Visual+Literacy

//Visual literacy is an interesting medium that most of us do not give a second thought to, but which affects in someway hundreds of times a day. I of course realize that marketers use this medium effectively on television, in magazines, and through billboards, but I have never really thought about how it is used to get messages across in textbooks and in the classroom. Many students are visual learners so an effective visual image is oftentimes key to understanding of certain subjects. After studying the techniques and principles used in visual literacy, and using some of it myself in our projects, I have a much better understanding of the importance that good images have on our message in the classroom.//

My interpretation of this visual message is that Americans eat a ridiculous amount of meat in every way, shape, and form. The visual and accompanying writing lead me to believe that this very high amount of meat consumption is unhealthy and unnecessary. It’s a horrifying amount of meat and protein consumed by one country every year.

The image manages to hit home with me by using several different visual design principles effectively. The perceptions that are efficiently used in the graphic are the gestalt of proximity and similarity. The separate boxes are next to each other in a similar way as to create an image by image flow for the viewer. The action design principle used is repetition which again adds to the consistency of the images. Each box looks very similar to the next with different relevant and pointed images surrounding the text to affect the viewer’s perceptions. The colors used from the Tools principle serve to create vivid, realistic images that jump off the page.

Ultimately I think that the visual message gets across pretty clearly to anyone viewing this. One interesting thing to try and see what effect is had on the overall image would be to employ more contrast between the different images. By using different fonts and maybe different sizes of font you could create a softer and less authoritative image. I also think that I would like to see what it would look like with larger font and pictures that flow vertically rather than horizontally. Either way the point that Americans are over-proteined definitely resonates with me as I view these images.