1. Visual Literacy
Marketing 320 – Week 4
Philadelphia University
Spring II 2010
Craig A. DeLarge, MBA
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© 2010, Craig DeLarge

2. Week 4 Agenda
• Take Roll
• Review Key Concepts
• Review Exercises
• Week 3 Concepts to Cover
• Additional Gestalt Principles
• VizLit Applications for Business
• Final Projects?
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© 2010, Craig DeLarge

3. Key Concept Review
• 1) Visual Literacy
• 2) VizLit Elements
• 3) VizLit Levels of Expression
• 4) Contrast/Harmony Continua
• 5) Marketing Effects
• 6) Compositional Decisions
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© 2010, Craig DeLarge

4. Exercise Review
• Chapter #5, Question #1
Make or find a photo of: 1) balanced
harmonious & 2) asymmetrical contrasting
visual statement
Analyze & compare effect of each and their
ability to convey information and mood
• Chapter #6, Question #4
Take a number of ads, posters or photos
List most evident techniques
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© 2010, Craig DeLarge

5. Additional Gestalt Principles
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© 2010, Craig DeLarge

6. Gestalt Principles
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http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/ss/gestaltlaws_3.htm
© 2010, Craig DeLarge

7. Gestalt Principles
Law of Proximity: the closer 2+ elements are, the greater the probability that they
will be seen as forming a group or pattern.
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http://graphicdesign.spokanefalls.edu/tutorials/process/gestaltprinciples/gestaltprinc.htm
© 2010, Craig DeLarge

8. Gestalt Principles
Law of Continuation:
Occurs when the eye is
compelled to move through one
object to another.
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http://graphicdesign.spokanefalls.edu/tutorials/process/gestaltprinciples/gestaltprinc.htm
© 2010, Craig DeLarge

9. Gestalt Principles
Law of Anomaly:
Items that are dissimilar tent to
become focal points
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http://graphicdesign.spokanefalls.edu/tutorials/process/gestaltprinciples/gestaltprinc.htm
© 2010, Craig DeLarge

10. Gestalt Principles
CONTINUITY: Visual groups that require
the fewest number of interpretations will CLOSURE: Nearly complete familiar lines
be grouped to form continuous straight and shapes are more readily seen as
or curved lines complete than incomplete
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© 2010, Craig DeLarge

11. Dimension/Perspective
• Related to scale
& proportion
• Creates depth
and movement
• Makes of use of
line & vanishing
points
https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/kahl/www/Images/Weather/Optics/perspective.jpg
http://content.answers.com/main/content/img/oxford/Oxford_Mind/0198162246.perspective.5.jpg
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© 2010, Craig DeLarge

12. A Few Words on Chapter 6,
Visual Techniques
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© 2010, Craig DeLarge

13. Form & Content
Content
Artist Audience
Form
Message = Content
Media = Form
Both interact with and impact one another in
compositional choices meant to assure that perception
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matches intention
Dondis, Fig. 6.1
© 2010, Craig DeLarge

14. Viz Techniques basically facilitate
the Basic Communications Model Misunderstanding
aided by noise.
Verbal/Visual
Intended Perceived
Meaning Meaning
created here Intended & Perceived Meaning created here
(hopefully) reconciled here.
http://records.viu.ca/~soules/media301/message.gif
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© 2010, Craig DeLarge

15. Group Exercise for Points
Pick a PPT Template
Describe Thinking/Feeling Objectives
Describe:
Element Characteristics
Visualization (Contrast) Techniques
Compositional Decisions
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© 2010, Craig DeLarge

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17. Visual Thinking
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© 2010, Craig DeLarge

18. What is Visual Thinking?
• phenomenon of thinking via visual processing
using the emotional & creative brain (right-
side) to organize information in intuitive and
simultaneous ways
• Critical skill in creative, group and business
communications & problem-solving
• Related to visual-spatial intelligence &
appeals to those who “thinking in pictures”
Source: http://www.visualspatial.org/ 18
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_thinking
© 2010, Craig DeLarge

19. VizThink Thoughts
• Pictures solve problems: strategic, financial,
operational, personal, emotional, etc. BTW, these
are business & organizational problems!
• Drawing not required. ☺
• Expresses the “Basic Six” (see next slide)
• Uses VizLit Elements, Contrast/Harmony &
Expressions to create “meaning” via associations
& distinctions
• Replace as many words with pictures as possible
• Focus on what you are showing, not on how it
looks (at least initially)
• Make every composition make a POINT!
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Source: http://www.slideshare.net/whatidiscover/the-ten-and-a-half-commandments-of-visual-thinking
© 2010, Craig DeLarge

20. “The Basic Six” & Their Visual
Maps
• Who/What? – Representational Icons
• How Much? – Graphs (Comparison Maps)
• Where? – Locational/Spatial Maps
• When – Timelines (Chronologic Maps)
• How? – Flowcharts (Process Maps)
• Why? – Multi-Variate Plots (Causal Maps)
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Source: http://www.slideshare.net/whatidiscover/the-ten-and-a-half-commandments-of-visual-thinking
© 2010, Craig DeLarge

21. See Art of Presentation: Zen Path
http://www.slideshare.net/eduardo.delafuente/the-art-of-presentation-ii-following-the-zen-path-preparation
http://www.slideshare.net/eduardo.delafuente/the-art-of-presentation-iii-following-the-zen-path-design
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© 2010, Craig DeLarge