Visual+Literacy


 * Visual Literacy: Effective versus Ineffective **

1. Although I feel this visual is very vague, I interpret this message as //Americans are overproteined based on the four statistics that the table gives//. I came to this conclusion because the largest font on the table reads “Overproteined” and each of the four statistics uses the word “American(s)” while giving out alarming statistics based on protein intake.

2. The PAT model was used in this visual, but the design of this message is very vague which ultimately makes in unsuccessful in proving any specific point. Analyzing the visual in terms of PAT:

a. **Perception:** i. **Figure/Ground:** There are multiple figures/images present is this visual that directly correlate to the wording (i.e. Big Mac, KFC chicken, hot dog, chicken) and are obvious to the reader because of the way in which the figure sits on the background. ii. **Gestalt:** The gestalt category of perception is illustrated but in a very minute manner. The visual illustrates similarity as all four boxes, containing facts about “overproteined”, are the exact same size, lined up side by side, under the heading “Overproteined”. At the top of each box, there is a bold number indicating the amount of what is about to be referenced in the box. Proximity is also achieved as there are four separate “fact” boxes but based on the pictures as a whole, the boxes appear to be one. b. **Actions**: i. **Repetition:** in the way of format is evident in this visual. c. **Tools**: i. **Color:** different colors exist which differentiate one fact from another. ii. **Space:** there are distinct separations in this visual. iii. **Shape:** images are present representing the facts and the lines on the chart are beneficial as they give distinction from one piece of information to another.

3. This visual could definitely be improved in order to increase the effectiveness on conveying the underlying message. First of all, I think more text must be used to illustrate what the //true// point of this message is. For example, is the message that this visual is conveying up for debate and the reader is to form their own opinion based on the information provided? Or is it a fact that Americans are overproteined? Regardless of the circumstance, more information must be provided in order to decrease the vagueness associated with the current visual. First off, some changes I would make are as follows: although the word “overproteined” is a size bigger than the rest of the font, I think the font needs to be even bigger to illustrate the importance of this visual. I also think that it would be beneficial to give some sort of hierarchy to drive this point home (i.e. the utilization of more facts to exemplify how American compares to other countries in terms of protein consumption, how is being “overproteined” impacting our society, positively or negatively?). The use of similarity is already used but I think it can be used in a more beneficial manner. The gestalt of this visual could be improved on to look less busy; there seems to be an excessive amount of wording in such a small area and the colors, pictures, bold headings make this visual seem very cluttered. To improve on, I would make the visual larger and have more consistency (i.e. only chose two background colors rather than four and not have the images intrude in on the wording area).

The Visual Literacy artifact was informative but I felt it to be a bit redundant at times. I believe that the information could have been conveyed in a more simplistic manner which ultimately would have made this artifact more engaging for me as a "learner". With that said, I will say that I have learned how to effectively communicate to my students through the use of visuals (text and illustrations); and because of this, I will feel more confident in myself when it comes time to incorporating visuals and visual text into the classroom.