ABSTRACT

VISUAL COMMUNICATION Visual communication (sometimes referred to as vis-com) is an area of study that investigates the transmission of ideas and information through visual forms and symbols. On a deeper level, it also looks at the cognitive and affective processes that affect the way we perceive (or sense) visual stimuli. Seeing is one thing and perceiving is another. The former has to do with the objective realities of sight, while the latter has to do with the transmission of culture and meaning. Two people with equal vision can stand in front of a painting and physically “see”

— Paul Rand, American Author and Graphic Designer

the same thing. The “seeing” part of the event will be pretty much the same for both participants. However, each person’s experience, point of view, knowledge, and aesthetic sensibilities, will shape his or her personal judgments about the painting’s beauty or the artist’s ability. One of them may like what he or she sees while the other may not (see Figure 4.1).