Showing papers in "Visual Communication in 2009"
TL;DR: This paper used a small-scale pilot study of readers' responses to three British newspaper cartoons as an example to explore the ways in which readers make sense of these multimodal texts.
Abstract: Using a small-scale pilot study of readers' responses to three British newspaper cartoons as an example, this article explores the ways in which readers make sense of these multimodal texts. The fi...
116 citations
TL;DR: This article examines a video-thread that starts from one of YouTube’s ‘most responded’ videos; by using a social semiotic multimodal analysis, the author investigates how video responses relate to the initial video and how the video-summary selectively transforms the resources of the responses while presenting itself as a resume of theVideo-thread.
Abstract: On the video-sharing website YouTube, the ‘video response’ option triggers a new interaction practice, i.e. communication threads started by an initial video, built up by video responses and resumed by a video-summary. This article examines a video-thread that starts from one of YouTube’s ‘most responded’ videos; by using a social semiotic multimodal analysis, the author investigates how video responses relate to the initial video and how the video-summary selectively transforms the resources of the responses while presenting itself as a resume of the video-thread. This analysis helps to explore the notion of ‘interest’, which shapes sign-making in a chain of semiosis in video-interaction, thus creating an approach to communication in which traditional notions of coherence and relevance are reshaped in terms of an interest-driven prompt—response relation.
72 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that graffiti represents forms of text that directly challenge presumptions of private ownership and corporate power, that draw our attention to the materiality and spatiality of the city, and that act to create what Giddens, Beck et al. and Beck have called narratives of the self.
Abstract: Fuhrer noted that graffiti are announcements of one’s identity, a kind of testimonial to one’s existence in a work of anonymity: ‘I write, therefore I am.’ However, graffiti is often understood to be at best an art form, at worst vandalism. This article is about graffiti, where ‘savage’ writing is inscribed onto the walls of our cities (Lefebvre) and argues that graffiti represents forms of text that directly challenge presumptions of private ownership and corporate power, that draw our attention to the materiality and spatiality of the city, and that act to create what Giddens, Beck et al. and Beck have called narratives of the self. The article suggests that graffiti has much to tell us about the ways in which broader global contexts impact on how we use textual practices to construct narratives about ourselves and our communities in everyday local sites.
54 citations
TL;DR: An empirically based, social semiotic account of changes in textbook design between 1930 and the present day is provided, showing that profound changes have taken place not just in the use of image but equally in writing, typography and layout.
Abstract: In this article, the authors provide an empirically based, social semiotic account of changes in textbook design between 1930 and the present day. They look at the multimodal design of textbooks rather than at image or any other mode in isolation. Their review of 23 textbooks for secondary education in English shows that profound changes have taken place not just in the use of image but equally in writing, typography and layout. Design is no longer exclusively organized by the principles of the organization of writing, but also, and increasingly so, by graphic, visual principles. They explore what these semiotic changes mean for the social organization of design and knowledge production, asking: What is `English', a subject that supposedly concerns itself with the modes of writing and speech? What has changed in the environment that is set up by the textbook makers for teachers and students to engage in?
54 citations
TL;DR: The article discusses the way three-dimensional spaces can be organized as a semiotic resource — a mode, which, like other modes, is multifunctional.
Abstract: The aim of this article is to articulate a set of principles that can be applied to both the analysis and design of three-dimensional spaces. To achieve this aim, the article discusses the way three-dimensional spaces can be organized as a semiotic resource — a mode, which, like other modes, is multifunctional. The discussion begins by introducing a powerful social semiotic tool, Halliday's metafunctional theory (1978), which has previously been used to theorize numerous semiotic resources in western cultures: language, visual images, speech, music, sound and movement. It then `opens up' a grammar of three-dimensional space using Halliday's notion of three communicative functions. The research presented in this article is illustrated with a museum example, the Hyde Park Barracks Museum, Sydney. However, it is equally relevant to natural spaces as well as built spaces across a broad range of other fields: homes, schools, workplaces, retail sites, hospitals and virtual spaces.
49 citations
TL;DR: This article reports some (video-recorded) instances of `visual culture' in action, namely the use of a new software tool designed for the visualization of scenes from Shakespeare's Macbeth in a classroom context.
