Reading Images

Introduction & Ch 1

This book is about the grammar of visual design. Images, like language, have certain grammar, rules, and structure, and it is through such structure that images are able to communicate meanings. Some images are direct representations of the reality, so they can deliver a straightforward message and require a minimal level of interpretation. Other images are more subtle and have multiple layers of meaning, so the viewer must take time to look at the image and think about it. The viewer must make efforts to interpret the message of the image. This leads to the notion of “visual literacy.” We have to understand the language of visual design to receive and interpret the meaning of images. There are two kinds of “visual literacy.” The old visual literacy is an unstructured reproduction of reality—“it is a message without a code” (p. 24). Language comes first, and images are secondary to language. The new visual literacy is openly structured and coded. The reality can be simplified and represented. One element can be used to represent the whole thing or express a more complex meaning.


Now there is a growing trend of visual communication. Communication is shifting from the verbal to the visual, and also images are becoming more coded and abstract. I’m not sure about the situation in the US, but in Taiwan, we can see the development of visual communication and “visual literacy” on the internet. It started with using simple symbols to show facial expressions, like:
^_^ happy
~_~ unhappy
T_T crying
~>_<~ upset
-_- or =_= somewhat annoyed

On instant messengers like MSN, there are “emoticons” to show more complex emotions.



In addition to showing emotions, some moving icons can be used to replace simple words, like “nodding” for “yes,” and “shaking one’s head” for “no.” (These images are supposed to move, but I can't show that on the blog?)


Later, as computer writing pads become more popular, people start to draw on MSN instead of typing.

Now some people say the trend of visual communication is coming to an extreme. There are too many images in the “internet language,” and we call it the “Martian language,” because no one can understand. Here’s one example of “Martian language.”

Anyways, the visual language on the internet in Taiwan is coded. It is a simplified representation of the reality. This type of visual communication is also culture and age specific—only for the younger generation in Taiwan, although some images may be universally understood. However, this is still a simple level of visual communication. These images do not have multiple meanings that are open for interpretation. The viewers are supposed to understand the shared meaning of these icons, instead of making efforts to interpret the deeper meanings.