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Visual Analysis Essay

The first step in writing this essay is to pick a visual text. Make sure that you choose a
text that attempts to influence readers in significant ways (whether by appealing to logic,
emotions/values and/or credibility). This essay will be form 2-3 pages, typed and
double-spaced with 1 margins.
You might choose to focus on any one of the following types of visual texts for this
assignment:
Advertisement
Photograph
Architecture
Consumer product/product packaging
Work of art
Political cartoon
Billboard
Etc.
Once you have selected an image to focus on for your visual analysis essay, consider
the following general questions as you begin the process of analyzing it:
1. What is your general impression of the design and presentation of the image
(including any written text that may be part of the image)?
2. What are the important design elements?
3. What is the relationship between image and written text?
4. In what ways does the design appeal to your logic/reason/emotion?
5. Does the credibility of a company or an individual play a role in this image?
6. Does the image assume people have prior knowledge about what it represents?
7. How would you describe the message/impact of the text?
8. Do you feel like the image achieves its intended impact?
As you begin writing the first draft of your visual analysis, please use the following
outline to help you get started:
Briefly describe the image you are analyzing
o Describe the medium & genre
o Who produced it? When/where did it first appear?
Make a claim about the image
Analyze the images context (the bigger picture/history/events surrounding the
image)
Analyze the text of the image (the different parts of the image, including any
written text)
Build a strong conclusion
Refer to the Rhetorical Writing from Writing for College and Beyond by Lester Faigley
PDF for additional notes about writing a visual analysis essay. We will discuss this

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document in class during Week 3; please make sure that youve read it before you
come to class. Thanks!