"The Visual Literacy White Paper"

The Visual Literacy White Paper

Commissioned by Adobe Systems Pty Ltd, Australia
Written by Dr. Anne Bamford. Director of Visual Arts. Senior Lecturer in Interactive Media,
Art and Design University of Technology Sydney

  Visual literacy is defined in this study as the "ability to construct meaning from images" (Giorgis, Johnson, Bonomo, Colbert, & al, 1999: 146). Essentially, Dr. Anne Bamford's article focuses on how people can communicate through visual representations. It examines how what we see with the eye is the same as what we see with the mind, which basically implies that our sight enables for enhanced interpretation of concepts and ideas. I think they have a point, because being a teacher, I have to consider how most students hate to read books, but love the movies. There is no mystery behind this. The reason why they enjoy the movies, and TV for that matter, more than they enjoy reading is because it is easier for them to interpret visuals than rhetoric. They can make meaning of the moving pictures in a film with greater accuracy than they can when it comes to the written word; not all students, but many. The study explores the history of visual literacy and how people begin to interpret images and communicate through use of visuals at a very early age; about 12 months old! A one-year-old is capable of deciphering meaning from images that he/she sees. That is incredible! The study also pronounces that these youngsters can tell the difference between images, symbols, and people that are similar, such as parental figures. They argue that a very high percentage of all sensory learning is visual and that we need to read images in a meaningful way since they are so prominent within society. Furthermore, visual literacy is becoming the predominant form of communication between people. In order to be literate, we must be able to develop an understanding of visual semantics. There are certain questions that one might need to answer to illustrate their visual literacy comprehension, such as:
- Who created the image?
- At what point of history and in what context was the image created?
- Who commissioned the image?
- For what purpose was the image created?
- In what context is the image being seen?
- Who is the intended audience of the image?
- In what form)s) of media will the image be seen?
- What has been omitted, altered or included in an image?
- What does the image say about our history?
- What does the image communicate about our individual or national identity?
- What does the image say about society?
- What does the image say about an event?
- What aspects of culture is an image communicating?
If one is able to articulate their understanding of the visual symbols that are shown to them, then they will be productive, communicative, and active members within society. In lieu of society's interdependence on visual expression and interpretation, it makes it not only important for educators to include elements of visual literacy within their teachings, but essential. Bamford includes some different means of introducing the study of visual literacy that might prove fun and rewarding for students and also points out what topics will prove useful in discussion of the discourse, such as issues, information, who (the communicator), persuasion, and assumptions. The article then explores how technology can be used to promote the exploration of visual literacy. Bamford believes that visual literacy is the future and perhaps the only way our voices will be heard in such a picture-centric landscape.

WHO NEEDS WORDS WHEN VISUALS CAN TELL US EVERYTHING WE NEED TO KNOW...