ABSTRACT
During the late 1960s, the concept of visual literacy gained considerable momentum in the United States due to a growing concern about the detrimental impact of television on children. Visual literacy, sometimes called “visuacy,” is a broad, “eclectic in origin” concept. This statement reflects the many theoretical foundations and origins of the concept. Terms such as visual communication, visual literacy, visual language, and even graphic design are so broad in their meanings that it is impossible to use them accurately to describe specific functions. Visual literacy definitions have varied from narrow to broad explanations of greater or lesser complexity. Languages differ in their ability to express concepts with precision and flexibility. Physics, chemistry, and mathematics, for example, employ non-ambiguous symbol and equation languages. The chapter examines the relevant literature and provided a framework that may describe and explain how visual literacy has performed to date.
