Visual Communications

1. What Is Visual Communication?

Visual communication is a process by which an image conveys some sort of idea or message to an audience in order to inform, sell, persuade, educate, or entertain.

Visual communication relies heavily on both the biology of human vision and the viewer's past experience. Now, various practitioners, companies, and organizations of many different backgrounds and disciplines will communicate visually. So, in order for this communication to be more effective, it's extremely important to understand just how viewers actually collect and interpret that visual information.

term to know

Visual Communication

A process by which an image conveys an idea or message to an audience in order to inform, sell, persuade, educate or entertain. Visual communication relies on both the biology of human vision and the viewer's past experience.

big idea

On a typical day, a person will encounter various types of visual communication in the form of packages, labels, ads, newspapers, magazines, movies, TV, and much more. The better you understand how visual input is interpreted, the more likely you will be to effectively communicate your message to the viewer.

2. Perceptual Communications Model

The perceptual communications model is a visual communication theory that focuses on a viewer's personal interpretation and prior experiences.

term to know

Perceptual Communications Model

A visual communications theory which focus on the viewer's personal interpretation and prior experience.

3. Sensory Communications Model

The next theory is the sensory communications model, which is a theory that solely focuses on the data that enters the brain.

term to know

Sensory Communications Model

A visual communications theory which focuses strictly on the data that enters the brain.

4. Transmission Model

The transmission model is a model adopted by many communications disciplines that states that a sender transmits a message to receiver.

Below is an example of what the transmission model looks like in action.

You have the source, or the sender, who wants to communicate some sort of message, and will transmit this message through a channel, which will be the means or medium of transmission. As a message is being channeled, it becomes susceptible to various dysfunctional factors that can interfere with the message. These factors are called noise. The message then proceeds to the receiver.

EXAMPLE

A granddaughter wants to wish her grandmother a happy birthday. As the source, she transmits that message by means of a telephone, and the channel is the telephone cable or wire. This channel may be susceptible to noise in the form of static or electrical interference. There may also be other forms of background noise.

EXAMPLE

In a class, one student tries to communicate to another. The channel is just verbal communication, but it will be susceptible to noise in the form of ambient sounds from other classmates, which can disturb, interfere with, or alter the message in some way.

terms to know

Transmission Model

A model adopted by many communications disciplines that states that a sender transmits a message to a receiver.

Source

A person who desires to communicate.

Channel

A transmission medium or means.

Noise

In the transmission model of visual communications, anything that interferes with the communication process.