Running head: SIGNATURE ESSAY

Final Essay- Signature Assignment

Jennifer Y. Dominguez
Ottawa University

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Introduction
People say that a picture can say a thousand words. Would this phrase be a correct or incorrect
thing to say? Depending on a persons perspective, it can go both ways. Looking back on the past
eight weeks of learning about visual communications and how images do have messages. Going
into depth on visual cues, theories, persuasion, stereotyping, and analysis can really open up a
persons mind to learn how important visual communication is to society today.
Visual Cues
There are certain visual correspondents that are important when looking at an image, the
color, form, depth and movement are crucial when it comes to visual communications.
According to Lester, P., 2014, It was discovered by other researchers that the brain, through its
vast array of specialized cells, most quickly and easily responds to four major attributes of all
view objects (p. 14). The color, form, depth and movement are considered to be visual cues to
help an individual understand a visual object that are trying to figure out. In order for an
individual to see these correspondents it starts with the human eye. The human eye is what starts
the process of seeing these visual cues.
Anything that we visualize in life is seen with the brains not our eyes. I say this because it
is our brain which transmits everything we see including visual cues of color, form, depth and
movement of objects. This complex process consist of many steps. First, as light passes through
the cornea of the eye, it bends to refracts for the light to come through the front of the eye. Then,
the iris of the eye helps to maintain the amount of light that comes into the eye. The lens focuses
light or images on the retina, in the retina there are photoreceptors that make the light into
electrical signals. These signals are transmitted from the retina to the brain through the optic

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nerve (National Eye Institute, 2015). All the visual cues are found by going through the eye
process in order for the brain to respond to the form, color, depth and movement of an object.
Visual Theories
There are a handful of visual theories such as gestalt, constructivism, semiotics, and
cognitive that can be useful on daily basis. Those who advocate the sensory theories (gestalt &
constructivism) maintain that direct or mediated images are composed of light objects that attract
or repel us (Lester, P., 2014, p.42). As we were speaking earlier about visual cues such as color,
form, depth and movement, the gestalt and constructivism theories is what alarms the brain with
what to see. For example, on a day to day basis we use the gestalt theory every time we see
Apple product logo. We see it on the laptops at work, school, and phones on a daily basis. Due to
the principles of the gestalt theory, people tend to see an apple with a missing part. In reality our
brain will automatically make the apple whole, which is considered to the continuation principle
of the gestalt theory. Some people will look at Apple product logo leaving it at a bitten apple,
which is considered to be the proximity principle of gestalt. I would recommend using this while
looking at advertisements of Apple to see what your brain will see.
Now, the semiotics theory would be a great way to view signs or symbols. Where the
cognitive theory would definitely be a great way to view an image or object depending on what
the brain is thinking at the moment. The perceptual theories (semiotics and cognitive) are
concerned mainly with the meaning that humans associate with imageswhat the mind sees
(Lester, P., 2014, p.42). I honestly wouldnt have to recommend to use lets say the semiotic
theory because I think we use this theory on a daily basis already. On dictionary.com, it defines
semiotics as the study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior (2015).
For example, when you see a cross on a sign that states Vineyard North Phoenix our brain will

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automatically tell you that its a church because of the cross. A cross symbolizes a church
because of what Jesus Christ did for the human race. The next time you see signs or an image
with a symbol let the semiotic theory kick in, associating symbols with images. It will astound
you what your brain can do.
Ethics & Visual Persuasion
Individual cultures throughout the world have different moral principles that must
respected, especially when it comes to visual persuasion. On a daily basis we bump into
advertisements, television commercials, billboards, newspapers articles and blogs that all have
something in commonvisual persuasion. Visual persuasion plays an important role of trying to
get over the point someone is trying to make. When thinking of visual persuasion you must think
outside the box, which consist of putting yourself in someone elses shoes. The reason why I say
this is because if I was a company trying to persuade an audience to buy my product I must think
of others feelings and ethics.
According to Tuenge, C., 2010, Ethical behavior is important to human kind, significant
to the process of persuasion, and impacts persuasion by evolving the process of persuasion, and
expanding who is responsible for it. I like the way Tuenge puts the matter into great wording
without offending anyone. I truly believe that this statement is correct. If you think about it,
ethical behavior is important to each individual who resides on earth. It also plays a major role in
the process of persuasion, which not all companies or people think about when trying to
persuade. For example, take the picture in our textbook by United Colors of Benetton on page
72. It shows a woman and man dressed as a priest and nun kissing as the picture was taken. As
the caption state, the picture upset many Catholics because it seemed to mock their religious
beliefs (Lester, P., 2014, p.72). At the end of the day, everyones ethical behavior depends each

