Visual Communication

Visual communication is fundamentally an expression of visibility. To understand better the elements that characterize visual communication, consider two imaginary workplaces. These workplaces are similar in every respect, but one, the conventional workplace, employs traditional communication methods and the second, the visual workplace, uses visual communication. Visual communication is a matter of company culture, a culture where the essential principle is sharing. A visual message is observed by everyone working in a given area, everyone who passes through the area, and, indeed, everyone who comes into the range of visibility. Defining recipients of visual messages as clients — persons who are free to receive information or not — may appear slightly exaggerated. The rise of visual factories marks the abandonment of a system where authority is based on the hoarding of information and on the absolute right of the hierarchy to establish laws. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.