The concept of Visual

Literacy

By:
Charmaine Carlos
Visual Literacy- is a learned
ability to interpret visual
messages accurately and to
create such messages.

It runs parallel to print literacy

which is the ability to read and
write printed words.
Visual Literacy has become a
“movement” within communication
and education. And the upsurge in the
visual literacy movement has been
accompanied with quantum leap in the
production and distribution of visual
messages in recent years. Even books,
magazines, periodicals and textbooks
have now become more visually
oriented. Society now also abounds in
visual messages, more especially in the
advertising media.
Obviously, modern man must now be
visually literate, meaning able to
interpret accurately the flood of visual
messages that come his way. These
visual messages strongly influence his
attitudes, opinions and life. As
recipients of communications, we must
become adept in “reading” pictures.
As communicators ourselves, we
should be able to create visual
messages that are effective in our
work as communicators or teachers.
What Visuals can achieve?
• Visuals are iconic, meaning they normally
resemble the thing they represent.
Realism is one quality of visual messages
which we should attend to. No media form
is totally realists. Beside less useful for
communication or instruction as they
breach the extremes of being abstract or
very realistic. A certain Dwyer says that
the amount of realism desired has a
curvilinear relationship to effective
communication learning. Too much or too
little realism may affect achievement
Definition of terms:

• 1. Decoding- Includes “ reading” visuals

accurately, understanding and relating
elements of a visual, being able to
translate from visual to verbal and vice
versa, and appreciating the aesthetics of
visuals.
• 2. Encoding- includes using the tools of
visual media to communicate effectively
with others and to express one’s self
through visuals.