Chapter 19 Visual Design. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.19 | 2 Chapter overview Two reasons to consider visual design in a

Chapter 19

Visual Design

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 19 | 2

Chapter overview

• Two reasons to consider visual design in a writing class

• Basic principles of visual design

• Basic purposes of visual design


Why look at visual designin a writing course?

There are two reasons:

• The ability to read and evaluate visual messages has become part of the new kind of literacy.

• Visual design is a factor in producing print and digital texts.


The goal of the chapter

• See the intro to the chapter, page 564.

• To help you understand design so that you can produce documents that

1. Fit the situation

2. Help readers navigate the page (move around to find the important information)

3. Influence readers in ways that you intend


Company logos and trademarks

• Everyday we see thousands of logos and trademarks, from our breakfast cereal to our vehicle, computer, jeans, and favorite fast food.

• We see signs for Coke, Pepsi,, Dell, Gateway, Hyvee, Ford, Lee, Disney & more!


Visual designand purpose: Information

• One of the main functions of design is to identify things, places, publications, and organizations.


Three kinds of visual information

• Textual

• Representational

• Numerical

We will look at each type now.


Textual graphics

• Used to organize and display words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs.

• Emphasize key points.


Textual graphics: examples

• Sidebars and information boxes

• Tables

• Time lines

• Flowcharts and organizational charts


Representational graphics

• Refers to the use of pictures to orient readers in time and space

• Also used to illustrate processes (for example, how to change the oil, the process of photosynthesis, or how to burn a CD)


Representational graphics, cont.

• Show the relationships of objects to each other

• Capture events (the big football game, celebrating a successful campaign, wedding and baby photos)

• Think of how hard it would be to perform many tasks without some pictures to guide you, and how much we value pictures of special events and people.


Numerical graphics

• The final type of visual is numerical. This includes the following:

• Tables of numbers

• Line graphs

• Bar charts

• Pie charts


Ethics

• Notice the comment about how easy it is to distort things (either by accident or intention) with visuals.

• There is an example, too. The first graph exaggerates the increase in fuel efficiency of cars. The revised graph on the next page is much closer to the truth.


A Second Purpose: Persuasion

• Visuals can have a very persuasive impact: Remember the photos of the burning twin towers and reports of people buying flags, red and blue ribbons, donating blood and giving money?

• See the posters on page 575: The Uncle Sam poster is one of the definitive images of our country during that era.

• Note the other images in this section.


Four Basic Principles

• Group similar items together

• Align visual elements

• Use repetition and contrast to create consistent visual patterns

• Add visual interest


Working with type

• We won’t cover every detail in this section, but you should look it over; several items are extremely important.

• We need white space, so chunk down paragraphs and make them more readable.

• It’s difficult to read ALL CAPS.

• Some type faces are easier to read than others: Many should be used sparingly, and only for titles or decorative purposes.


Planning a visual design

• See page 586 for five things to consider when planning a visual design.

• Notice that this section echoes the writing process: planning, making a rough sketch, and then producing a more polished final product.


Keep this book!

• Many of you will end up helping to produce a flyer, newsletter, brochure, or other print publication.

• This chapter lists guidelines for each one, pointing out the features of successful examples.


Newsweek and visual design

• Grab one of the issues of Newsweek magazine and take a look.

• Notice how skillfully it uses the four basic principles in visual design in the overall page layout, as well as in ads.

• Notice how the mix of text, white space, photographs, and other graphics create a very appealing layout that invites you to read.


Student Companion Website

• Go to the student side of the Web site for exercises, chapter overviews, and links to writing resources for this chapter:

http://college.hmco.com/pic/trimbur4e

Documents

Chapter 19 Visual Design. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.19 | 2 Chapter overview Two reasons to consider visual design in a