In today's fast-paced world, the ability to effectively communicate through visuals is more important than ever. Whether you're a marketer, designer, or simply someone looking to up their presentation game, mastering the art of visual communication can greatly enhance the way you communicate with others.
In this blog, we'll explore the basic and best practices for creating visually compelling content - from crafting effective infographics to mastering the principles of design. So, whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, get ready to take your visual communication skills to the next level!
What is Visual storytelling?
Visual storytelling is the art of using visual elements such as images, videos, graphics, and typography to tell a story or convey a message. It's a powerful and engaging way to grab attention and make an impact. By combining visuals with narrative, visual storytelling can take an audience on a journey, evoking emotions and creating a deeper connection with the message being conveyed.
But unlike other forms of art, Visual storytelling is not based purely on the sensibilities of the author or the artist. The science of semiotics can help peel back the layers and give us a clear view of how to perfect our skills and become better storytellers. It's critical to understand what semiotics is before learning how to use them in your design.
Semiotics and Visual storytelling
In plain words, The study of signs and symbols and how we represent and understand them is known as semiotics.
The meaning of semiotics is formed by semiotic narrative, either naturally or through observation of your environment. In branding and advertising, the idea of semiotics can be used to either explicitly express what you're attempting to say or convey a tale.
Three subcategories of semiotics exist: iconic, symbolic, and indexical.
Some can have a greater influence depending on how they are applied, while others are more direct.
ICONIC VISUALS Icons are direct visual representations of their meaning. The signs you would see as you were passing through the airport are a simple illustration of this. You would follow the sign with the emblem of luggage on it if you wanted to pick up your checked bags.
Icons are typically not made using cultural references, therefore depending on the picture and how it is utilized, it may be seen by a very large audience from many different cultural backgrounds. This is significant when considering how airports are used because many travelers pass through them and come from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
TIPS FOR USING ICONIC VISUALS
Information that needs to be read quickly at a glance
A wider range of audiences from different backgrounds and experiences must be able to understand the material more quickly.
WHEN TO USE ICONS FOR COMMUNICATION
In product demos: use Icons of the physical object where direct visual representation is required
In instructional manuals and how-to’s: A very good example would be IKEA product assembly instructions
SYMBOLIC VISUALS
A more abstract usage of images is in a symbolic visual. This is an example of a visual representation that conveys a notion but does not appear to be the thing it represents.
Letters and digits are included in this. For instance, letters and the words they create do not directly convey the essence of what they stand for; rather, our society has given these words meaning.
A simpler illustration of this would be to use a red heart, which is typically connected to love. Even though the heart shape's origin is a little hazy, you can still make out what it means in relation to our society because you see it used frequently as a social media emoji.
This category also includes colour. Although there are psychology underlying colours and how you perceive them, our culture has assigned these.
TIPS FOR USING ICONIC VISUALS
Do research on what different colours mean and be mindful of how they are used.
Do research on what symbols mean in different cultures when targeting a broad audience. Symbols have different meanings throughout different cultures.
WHEN TO USE ICONS FOR COMMUNICATION
Sharing your experience or a feeling: Emojis have a lot of impact on how a sentence is read
Explaining a concept: Some abstract ideas can be explained better with the correct symbols
INDEXICAL VISUALS
Of the three, indexical images have the potential to be the most fascinating visual representations.
A direct association between two related things or concepts is known as an indexical image.
This style of picture can be as ambiguous as you like when used in advertising. This enables us to convey a message subtly and gives the listener the freedom to interpret it however they see fit. The audience can link and adapt your images and the underlying message to their lives and experiences more easily and, therefore, the more significant it is to them, the more ambiguous the image.
TIPS FOR USING ICONIC VISUALS
What things can your target audience almost immediately relate to and what visuals could be linked to them?
Be careful to not be too vague. If your message is too vague, your design might not be understood. Your message wasn't communicated effectively if your audience can’t have his or her “ah ha!” moment.
Images are the quickest and most interesting way to accomplish an indexical advertisement. Too much copy can distract and take away from it
WHEN TO USE ICONS FOR COMMUNICATION
Inspirational/Thought leadership articles: Images that help provoke introspection and discovery can be very well suited for conveying the message
In branding: how would you portray a brand as durable? Use imagery focusing on real-world objects that are durable
All of these categories—from the simpler, clearer uses of photography to the ambiguous, thought-provoking uses of imagery (and typically little text)—are combined to create engaging content and should be taken into account when determining the message you want to convey. The most important lesson here is to think about your audience, what they value, and how you can translate those values into an effective image. These categories are an excellent place to start when learning how to interact with various audiences.
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