Abstract: This paper reports some (video-recorded) instances of 'visual culture' in action, namely the use of a new software tool designed for the visualization of scenes from Shakespeare's Macbeth in a classroom context. By considering whether or how far conversation analysis (CA) can be extended from natural conversation to cases of collaborative work in front of a computer, the paper addresses the methodological question of how to study instances of visual communication. We take as an exemplar the phenomenon of remedial action and discuss how the canonical study of repair in ordinary conversation (Schegloff, Sacks, and Jefferson, 1977) can be used to highlight aspects of 'visual repair' (the identification and remedying of items on the screen). Our attempts to apply the original CA model of repair of ordinary conversation highlight the differences of this setting, which constitutes an example of collaborative work.
49 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a discussion locates itself between the putative poles of digital democracy and digital literacy, questioning the communicative co-ordinates of the snapshot and identifying the "idiomatic genres" in which it takes place.
Abstract: This article seeks to open up debate on the nature of communication in digital domestic photography. The discussion locates itself between the putative poles of ‘digital democracy’ and ‘digital literacy’, questioning the communicative co-ordinates of the snapshot and identifying the ‘idiomatic genres’ in which it takes place. The authors argue that digital cameras enable domestic photographers to take ‘good’ or professional-looking photographs and make certain capacities of professional cameras available for consumer use. Conversely, however, they argue that the question of critical understanding of the politics of representation in domestic camera use remains, since technical proficiency is not necessarily always accompanied by analysis. One reason suggested for this is that, frequently, the uses of photography are insufficiently analysed. The article therefore criticizes the idea that (domestic) photography can be understood in terms of ‘language’ without paying due attention to the use of photography to capture the nonverbal.
45 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a multimodal analysis of 12 comedy film trailers is presented to show how these visual features enter into multilayered relationships with verbal and aural ones when creating evaluative meanings.
Abstract: This article explores how the persuasive purpose of film trailers is attained through specific visual features. The multimodal analysis of 12 comedy film trailers also reveals how these visual features enter into multilayered relationships with verbal and aural ones when creating evaluative meanings. The author proposes an interdisciplinary model of analysis in which several means of interpretation are combined. Based on Labov's understanding of narrative evaluation, this article attempts to show through Kress and Van Leeuwen's multimodal framework how Labov's model of narrative analysis can be extended to a wider analytical context, namely to multimodal promotional texts.
26 citations
TL;DR: The authors investigates language shift and identity construction in two Finnic-speaking communities: Lappe in Ontario, Canada and Bugoynes in Northern Norway by asking how the people of these two communities perceive themselves at a time when their minority language is in the process of disappearing.
Abstract: This article investigates language shift and identity construction in two Finnic-speaking communities: Lappe in Ontario, Canada and Bugoynes in Northern Norway by asking how the people of these two communities perceive themselves at a time when their minority language is in the process of disappearing. Identity construction through visual and linguistic means are analysed and compared. In both communities, people speak similar minority languages, observe similar traditions and have Finnish items in their homes, but such actions do not carry the same symbolic value. In Lappe, these items and traditions have been allocated social meaning; they are explicitly referred to as ‘Finn’, whereas similar items and traditions do not carry any overt symbolic value in Bugoynes. This symbolic value, or lack thereof, is not a direct result of the items and traditions themselves; rather they mediate social action. An analysis of the social actions and the way these actions take part in identity construction reveals that ...
24 citations
TL;DR: In the toy domain, toys convey messages that reflect the cultural and social meanings of the world surrounding them as discussed by the authors, through features such as design, advertising images and marketing, which are used in toys.
Abstract: Through features such as design, advertising images and marketing— language-produced texts, toys convey messages that reflect the cultural and social meanings of the world surrounding them. Taking ...
22 citations
TL;DR: When wandering around a city such as Sao Paulo, we are surrounded by letters, numbers and symbols, and these elements form part of an environment full of signs in many shapes and sizes that compete for our attention.
Abstract: When wandering around a city such as Sao Paulo, we are surrounded by letters, numbers and symbols. These elements form part of an environment full of signs in many shapes and sizes that compete for...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyse amateur video editing software and consider its use within a broadly defined context of cultural practices, or ''everyday cinematic life'' and argue that such software must be understood in relation to specific cinematic discourses and in the context of longstanding promises of popular participation in ''movie-making''.
