The Untold Magic of Visual Communication on Human Being

 Hello, my dear viewers,

As assured in my last blog, I am here with a new Blog on a very interesting and hot topic The Untold Magic of Visual Communication on Human Being. I am super excited to share the same with you.

Visual communication is conventionally the utilization and use of available visual components to share thoughts, ideas, feelings, emotions, and information with the help of symbols, signs, images, drawing, graphic, design, typography, illustration, animation, and other visual resources. We, humans, are very comfortable with visual communication since ancient times. In visual communication, body gestures, and facial expressions are also play a major role to convey a message. So, any nonverbal communication is known as visual communication. In today’s environment, there are different types of visual elements, which are graphs, photographs, diagrams, models, objects, and maps.

These play a vital role in our daily life. We are religiously addicted to visual communication in today’s world. Visual communication serves a common purpose to mankind. Though the list is too long, I am sharing a few areas where Visual communication is the topmost mode of communication in the Social Media, Entertainment industry, Cultural activities, Politics, Education, Economics, and Science fields. Whatever is the purpose, whether an advertisement, movies or series, teaching or learning, speeches, or presentations – The use of visual components is heavily required. Visual communication has become one of the important methods for communication and sharing thoughts and information. This is the reason that today’s web designers and app developers mostly focussed on the GUI (Graphical User Interfaces) to target suitable audiences.

In my previous Blog “Boost Your Business Visually with Must Know Hidden Secrets”, I explained Aldous Huxley and Max Wertheimer, the eminent contributors in the development of Visual Communication.

Kindly allow me to explain some related interesting facts associated with visual communication.

• 1.      Image analysis is an important aspect of Visual Communication. The elucidation of images is purely subjective and varies from person to person. To understand the exact purpose, or meaning, we require image analysis, which can be done in different approaches, as Personal, Historical, Technical, Ethical, Cultural, and Critical.

·        Personal approach: When a user interprets an image based on his personal experience. This is purely an individual opinion. This might be different from cultural aspects. It is almost impossible to change the view of a person regarding an image based on personal feelings even if there are other ways to visualize the image.

·        Historical approach: The history of the use of media can also change the perception of an image. For example, with the advent of the new media over time editing images through Photoshop is completely different as compared to the new software craft.

·        Technical approach: With the help of correct and proper setting of light, position, and presentation of an image generate the better-improved version than the original version of the image.

·        Ethical approach: In this approach, there exists accountability with the image creator, the audience, and the image based on its moral and ethical value. This approach is further categorized into 6 different categories which are imperative, utilitarianism, hedonism, golden mean, golden rule, and the veil of ignorance.

·        Cultural approach: This approach is based on Symbolization. This includes the identity of symbols. The associated words, the use of idols in the image, etc. are the symbolization of the image. This is also known as the semiotic approach.

·        Critical approach: When the images get criticized in the interest of society the approach is called the critical approach. This approach is completely different from the personal approach as in this approach society is the center of attraction.

• 2.      Components of visualization make communication more appealing. The below major components are the foundation of visual communication. An important principle, Hierarchy encourages the viewers in processing the information through visuals step by step. On any Website, Social Media, Poster, etc., it serves as a starting point for the viewers. To attain the hierarchy, other components like Color, Shape, Tones, Texture, Figure-Ground, and Balance are also to be considered.

§  Color is the most important component of visual communications. Colors exhibit the bond between feelings and understanding. To promote visual communications, Additive and Subtractive color models are used. The Additive is RGB color (Red, Green, and Blue) which moves from dark to light, and Subtractive is just the reverse of it and includes the primary CMYK color (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) which moves from light to dark colors.

§  The Shape is the 2nd important component that fosters you in building a link to the visuals with the help of symbols. Organic (Biomorphic), and Geometric (Rectilinear) are two different categories of shapes that can fall under shapes. Organic represents natural materials (that may include curvy lines), whereas Geometric represents shapes created by man (like triangles, rectangles, ovals, and circles).

§  Tone depicts the variations of color intensity, i.e., lighter or darker. The intention of using a specific tone is to highlight and intensify the information.

§  Textures are used to enhance the visuals and produce a better personal feel, not the professional feel. Texture represents the surface of any object that could be 2D or 3D.

§  Figure-ground perception is a very crucial aspect of visual processing that encourages us to understand “what we see”? Do you recognize the objects in the below image? It depends on the color you see more. If you see dark color as a figure, you would see two faces or if you see the light color as a figure, you would see a vase. This illusion is known as the "faces or vases" illusion (or Rubin Vase).

This principle is one of the Gestalt principles “the whole is more than the sum of its parts”. This describes that humans tend to make segment our visualization into a figure and the ground (also termed as background). It eventually holds the relationship between figures and the space it is in. The figure describes the positive dominating space whereas the ground (or background) is the negative space. The figure-ground may highlight different figures. The practice of this perception will ease the puzzle-solving games.

