Foundations of Visual Communications
Visual meaning shaped through technology, culture, and context rather than direct experience.
What is mediated visual communication?
When an image references or relies on other images or cultural texts for meaning.
What is intertextuality in visual analysis?
Judging images based on outcomes they produce.
What is consequentialist ethics?
Ensuring accuracy and honesty in visualized data.
What is data integrity?
The perceived truthfulness of a photographic image.
What is visual authenticity?
The process of constructing meaning into an image by the creator.
What is encoding in visual communication?
Analysis of how visuals reinforce or challenge systems of power and belief.
What is ideological perspective?
Evaluating visuals based on rules and duties, not outcomes.
What is deontological ethics?
Unnecessary visual elements that distract from data meaning.
What is chart junk?
Combining multiple images into one.
What is compositing in photography?
The audience’s interpretation of a visual message.
What is decoding?
It's the physical form of a sign or symbol.
What is the signifier?
Ethical requirement that subjects understand how their image will be used.
What is informed consent in visual media?
Adjusting data to allow fair comparisons across categories.
What is normalization of data?
AI-generated or manipulated visuals that imitate real people.
What is deepfake imagery?
The idea that images can have multiple meanings depending on the viewer.
What is polysemy?
The concept or meaning that a sign or symbol represents.
What is the signified?
The moral debate over altering images to change perception.
What is visual manipulation ethics?
Distorting data through design choices
What is visual misrepresentation?
When photographs are selected or composed to support a viewpoint.
What is ideological framing in photojournalism?
The way an image is composed to influence interpretation and focus attention.
What is visual framing?
The study of signs, symbols, and how meaning is constructed in images.
What is semiotics?
Decisions made by media professionals about what images are published or suppressed.
What is ethical gatekeeping?
When too much visual information reduces comprehension.
What is cognitive overload in infographics?
Images designed specifically to influence political or social beliefs.
What is visual propaganda?