Visual Rhetoric
and the
Common Core
Amy Jo Southworth
Bay Shore High School
asouthworth@bayshoreschools.org
What are the implications of our visual
world on the literacy of our youth, the
educational system, and a new
Common Core curriculum?
-Dr. Barbara Long Bishop
Common Core Speaking and Listening
9th Grade
Integrate multiple sources of information presented in
diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively,
orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each
source.
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence
clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow
the line of reasoning and the organization, development,
substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience,
and task.
Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical,
audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to
enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence
and to add interest.
What is the
central
concept or
message?
CRAP
Design for the LAST ROW…
Type is saying things to all of us all the time.
Typefaces express a mood, an atmosphere.
They give words a certain coloring.
-Rick Poynor;
Design critic and author
Georgia
This is a serif font
(Times New Roman)
This is a sans serif font
(Arial)
Serif fonts are good for large chunks
of text
(Garamond)
Sans serif fonts are easier to read
on the screen
(Helvetica)
http://www.digitalcookie.com.au/blog/writing-readable-content-and-why-all-caps-is-so-hard-to-read.html
http://www.digitalcookie.com.au/blog/writing-readable-content-and-why-all-caps-is-so-hard-to-read.html
Font conveys tone
http://books.google.com/books?id=5c2wkKVOdnEC&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=reliable+typefaces&source=bl&ots=SsFmOOl3_D&sig=CZwUe5GOw8gEJxnAYBG_jF4h
_Ks&hl=en&sa=X&ei=yacrUbbeI8Hs0QH_joCADw&ved=0CEoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=reliable%20typefaces&f=false
The Exorcist
Saw VI
The Hangover
Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles
General Font Tips
Style for readability
• left align all body text
• center or justify - makes it hard to read especially for
some people with reading difficulties such as dyslexia
• bold and italic sparingly
• key words/ key phrases
• not whole paragraphs
• avoid ALL CAPS-”shouting”
• do not use underline for anything other than links.
General Font Tips
Sans-serifs
• headings and titles
• good contrast with body text below
• advice may change based on your audience
• avoid mixing two, different types of the same
font category
• Times New Roman title over a text block of
Palatino (both serif)
• pair one serif font with one sans-serif font
• Use decorative fonts sparingly
Questions for Students to Consider When Choosing Fonts
• What kinds of expectations does my audience have regarding fonts? Are they
scholars or soccer fans? Church-goers or movie-goers?
• What am I representing in my font choices? Am I a job applicant? A student
writing a seminar paper? A club officer making a poster to advertise a formal
dinner?
• What kind of text am I running in different fonts? Headlines or fine print? Body
text or bulleted lists?
• What distance is my text being viewed at? On a greeting card or a bumper
sticker? A poster or a flyer?
• What fonts are commonly available on computers that I can use for the Web?
What kinds of alternatives are available for text that cannot be displayed in Web
browsers?
-Robin Williams
If two items are not exactly the same, make them different,
really different.
Repeat some aspect of the design throughout the entire piece.
Alignment
Nothing should be placed on the page arbitrarily. Every item should
have a visual connection with something else on the page.
Proximity
Group related items together.
SOURCES/RESOURCES
http://www.presentationzen.com/
http://www.garrreynolds.com/presentation/slides.html
**All images are taken from Flickr Creative Commons or copyright free
Google search (Google Advanced Image Search)
http://www.plu.edu/~scotttj/designkiosk.pdf
http://hubze.com/2012/08/introducing-crap-the-principles-of-design/