color in Motionhttp://www.mariaclaudiacortes.com/

Using Fonts with Purpose http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/705/01/

Beyond Aesthetics: or: it looks cool but so what? We ain’t an art class!

If the appearance of all these things are bound up with cultural/personal associations, we can actively use them to add meaning to essays

And this we can build into assignments, ask to be written about, and even evaluate

Student Example: or some simple looking complexity

Student Example: or: does this make an argument to you?

Definitions!: or “The Limits of my language are the limits of my world”

You have long been given language to talk about:Essays (thesis, transitions, conclusions)Literature (themes, plots, characters, moral)Grammar (noun, verb, adjective,

prepositional)

But too often you are expected to analyze the visual with little more than “that looks good,” or “that looks ugly”

Visual Language: or: tell me more about these new words

FontsSerifsWeightPersonality

ColorsSaturationContrast

PhotosRule-of-ThirdsCropping

Photographic Language: or: beyond the point-and-click

Rule of Thirds: Zone Division in a photo where placing the focus point on an intersection tends to create more tension, energy, and interest than mere centering.

Photographic Language: or: beyond the point-and-click

Cropping: Much more than simply removing unwanted parts of a photo, cropping is a rhetorical decision that alters the mood and focus of the piece and the emotion impact/relationship on the audience.

Does he appear removed- friendly yet somewhat unapproachable?

Does he appear more friendly, relatable, ready to talk?

CRAP: or: get your minds out of the gutter!

Robin William’s beginning design principles for quick and dirty visual rhetoric

ContrastRepetitionAlignmentProximity