OUGD401: Visual Literacy - Lecture 2

Principle One: 

Visual Literacy is the ability to interpret, negotiate and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image.

A few examples that were presented to support this principle are:

The main point behind these examples is that although the figures within the pictures do not at all even closely resemble a human being, it can said that we fully understand the message or meaning behind them; that being that it represents both male and female toilets due to the poses/stances that the figures take within the pictures.

Principle Two:

Visual Literacy is based on the idea that pictures can be read.

Principle two is somewhat similar to principle one in the sense that you can understand what is being put across in an image with little to no words. For example within the image above, although there are practically no words within the image, it shows clear instructions for medication and how it should be taken and what not to do with it.

Principle Three:

Visual Literacy: All that is necessary for any language to exist is an agreement amongst a group of people that one thing will stand for another.

The main example that was used to support this was a picture of a + sign. Without context this can be linked with a range of different meanings such as positive, medical, religious or even mathematical.


For example within the first image, the + is surrounded by other mathematical symbols and so a person's first thought might be that it's linked to maths.

Whereas within the second image it can be seen as a medical sign with the only difference this time being that it has been placed against a green background.

With the last image, again the difference is only minor with the cross having one section extended slightly, but it now appears as a religious symbol representing christianity.

Principle Four:

Visual communication is made up of presentational symbols whose meaning results from their existence in particular contexts.
The conventions of visual communication are a combination of universal and cultural symbols.

These two images are good examples to explain this principle. Within the first image, it's clear to see that the figures are one female and one male with the only difference between the two figures being that one has a triangle attached to it to represent a skirt and also the divider down the middle to separate them. This helps for people to differentiate between the two figures without having to have words involved. Within the second image, this time the two figures are separated by different colours, the female being the pink one and the male the blue one. This is because people tend to associate the colour blue with men and pink with women.




But these colours shouldn't always directly depict which object is male and which is female as shown within the above images. In this case the symbol coloured blue would be presumed to be male and vice versa for the pink symbol, but in actual fact it is the opposite way around.

Principle Five:

Being visually literate requires an awareness of the relationship between Visual Syntax and Visual Semantics.

Principle Six: Visual Syntax

The syntax of and image refers to the pictorial structure and visual organisation of elements. It represents the basic building blocks of an image that affect the way we 'read' it.

These elements include: 
Framing, format, scale, colour, font, stroke, weight, shape, composition etc.

This can be shown through a few pictures of the same thing; a full english breakfast. All have the same contents, but yet all look very different which is down to the lighting, shading, layout, shape and manipulation of the pictures.

Principle Seven: 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 meaning is through certain elements.

These elements include:
Cultural references, social ideas, religious beliefs, political ideas, historical structures etc.

Which of these would make you slow down?

Depending on who you ask this question will depend on what answer you receive, for example asking teenagers who have not long passed their driving test will probably respond with the speed camera sign simply because of the fact that they wouldn't want to be out of pocket due to a speeding fine and several points on their license.

Whereas if you were to ask people of the ages of late 20's+ then they are likely to respond with the school sign, this could be down to the fact they have kids and can therefore relate to the sign wanting people to slow down within the area to avoid accidents.

Principle Eight: Semiotics

This is the study of signs and sign proesses, indication, designation, likeness, analogy metaphor, symbolism, signification and communication.

Semiotics is closely related to the field of linguistics, which studies the structure and meaning of language.

Semiotics also studies non-linguistic sign systems, visual langage and visual literacy.

Visual elements of semiotics include:

Symbol, sign, signifier, metaphor, metonym, synecdoche.

Symbol: It symbolises an Apple

Sign: It is a sign for Apple products

Signifier: It signifies quality, innovation, creativity, design, lifestyle.

Visual Synecdoche:

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.

This substitution only works if what the synecdoche represents is universally recognised.

Visual Metonym:

A visual metonym is a symbolic image that is used to make reference to something with a more literal meaning.

By way of association the viewer makes the connection between the image and the intended subject.

Unlike a visual synecdoche, the two images bear a close relationship but are not intrinsically linked.