Visual Rhetoric - Period 5

Images are getting more and more important in communication messages. Dependent on communicative goals, both design and function of images in documents may differ. In three themes we will consider how images are processed differently by viewers because of other functions they serve. First, we will look at visual metaphors in advertising and their persuasive function. Second, we will study the aid of images in learning instructions. Third, we will assess informativeness and attractiveness of data visualisation (infographics). In all cases, the interplay of images with text plays a pivotal role. Theories of information processing will be studied and applied to analyse the role of images in documents and the intended and unintended effects they may have on document users.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) awards credits based on the ECTS system. Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.