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individuals decisions to make sure they arent offending anyones ethics. With this being said,
visual persuasion can be done correctly while understanding and respecting individuals moral
principles.
Visual Stereotyping
Usually when the word stereotyping is brought to anyones attention, people tend to
lean more to it as a bad word. On dictionary.com it defines stereotyping as a simplified and
standardized conception or image invested with a special meaning and held in common by
members of a group (2015). The reason people think its harmful is because stereotyping can
lead to other things like discrimination or being prejudice towards others. As Paul Lester states,
Whether an individual is identified because of gender, age, economic status, cultural heritage,
sexual orientation or physical disability, the visual message generally communicated about that
person often is misleading and false (2014, p.101). Once someone sees visual stereotyping
going on, people will start to feel like they are being deceived. Because pictures affect a viewer
emotionally more than words along do, pictorial stereotypes often become misinformed
perceptions that have the weight of established facts (Lester, P., 2014, p.101). I think
stereotyping is more harmful than beneficial.
I believe there can only be one way for stereotyping to beneficial. Lets take the story
Looting or finding by Aaron Kinney for example. In the article it speaks of different captions
on pictures that focus on what looks like African Americans doing wrong, versus Caucasians that
are supposable trying to survive. I think theyre stereotyping the African Americans by putting
them as the bad people during the survival days of Hurricane Katrina. While the Caucasians are
captioned with just trying to survive. The only way that I could see beneficial visual stereotyping
in this case, would be for the press to put all people on the same level. They could stereotype by

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naming them as Southern citizens, and putting that all people are not looting, but are finding
food for survival. If the press wouldve taken something like this into consideration, they
wouldnt be in the hot spot that they were in by stereotyping African Americans. Like I said
before, once you start to stereotype people it can lead to other things such as discrimination or
being prejudice.
Visual Analysis
In order to learn what the significance of a visual message is, the brain goes through a
visual analysis process to ensure you understand the object you are looking at. According to
Lester, 2014, there are nine steps of the thorough analysis: make a detailed list of what is seen
in the picture, note unique compositional elements, consider how visual cues work singly and in
combo to add interest and meaning, look at terms through the eye of the gestalt laws, identify
any iconic, indexical, and symbolic signs, how do the four semiotic codes contribute to its
understanding, isolate any cognitive elements that are part of the image, consider the purpose the
work might have, and determine if the image is aesthetically pleasing (p.130).
This process of visual analysis is important to go through because while looking at an
image, you have to ensure there is understanding of the message we are trying to receive from
the image. The only way to understand the message we are trying to receive is to go through this
process of sorting out the different aspects of a picture. This will then allow the brain to make a
conclusion of what we are viewing and the message behind the picture. If you think about the list
above, visual analysis process is a summary of what the brain allows the eyes to see. The brain is
what needs to go through this list in order for us to truly understand throughly.
Conclusion

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In the case of visual communications, images do come with messages. There are different
characteristics of visual communications such as visual cues, theories, persuasion, and
stereotyping. These characteristics are what the brain must go into depth in order for a human to
comprehend the messages an image is giving. Now there is a complied list of steps called the
visual analysis process that must be done step by step, which just happens to be the
characteristics stated above. So at the end, all these portions of visual communications work
together in order for us learn how images can say a thousand words.

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Reference
How We See. (2015). National Eye Institute - NEI. Retrieved from
http://www.nei.nih.gov/healthyeyes/howwesee.asp
Kinney, A. (2005). Looting or finding? Salon Retrieved from
http://www.salon.com/2005/09/02/photo_controversy/
Lester, P. (2014). Visual communication: Images with messages (6th ed.). Boston:
Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.
Stereotyping. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2015, from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stereotyping?s=t

Semiotics. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2015, from

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/semiotics?s=t

Tuenge, C. (2010, November 11). A Perspective. Retrieved October 16, 2015, from
http://opinionsandperspectives.blogspot.com/2010/11/importance-of-ethical-behaviorand-its.html

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