Abstract: This article analyses amateur video editing software and considers its use within a broadly defined context of cultural practices, or `everyday cinematic life'. The authors argue that such software must be understood in relation to specific cinematic discourses and in the context of longstanding promises of popular participation in `movie-making'. They situate the historically sedimented nature of audiovisual experience in terms of a geneaology of non-commercial film editing and filmmaking, and analyse the phenomenological mixture of constraints and potentials embodied by individual amateur filmmakers and implemented in popular consumer-level editing software. The figure of the video editor (the software and the individual), the authors argue, incorporates a compromise inherent to cinematic life between the propensity to `make' by appropriating forms and materials from the cinema, and the material, economic and legal constraints on making that preserve the organization of entertainment industries.
TL;DR: This article presented a kindergarten science inquiry as an exemplar for the purpose of suggesting an analytic graphic that is visually inclusive of the multimodal resources brought to bear by child's science inquiry.
Abstract: This article presents a kindergarten science inquiry as an exemplar for the purpose of suggesting an analytic graphic that is visually inclusive of the multimodal resources brought to bear by child...
TL;DR: In this paper, a pilot study was conducted to provide conceptual validation for the hypothesis that animated text can communicate certain emotions such as anger, sadness, happiness, happiness and fear, and the results indicated that certain textual motions are associated with the intensity of certain emotions.
Abstract: Traditionally, typographers and designers have relied on variations in the shape and form of letters and text to enhance textual meaning. It is hypothesized that animated text may be used to recreate a broader range of paralinguistic meaning and emotion than is possible with the use of static text alone. This pilot study was conducted to provide conceptual validation for the hypothesis that animated text can communicate certain emotions such as anger, sadness, happiness and fear. Animations were subjected to pre-testing and refined as needed. Subjects were tested for their understanding of the emotional content of a sample set of animated sentences. There was strong support for the animations created to measure ‘sadness’ and ‘happiness’. Findings also indicated that certain textual motions are associated with the intensity of certain emotions.
TL;DR: This study suggests that layout analysis may help answer larger questions concerning `the transformation of social practices into discourses about social practices in specific institutional contexts' (Van Leeuwen, 1996).
Abstract: This article examines the function of layout in the representation of the Palestinian—Israeli conflict in three history textbooks used in Israeli schools. The analysis elaborates on two concepts of Kress and Van Leeuwen — `ideological layout' and `punctuation of semiosis'. The author argues that layout may `punctuate' semiosis in two different senses: first, in the sense of `bringing (conventional—official) semiosis to a temporary standstill in textual form'; and, second, in the sense of `piercing a hole' in the conventional or official semiosis it presents, and thereby criticizing it. In both cases, layout creates new complex signs that either support or contradict the verbal and visual texts it presents.This study suggests that layout analysis may help answer larger questions concerning `the transformation of social practices into discourses about social practices in specific institutional contexts' (Van Leeuwen, 1996). The discussion of the means by which these punctuations are achieved and the message...
TL;DR: In this article, the final version of this article has been published in the Journal, Visual Communication, 8 (3) pp.273-284, 2009, copyright SAGE Publications Ltd.
Abstract: "The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Visual Communication, 8 (3) pp.273-284, 2009, copyright SAGE Publications Ltd. on SAGE Journals Online: http://online.sagepub.com/" [Full text of this article is not available in the UHRA]
TL;DR: It is suggested that fractal-concept analysis is a useful new tool allowing analysis of qualitative/interpretive subject matter with a high level of confidence without resorting to positivistic analytic strategies.
Abstract: This article introduces a new variation of Mandelbrot’s fractal geometry: fractal-concept analysis. Like fractal geometry, fractal-concept analysis differentiates phenomena into self-similar fractals that resemble the parent seed, but instead of using geometric generators, fractal-concept analysis uses a conceptual architecture as the generator. The methodology’s unique capacity for clearly characterizing difficult subject matter is demonstrated through an analysis of advertising art. The conceptual generator’s second iteration of advertisements from three reputable companies (Gore-Tex, Akvavit and Land Rover) exposed latent picture-concepts and text-concepts that significantly manipulated consumers in clearly identifiable ways. While most people are aware that advertising is manipulative by design, our analysis systematically explicates the manipulation logic of advertisements. We suggest that fractal-concept analysis is a useful new tool allowing analysis of qualitative/interpretive subject matter with ...
TL;DR: Istiklal Street, more commonly known as ''Beyoglu'' as mentioned in this paper, is one of the oldest and most prominent areas of the city of Istanbul and it is an area characterized by richness and profundity in terms of its history and cultural background.
