West Visayas State University 2022

Unit 1: Reading Visual Art

Introduction:
Today, you live in a visually rich, screen-based
world. You regularly encounter and create meaning and
knowledge through images and visual media. Yet this
participation in a highly visual culture does not in itself
prepare you to engage critically and effectively with
images and media in an academic environment. You
complete your homework on one window of your
computer, send instant messages through a second
window, listen to a personalized playlist on your iPod, and watch television out of the
corner of your eye—simultaneously. You live in a world of almost constant
stimulation. Communication is frequent and multidimensional. You are often a
manipulator and creator of your own information and entertainment. Bombarded by
visual cues, you seem to translate images and information effortlessly, communing in
a conceptual world where “the thought’s the thing.” You also know that it can be
tough to compete with so many fascinating distractions. When a teacher stands in
front of the classroom and instructs you to open your textbook to page forty-seven
don’t excite or motivate you. In fact, some of you describe your adaptation from
independent, technology-based learning to traditional education formats as
“powering down” (Puttnam 2007). Educators know that you still must master
traditional subjects, but the way you learn continues to evolve.

In this unit, you will be guided to identify, evaluate, and critique different
visual texts using varied theoretical approaches.

Let us begin!

Learning Outcomes:
1. Identified and evaluated different signs and symbols found in the images
presented.
2. Critiqued and interpreted various forms of visual texts.

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Activate Prior Knowledge

Why are courses related to media and visual literacy suddenly ubiquitous in many
global universities? Before we go into details, let us first look at how, according to
Nessi (2015) different generations are labelled on collections of loose generalizations.

In the table below, list down at least five (5) information you know of the different
generations indicated.

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Checkpoint

Did you match right? Check out the answer key below.

 Idealist  Achieving a  More open-  Grew up playing

 Eager to learn work-life minded with their parents'
 Keen on balance  Liberal mobile phones or
personal growth  More peer-  Self-expressive tablets.
 Tend to be over- oriented  More focused on  Have grown up in a
achievers  Independent materialistic hyper-connected
 Associated with  Very values world and the
rejection or interested in  Extremely smartphone is their
redefinition of technology comfortable with preferred method of
traditional  More mobile devices communication.
values informal but 32% will still  Has entrepreneurial
 Biggest  Digitally use a computer desire
consumers of savvy and for purchases.  Reading
traditional media spend  They typically competence is
like television, roughly 7 have multiple being transformed
radio, hours a social media due to their
magazines, and week on accounts. familiarity with
newspaper Facebook digital devices
platforms and texts.
 Determined

Were you able to finish the task? Did you have fun listing down your ideas?
Let us analyze why this activity is important.

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In your journal, answer the following questions and be ready to discuss these in the
face-to-face session. You have 20 minutes to write your answer.
 Which generation do your parents belong? Are the information listed tell
much about them? How about your generation? Are the information correct?
 What is the significance of your generation in today’s era?
 Why do you think this subject, Reading Visual Art, was introduced in your
generation?

Are you done? Now read through the lessons for this unit in the next few pages.

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Acquire New Knowledge

A. Of Signs and Symbols

Signs & symbols are commonly used in everyday situations. They are used
to convey information in pictorial form. These have many advantages over written
instructions. People who talk different languages can understand the same common
signs. Instructions for some tasks can be clearer when given as drawings.

Kinds of Sign
 Directional Signs: indicates directions.
 Identifying Signs: name of a place or thing.

 Informational Signs: gives information.

 Restrictive or Prohibited: informational signs that
restricts the public from entering.

Symbols are abstract or geometric forms which

are associated with an idea. It can also mean as
pictograms.
Example of a symbol: a certain kind of cross may

recognizable objects closely associated with the idea they

communicate.

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TAKE A BREAK!
TASK NO. 1

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B. Critical View of Visual Art

Visual texts are created using still or moving images. It may or may not contain
words. Examples of these are television, film, radio, advertising, billboards, the
Internet, computer games and programs, art works such as paintings, drawings,
sculptures, architecture, book covers, and illustrations.
Visual Text Comprehension

 Understanding images & words in the context it is being used.

o Bring life experiences & background knowledge to what is being
read/viewed.
 All visual texts are influenced by the cultures, values, ideologies and world
views in and through which they are created & consumed.
o Eg. Family photo in your home vs. A family portrait in a magazine
or
o Artists’ impression vs. housing agent’s view of a HDB estate
How to interpret visual texts?
We need to first identify the different elements that make up the text. These
include: images, colors, words – includes title, headlines, captions,
typographical features - type of font, font size, layout – spatial arrangement of
different elements in a text.

IMAGES

Images are mental representations, pictures of objects, people or animals or

any diagram that provides visual information. Images in a visual text may contain: •
People, animals or object participating in an action • Flow charts, maps or labelled
images showing a concept or an idea • Symbols or icons

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MORE ON IMAGES…

Angles – looking down vs looking up

• Looking down at someone conveys a sense of power or control
• Looking up at a person or object can make us feel vulnerable
Framing – determines amount of information given to viewers
• Close-up shot – closer social relation, lesser details
• Long shot – distant relation, more details

WORDS (Includes titles, headlines, captions)

• Title – main topic of the poster
• Headline – main statement that tells the main message of the poster;
usually the text in the largest and boldest font
• Captions – It is the typed text under photographs explaining the image
and usually in one sentence

TYPOGRAPHICAL FEATURES
Font type and size
• Are the fonts in capital letters or non- capitalized letters?
• Are some words intentionally larger or smaller for any reason?
Why?
• Usually determines the reading paths of the reader/viewer.

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• Reader/viewer will tend to be attracted to the larger fonts

used in the text.
• Usually for words that are meant for emphasis.
LAYOUT
• Placement of elements in text can influence the meaning of the image.
Types of placement:
• Top/bottom – top contains the ‘attention-grabber’; bottom contains new
information.

• Left/right – left side contains information that is understood; right side

presents new information

Note: not all of these ‘codes’ apply to every image – images are shaped according to
purpose and effect their creators wish to achieve.

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Now let us check what you have learned in this module

TASK NO. 2 Apply your Knowledge

Look at the different visual texts below and answer the following
questions.

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TASK NO. 3 Assess your Knowledge

Choose any poster you like to analyze. You may cut it out from magazines,
newspapers or brochures. Do it on your journal. Follow the format presented below.

What does the image show?

It shows a wheelchair bound man trying to get onto an elevator.
Who do you think are the intended audience?
The intended audience are people without disabilities
What is the headline trying to say to the audience?
The headline is asking audience to be more considerate to people with
disabilities.
What does “to him, it’s the only way” mean?
The wheelchair bound man has only one way to move around, which is to
use the elevator.
What memories and new thoughts do you have that connect to your own
life when you look at this poster?

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What I Learned from this Unit

Sign is a symbol which is understood to refer to something other than itself

while Symbol is an object that represents, stands for or suggests an idea or visual
images.
There are different kinds of sign: Directional Signs: indicates directions;
Identifying Signs: name of a place or thing; Informational Signs: gives
information; Restrictive or Prohibited: informational signs that restrict the public
from entering.
In this lesson, you have learned to analyze visual texts by learning how to
identify and read the different elements in visual texts. These include: images,
colors, words – includes title, headlines, captions, typographical features - type
of font, font size, layout – spatial arrangement of different elements in a text. You
also learned to identify the purpose and intended audience of various visual texts.

References:

https://www.slideshare.net/irishkayegordolan/signs-and-symbols-49918860

https://www.slideshare.net/MsSharonLim/visual-text-comprehension

https://www.slideshare.net/darteyeo/what-are-visual-texts-1e3

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