Todays lecture introduced us to Visual Literacy - the ability to interpret, negotiate and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image. This was demonstrated through the example of toilet signs. As we have all become naturally aware of the symbols and colour related to the male and female toilets, it was unusual yet fascinating to see how an image is read. As the conventions of visual communication are a combination of universal and cultural symbols, wherever this symbol is displayed whether in traditional form or in a more humorous form, its meaning will still remain the same. This is an interesting aspect to consider when designing to ensure that the image has a readable meaning.
Key Terms:
Visual Syntax - The syntax of an image refers to the pictorial structure and the visual organisation of the elements that make up the image. It represents the basic building blocks of an image that affect the way we visually 'read' it.
Visual Semantics - The semantics of an image refers to the way an image fits into a cultural process of communication. It includes the relationship between form and meaning and the way that the meaning is created.
Visual Synedoche - This term is applied when a part is used to represent the whole, or vice versa. The main subject is simply substituted for something that is inherently connected to it.
Visual Metonym - a symbolic image that is used to make reference to something with a more literal meaning
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