Visual Literacy

How do we read a picture book? What is happening? 1. Representational Meaning How do we interact? 2. Interactive Meaning How has it been constructed? 3. Compositional Meaning

1. Representational Meaning Who are the represented participants? What shapes have been used? What colours have been used? What is the reading path? What are the vectors? Is there any symbolism?

Colours and Shapes Colours Shapes Happy Sad Round Sharp List colours that would show these emotions. List emotions the shapes would show. Colours Shapes Happy Sad Round Sharp

Colour symbolism: Pink for girls, white for innocence

Vectors: Lines along which our eyes travel [Real or imaginary lines]

Vectors: Imaginary lines between eyes and objects Name the vectors….

2. Interactive Meaning Demand/Offer of eyes What angle has been used? Is there anything in the background? What is the social distance with the reader?

Interactive Meaning Demand: Looks Straight at the Viewer and demands a Relationship and a Response

Interactive Meaning Offer: When the subject of the image is not gazing directly at the viewer. There is no demand for a relationship with the viewer, only an offer.

Interactive Meaning Social Distance: How close are you with the subject? The reader will feel involved or detached. What angle is this? Close Up Shot

Decreases our involvement with subject Interactive Meaning What angle is this? What does this say about social distance? Medium – Long Shot Decreases our involvement with subject

Interactive Meaning Oblique angle: ‘Side on’ Makes the reader become an observer. You are not ‘part of the scene’ you are an outsider.

He has power, looking down at us. Interactive Meaning What angle is this? What does this say about social distance? Low Angle He has power, looking down at us.

3. Compositional Meanings What is the information value? What is the salient image? What framing has been used?

Compositional Meaning Information Value Top: Is the ideal – what the product will give you, what all people want. Bottom: Reality – what you need to get the ideal

Compositional Meaning Information Value What is the ideal? What is the reality?

Compositional Meaning Information Value What is the ideal? What is the reality?

Compositional Meaning Salient Image: The biggest image within a picture  usually shows what is most important or to grab the audience’s attention. What is the salient image? What does it tell us?

Compositional Meaning What is the salient image? What does it tell us?

Compositional Meaning Framing: A shot can be “framed” as a close-up, but turn out to be a zoom-in within a much bigger context. Framing creates “boundaries” around the visual information we receive. What does the framing tell us about how this man would be feeling?

Compositional Meaning What does the open/large frame say about how this dog is feeling?