Abstract: Istiklal Street, more commonly known as `Beyoglu', is one of the oldest and most prominent areas of the city of Istanbul. It is an area characterized by richness and profundity in terms of its history and cultural background. If asked, perhaps every resident of Istanbul would express fond memories of Beyoglu in days gone by, particularly the older generation. Beyoglu is also one of the most visited and attractive spots of Istanbul in terms of liveliness and nightlife, and can be compared to Piccadilly Circus in London, Times Square in New York, or Ginza in Tokyo. It has always been the business sector of Istanbul, rather than a residential area. Today, it is probably the most popular and exciting part of Istanbul with its shops, restaurants and bars as well as its museums and bookshops. Despite the visual disorder and chaos that such a centre of attraction tends to attract, one would expect Beyoglu to reflect the area's richness and vibrancy in its outdoor signs and billboards. However, recent changes bro...
TL;DR: In this paper, the ethical imperative for an alternative conception of information design is explored and an alternative approach to information design as technology is explored. But the practice of Information Design occupies an ambiguous position in relation to these very different approaches to making, and Heidegger's critique of the metaphysical concepts of being, spatiality and mood provides fertile ground for developing an understanding of the way in which ''information design as Technology'' conceals.
Abstract: Technology or art? The practice of information design occupies an ambiguous position in relation to these very different approaches to making. Heidegger's critique of the metaphysical concepts of being, spatiality and mood provides fertile ground for developing an understanding of the way in which `information design as technology' conceals. The ethical imperative for an alternative conception of information design is explored.
TL;DR: The role of design in Ladakh, a remote region in northwestern India that was opened to tourism and trade only 35 years ago, is explored in this paper, where participants were introduced to the abstract visual language of maps and sketched their home villages.
Abstract: This article explores the role of design in Ladakh, a remote region in northwestern India that was opened to tourism and trade only 35 years ago. The shift in the prevailing socio-economic structure is manifested within the region's forms of visual communication, spanning a continuum from photographic advertising to hand-painted wayfinding systems. One questions the cumulative effects these graphic artifacts have on local people's perception of the region and their identities integrated with it.Workshops were conducted in which participants were introduced to the abstract visual language of maps then sketched their home villages. Content analysis of these externalized cognitive maps reveals a consistency of visual representation strategies across all participants. References to natural and man-made features reflect reverence for the land and an understanding of agrarian systems. Currently graphic design in Ladakh is in service to profit outside interests. The author seeks a role for design that values the...
TL;DR: The Drawing from Turner project as mentioned in this paper explored the value of transcriptions as a means of better understanding individual drawings and more generally learning how to make and read drawings, using a series of drawing experiments.
Abstract: This practitioner’s essay was published in Visual Communication, an international peer-reviewed journal. It sets out to make a contribution to the field of pedagogy and drawing by testing in a series of drawing experiments what it is possible to learn about the form and content of a drawing by redrawing it. The essay explores the value of transcription as a means of learning to make and 'read' drawings. It tracks Farthing’s twenty-five interrogative transcriptions from the charcoal drawing 'Man Reading a Newspaper' made in 1950 by the modernist painter Jean Helion.
The research that enabled this essay began in 2006 , when the author was Principal Investigator in ‘Drawing from Turner’ a collaborative project situated in Tate Britain‘s print room funded by the Rootstein Hopkins foundation and Tate Gallery. This project explored the value of transcription in teaching and learning, and was published by Tate Britain in 2006 as an exhibition (and at http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate- britain/exhibition/drawing-turner/drawing-turner-drawings).
On 5 May 1950, when he was 46 years old, Jean Helion, son of a dressmaker and a taxi driver, made a drawing from life of a man reading a newspaper. He made the drawing in just a few minutes, with charcoal, without corrections, on a sheet of cartridge paper, 22" × 32". When in June 2007 I showed the drawing to an artist friend, he said the newspaper that is central to the image looked like it was drawn by Frank Gehry. This observation and a recent experience of working on a research project that tested the value of making transcriptions as a means of both better understanding individual drawings and more generally learning how to draw got me thinking anew about Helion’s drawing. The research question underpinning the original Drawing from Turner project – Could the making of transcriptions from the drawings of high achievers have a part to play in developing a curriculum for learning to draw today? – clearly remained relevant but more important now was the specific question: What can you learn about a drawing by redrawing it? So the project On Drawing a Man Reading a Newspaper was born. It clearly relates to the Turner project, but this time focuses on just one modernist drawing and on discovering what can be learned by not just redrawing a drawing once but by redrawing it over and over again.