Lets Communitcate Visually (...with text.)
There has always been the age-old cliche that "the eyes are the window to the soul." but is it so? Maybe the eyes are just the lens to see the soul in the world. Visual communication impacts people, maybe more than any other type of communication can. Pictures say what words can't always get across. Since the earliest days with the Lascaux cave paintings, visuals- images namely --were able to articulate events, emotions, even cultural shifts. In early society, even before language had developed enough to express anything, the images held an important role in remembering what happened, and giving others the perspective and illusion of experience through the eyes and expressions of other people. Taking it back to some of the first cave paintings, through the crude paintings of herds, hunts, weapons archeologists could decipher a lot about the habits and lives of the early people. The paintings outlined the effectiveness of new hunting techniques, they showed how the tribes were doing, and even how herd migrated. The pictures could give the viewer information even, a feeling; Visuals today serve the same purpose. Visuals transcend beyond what is seen on the surface.
Apple's logo is a fantastic example of powerful visual communication. Just by looking at the simple apple design you can see what 'feeling' the company wants to instill in it's consumers and potential customers. The minimalist design seems like an intentional design choice to go along with the sleek, easy-to-understand, user-friendly brand that Apple has worked to maintain.
It's not only logos that can carry meaningful visual communication, People can carry the same impact, in the 'Woodstock' era Janis Joplin's image had a big impact on influencing the culture. She was a carefree hippie in both the way that she dressed and acted. Joplin changed the American vision of what a female musician was. Before her time, the accepted view of women in music, they wore subdued colors never raised their voice, their songs never showed too much raw emotion, but Joplin changed it all. The way Joplin looked showed music fans that she wasn't the average female singer even before they heard her sing. With loud colors, big glasses, out of the ordinary textures in her outfits; everything about Janis showed potential audiences that she wasn't going to be just another cookie-cutter singer.
Even social movements can be continued with the help of visual communication. When many people think of the women's movement Rosie the Riveter often comes to mind. Rosie transcended the simple image of a popart-y cartoon of a woman flexing. The iconic image worked to normalize the idea of women in the workplace by depicting a woman wearing factory clothing. The strong lines, serious expression and stark contrast of the primary colors on the poster contributed to making the image make an impact.
Visual communication can change cultures, it changes minds without using a single word. Visuals wield the ultimate power to effect how we perceive people, products, the culture and...even herds. Gnarly!
Apple's logo is a fantastic example of powerful visual communication. Just by looking at the simple apple design you can see what 'feeling' the company wants to instill in it's consumers and potential customers. The minimalist design seems like an intentional design choice to go along with the sleek, easy-to-understand, user-friendly brand that Apple has worked to maintain.
It's not only logos that can carry meaningful visual communication, People can carry the same impact, in the 'Woodstock' era Janis Joplin's image had a big impact on influencing the culture. She was a carefree hippie in both the way that she dressed and acted. Joplin changed the American vision of what a female musician was. Before her time, the accepted view of women in music, they wore subdued colors never raised their voice, their songs never showed too much raw emotion, but Joplin changed it all. The way Joplin looked showed music fans that she wasn't the average female singer even before they heard her sing. With loud colors, big glasses, out of the ordinary textures in her outfits; everything about Janis showed potential audiences that she wasn't going to be just another cookie-cutter singer.
Even social movements can be continued with the help of visual communication. When many people think of the women's movement Rosie the Riveter often comes to mind. Rosie transcended the simple image of a popart-y cartoon of a woman flexing. The iconic image worked to normalize the idea of women in the workplace by depicting a woman wearing factory clothing. The strong lines, serious expression and stark contrast of the primary colors on the poster contributed to making the image make an impact.
Visual communication can change cultures, it changes minds without using a single word. Visuals wield the ultimate power to effect how we perceive people, products, the culture and...even herds. Gnarly!
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