Transcript Visual Rhetoric for Student Writers

Visual Rhetoric for
Student Writers
Brought to you by the
Writing Lab at Purdue
What is Visual Rhetoric?
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Definitions and applications
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Use of images as argument
Arrangement of elements on a
page
Use of typography
Analysis of existing images and
visuals
Focus of this Workshop
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Text elements
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Color
Visuals and graphics
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How type functions and choosing fonts
Headline versus body text
Text and the Web
Clip art
Illustrations and diagrams
Graphs
Photographs and manipulated images
Overall design
How Type Functions
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“Personalities” of type
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Formal and informal fonts
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Consequences and font choices
 Consider
effect of font choice
 Personality
and appropriateness
Font Personalities Example
Choosing Appropriate Fonts
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Font choice will build or harm
ethos
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Context and purpose of document
is important
Cultural and visual associations of
fonts should fit document
Font Choice Example 1
Font Choice Example 2
Headline Versus Body Text
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How text functions
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Type of text dictates font choice
 Emphasis
and attention
 Information
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Sustained readability
Headline & Body Text Example
Text and the Web
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Differences between print and
the Web
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Accommodating users and
browsers
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HTML standard fonts
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Screen readability
Color and Contrast
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Most basic and critical choice
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Black text on white background
shows high contrast and is most
common
White text on black background is
not ideal
Font Contrast Example
Computer Screens and Color
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Pixels and colors on screen
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RGB values
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Color saturation
Cultural associations of color
More Color Examples
Clip Art
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Using packaged clip art
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Avoid the “cartoony” effect
Choose clip art that truly fits the
purpose of the document
Match design schemes
Consider creating images
Clip Art Examples
Illustrations and Diagrams
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Purpose to inform
Conveys specific information
 Relates to content in document
 More than an accent
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Striving for clarity
Avoid clutter
 Choose selective pictures of reality
 Break up large amounts of
information
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Graphs
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Choosing how to represent
quantitative information
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Pie charts and showing parts of a
whole
Bar graphs and numeric
comparisons
Line graphs and plotting changes
Photographs
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Found images versus captured
photographs
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Copyright
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Composition and quality
Achieving effects with photos
Photo Examples
Overall Design
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Creating paths for the eye
Striking, eye-catching elements
 Finding information easily
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Design as rhetorical organization
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Consistency in design
Avoid “kitchen-sink syndrome”
 Pitfalls of pre-fab templates
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Stepping Back
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Is your design clarifying your information?
Is your design unique enough to make it
stand out?
Is your design readable from its intended
distance?
Have you checked for typos and errors?
When designing for the Web, have you
checked your design on different
computers and in different browsers?
Additional Resources
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The Non-Designer’s Design Book and
The Non-Designer’s Web Book, both
by Robin Williams
Color Index by Jim Krause
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Idea Index by Jim Krause
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What is Graphic Design? by Quentin
Newark
For More Assistance
The Writing Lab at Purdue
226 Heavilon Hall
4-3723
http://owl.english.purdue.edu