§  Balance is an important factor in visual communication. These are of two types. Symmetrical balance holds a fixed structure and is used to convey edifying visual communication whereas asymmetrical balance is the weighted information more to one side. For example, a color may be more weighted to one color than the other, while in the case of symmetrical structure, all colors are equally weighted.

•           Next are the importance and purpose of visual communication in Different sectors that changed their functions as compared to the traditional approach.

·        Social media is one of the greatest and best effective ways to communicate. The fusion of several visual components including text, videos, graphics, and images process and deliver messages very fast and more simplified through different social media platforms. Despite the restrictions of limited use (like the number of characters and image size), there has been a tremendous rise in visual content with the popularity of YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Snapchat. Visual objects are these days being used as a supportive explanation for spoken or written text, or to generate individual understanding. These social media platforms are focusing more on visual images with users having the option to modify the visual contents on these platforms.

·     Different civilizations can exchange visual imagery based on the concept of universal understandings. The visual culture recognizes for every culture to feel equal, making it the inclusive aspect of everyone’s life. The concept of high and low context in communication is shaped by the values amongst all cultures. More high context cultures rely heavily on visual elements with implied and implicit meaning. However, low context cultures rely on visual elements with direct meaning and are more textual.

·        Visual communication in politics these days is a primary mode of communication, whereas communication through dialogue and text is the secondary mode. This became only possible because more people turned towards the visual mode (like TV, Smart Phones, Digital platforms, etc.) and thus visual communication became a popular and perfected mode for all political parties.

·        The foundation of Economic is always been visual elements including graphs and charts. Graphs or charts simplify and clarify complex information with ease. It also set the comparative relation between two or more entities in terms of positive correlation or negative correlation. These became a choice of all the economists because of their simplicity.

·      Science and medicine have a great scope as well as the need for visual elements to be included in a communication to make the unrelated users aware of the specific information. To understand science and medicine it is very supportive to use visual elements like a graph, charts, slides, etc. while preparing the details.

However, there are several drawbacks of using visual elements on the understanding of information for non-scientific readers.

•                The deficit of amalgamation of visual elements in day-to-day technical language.
•                Incorrect identification of the target audience and not adjusting to their level of understanding.

To overcome, science communicators must work around User-Centricity. This design strictly targets the user and the way they interact with the visual element with minimum stress and maximum understanding.

How to brush up on your visual communication competency?

For your better understanding, I am sharing a few important tips to tweak your visual communication capabilities:

1. Pursue brainstorming: This is very important to remain more curious, watchful, unbiased, and inventive, innovative, and visionary. Always use brainstorming using your left and right brain to collect as many ideas as possible. To perform as a designer, you have to seek inspiration from your surroundings from anything and everything you see or do. You don't need to have the knowledge and experience of a designer to create visual communication designs.

2. Apply KISS (Keep It Short & Simple): You must follow the KISS to your visual communication. In other words, make this communication as concise as possible. Make sure that your innovation and imagination will be conveyed to the audience in the form of a creative message. Visual messages intend to communicate complexity with simplicity.

3. Delight the eyes: The most challenging aspect of visual communication as you have to maintain the balance among different visual elements used in the communication. You should improve the message readability, give the proper emotional touch by using perfect typography and an appealing color pattern that can support what you wish to get. However, don’t overbake the ingredients of visual communication as it leads to confusion or bewilderment. You know, color is a powerful communication tool that may be used to represent action, control mood, and sometimes physiological states. So color psychology is a great choice to learn and to start!

Here is some major use of visual communication:

1. Engage your audience

2. Communicate complex message

3. Visualize a story and convey the fire

4. Simplify information

5. Communicate the impact of your data

Conclusion: Visual communication is the use of available visual components to share thoughts, ideas, feelings, and information with the help of visual elements. Humans are very comfortable with visual communication since ancient times. Body gestures and facial expressions are also used to convey a message. So, all nonverbal communication is also known as visual communication. Different types of visual elements are graphs, photographs, diagrams, models, objects, and maps.

Visual communication is the topmost mode of communication in Social Media, Entertainment industry, Cultural activities, Politics, Education, Economics, and Science fields. Visual communication has become one of the important methods for communication and hence web designers and app developers mostly focussed on the GUI (Graphical User Interfaces). As of now, you can understand the visual properties of visual communication like image analysis (Personal, Historical, Technical, Ethical, Cultural, and Critical), components (Color, Shape, Tones, Texture, Figure-Ground, and Balance). You also get familiar with the importance and purpose of visual communication in different sectors. You also understood the way to improve the visualization which is to Pursue brainstorming, Apply KISS (Keep It Short & Simple), and delight the eyes. The scope and future of Visual communication always remain bright.

I am Rupesh, your DigitalDuo and my mission is to empower 100,000 Business Owners to grow their Businesses Digitally & Globally using Visual Video Intelligence.

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