Visual Literacy “Visual literacy is defined as the ability to understand and use images, including the ability to think, learn and express oneself in terms of images.” Robert Braden

Technology drives the design Technocentric Thinking Technology drives the design Learner-friendly Instruction drives the design Information Design Information drives the design

When designing Know the design rules Break the design rules Play around Revise Find inspiration

When designing with text Not all pictures are worth a 1000 words Numerous fonts Beautiful design in fonts

When laying out text Alignment Centering is far from best To unify and organize text Sets the mood (fun, serious, formal) Use one type of alignment Align all elements on a page

When laying out text Proximity To organize information Crump similar information Avoid too many elements Avoid corners and the middle Vary white space

When laying out text Repetition To unify and add interest Be consistent Notice eye movement Avoid over repetition Enhance existing repetitions

When selecting text Contrast One of the most effective ways to create visual interest If it’s not the same, make it very different Don’t be a wimp Use typefaces, line thickness, colors, shapes, sizes, space, etc for contrast Avoid similar typefaces

Summary: Contrast - Repetition Alignment Proximity When working with text Summary: Contrast - Repetition Alignment Proximity

More about selecting text “What type shall I use? The gods refuse to answer. They refuse because they do not know.” W. A. Dwiggins

More about selecting text Typeface families: Oldstyle i.e. Times - abcefg Modern i.e. Baskerville - abcde Slab serif i.e. Courier - abcde Sans serif i.e. Helvetica - abcde Script i.e. Handwriting - abcde Decorative i.e. Blackletter - abcde

The Assignment Decide what message you want to convey Carefully consider who will see your message and how you want them to respond Design an informational document to convey your message

The Assignment Critique your informational document Design a second informational document with the same intent better than the first

The Assignment Write an explanation /rationale discussing the intent of your message, the intended audience and characteristics of that audience, how the different elements of your document fit the intent and the characteristics of the audience, why you chose the design in your document, what elements in the first attempt could use improvement and how you improved them in the second attempt