2. Visual CultureVisual Culture We live in a visual culture.  We see thousands of images everyday, yet pay attention to only a few.  Think for a moment and jot down the images you’ve seen today.

3. Rhetorical SituationRhetorical Situation All visual media compete to send us their messages, meaning all visual media rely on various rhetorical situations – Audience, Context, Purpose.

4. Visual ElementsVisual Elements Target Audience  For whom is the image intended? How do we know? What are the characteristics of this target audience of viewers? What is the age range? What is the socioeconomic status? Is the image effective in appealing to the target audience?

5. Visual ElementsVisual Elements Purpose  Every image has a purpose. If the image is an advertisement, the most obvious question to ask is “What is this ad for?” However, the answer might not be readily apparent. If the image is a photograph, its purpose may be to commemorate a special moment, object, or person or to illustrate an event or feeling. If the image is a cartoon, its purpose might be to entertain or to make a political or social statement through humor.

6. Visual ElementsVisual Elements  Context  Context has to do with who has created the visual; the time period it was created, and so forth. You need an idea of what was going on in society during the time in which the visual was created.

7. Rhetorical Situation FIRSTRhetorical Situation FIRST  My suggestion is to always analyze the rhetorical situation—AUDIENCE, CONTEXT, and PURPOSE first.  Let’s look at this commercial to talk about the rhetorical situation.  Jot down what you think is the audience, context, and purpose of this commercial.  http://www.youtube.co m/watch?v=m_6E29Ity UA http://www.youtube.co m/watch?v=m_6E29Ity UA

8. Message NEXTMessage NEXT Message  What is the message of the image? This question is very different from “What is the purpose?” The message challenges the viewer to probe beyond the obvious visual effects—color, shading, brand— to ferret out the message. This message always seeks to evoke a response from the viewer: Wear this, drink this, click here, think this way, feel this emotion, affirm this value (this is called ideology). This is usually implied and not explicit.

9. Message  Jot down what you think the PURPOSE of this next commercial is.  Then, jot down a possible MESSAGE the commercial portrays.  http://www.youtube.co m/watch?v=uLTIowBF0 kE http://www.youtube.co m/watch?v=uLTIowBF0 kE

10. Other Elements to ConsiderOther Elements to Consider Color  Is your eye drawn to a certain spot on a page by the strength of a color, by the contrast of colors, or by the absence of color? How is color being used to catch your eye?

11. Layout Layout  What relationships are established by how close or how far apart objects or people are placed? What is your eye drawn to first because of its position?

12. Size Size  The relative size of the people and objects in an image may also help the designer communicate his or her message. A viewer’s eye may be drawn by the largest object first, but that might not be where the message lies.

13. Text Text  Some images “speak” for themselves. When text is included, other factors have to be examined. How much text is there? Where is it located? Does the text actually deliver the message? Or does it just enhance it? What story does the text tell about the image? What is the font style, size, and color? Consider all of these factors.

14. Location Location  Where did you see this image? On a billboard? On the side of the bus? In a magazine? Images in a Good Housekeeping magazine will have a different purpose and use different appeals than those in Maxim. Determining the location will likely help in determining the target audience.

15. Observations & InferencesObservations & Inferences  One of the best ways to analyze anything is to use the observations/inferences approach.  Observations are things you notice about a text or visual. There’s a red square in the corner. The lighting has a green hue. The font is hard to read.  Inferences are conclusions you reach based on your observations. They’re not obvious. You need to think about what your observations mean in order to come up with inferences. This ad is alienating women. This organization is trying to rebrand their company by proving they’re relevant to young people.

16. Note  Your observations/inferences are like the “evidence” or “data” you need to write a successful paper about a visual.  It helps to link you observations to inferences. In other words, if you notice that the company’s name is the largest text on the page (observation), then the company might be trying to promote their image more than the product (inference).

17. Activity 1Activity 1  Get into groups of three.  For each image I show you, write down the audience, context, and purpose, and write down 2 observations and 2 inferences, considering terminology from today like color or size.

18. Observations/Inferences?

19. Images for DiscussionImages for Discussion  http://msmagazine.com/blog/wp- content/uploads/2013/06/psa_print_03.jpg http://msmagazine.com/blog/wp- content/uploads/2013/06/psa_print_03.jpg  http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/bose_noise_re duction_headphones_waterfall http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/bose_noise_re duction_headphones_waterfall  http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/kiss_fm_977_ father/ http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/kiss_fm_977_ father/

20. Activity  Working with the person next to you, find an advertisement or PSA you want to analyze.  Write a list of observations and inferences.  Email me the image you’re looking at (a link is fine)  We’ll discuss these as a class.