Introduction to Visual Rhetoric
Theory, Practice,
and Method
AP English 11
2006
So What?
Why Care? Or: but the essay’s been working
fine!!!
 Not an either/or situation
 Responsive to calls for multi-literacies within
composition pedagogy
 It’s part of the AP exam
 Real world practicality/applicability
 Because it’s fun!
Definitions: or: Ever notice rhetoricians can’t
agree on the definition of anything?
 Quickest definition:
a form of communication that uses images to
create meaning or construct an argument
 At the core:
the idea that visuality and materiality are
important parts of creating meaning within any
communicative act
Major Concerns: or: what’s at the bottom of
all this?
 Poststructuralist
Analysis
 Beyond the Aesthetic
 Expression or
Argumentation
Poststructa-what?: or give me the jist
 Sign: what is seen, read, or experienced
 Signified: what is meant or interpreted
 PS abandons the primacy of authorially
intended meaning of a signifier
 PS teases out the infinite multiplicity of the
signifier
 PS asserts sign/signifier interpretation is
historically, culturally, and socially situated
Invisible Visual Rhetoric: or: that
sounds kinda cool, huh?
Margins use alignment to guide
the eye downward smoothly
Black words on white paper
allow for maximum contrast
Just the right amount of space
between words allows for
proximity of connection but
also distinctive elements
Flimsy weakness of paper
suggests the ephemeral and
temporary nature of the work?
Invisible Not Natural: or: on checking
your assumptions
 These visual conventions
of the essay are
normalized, not normal
 These are cultural
conventions that have
developed socially
over time.
The Culprit: or: Standards, standards,
standards
Cultural Associations: or: you don’t see
what I see
I’ll always ask you this question first:
What do you see?
The figure of the
Boilermaker suggests
blue-collar, hard-working
determination.
He’s white. He’s a he.
What do you make of
this?
Forward pushing motion suggests a
“let’s go to work” mentality
Muted gold suggests
potential riches while
remaining humble
Heavy on top, skinny
on bottom suggests
strength and swiftness
And how do these relate to the purpose, audience,
and context of a mascot figure?
Cultural Associations: or they just keep
on coming!
 Color in Motion
http://www.mariaclaudiacortes.com/
 Using Fonts with Purpose
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/70
5/01/
Beyond Aesthetics: or: it looks cool but so
what? We ain’t an art class!
 If the appearance of all these things are bound
up with cultural/personal associations, we can
actively use them to add meaning to essays
 And this we can build into assignments, ask to
be written about, and even evaluate
Student Example: or some simple looking
complexity
Student Example: or: does this make an
argument to you?
Definitions!: or “The Limits of my language
are the limits of my world”
 You have long been given language to talk
about:
 Essays (thesis, transitions, conclusions)
 Literature (themes, plots, characters, moral)
 Grammar (noun, verb, adjective, prepositional)
 But too often you are expected to analyze the
visual with little more than “that looks good,” or
“that looks ugly”
Visual Language: or: tell me more about
these new words
 Fonts
 Serifs
 Weight
 Personality
 Colors
 Saturation
 Contrast
 Photos
 Rule-of-Thirds
 Cropping
Photographic Language: or: beyond
the point-and-click
Rule of Thirds: Zone
Division in a photo where
placing the focus point on
an intersection tends to
create more tension,
energy, and interest than
mere centering.
Photographic Language: or: beyond
the point-and-click
Cropping:
Much more than simply removing unwanted parts of a
photo, cropping is a rhetorical decision that alters the mood and focus of
the piece and the emotion impact/relationship on the audience.
Does he appear
removed- friendly
yet somewhat
unapproachable?
Does he appear
more friendly,
relatable, ready to
talk?
CRAP: or: get your minds out of the gutter!
 Robin William’s beginning design principles for
quick and dirty visual rhetoric
 Contrast
 Repetition
 Alignment
 Proximity