English Language Department

College of Arts and Letters

Bicol University
Legazpi City

Second Semester
Academic Year 2023-2024

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Name of Student/Course and Year

GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4

 CHAPTER FOUR

EVALUATING MESSAGES

WHAT IS THIS LESSON ABOUT?

This chapter introduces you to the different modes by which messages are conveyed. More
important is the ultimate goal of delineating personal judgments on the ideas presented that would
engage you toward the diversity of cultures manifested. Necessarily, the goal to objectify the
attack against a particular set of images/objects that create meaning is highlighted in this part.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:

1. Identify individual elements/aspects that contribute to the message;

2. Analyze the functions of such elements toward the attainment of the message;
3. Distinguish moods/motifs reflected; and
4. Illustrate certain characteristics of effective messages.

GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4

LESSON 1: A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS
LET’S READ!

Grand narratives have come to extinction. Those pieces of history that the great Napoleon
Bonaparte considers ‘one-sided account’ no longer stand as sell-outs. These are no longer sufficient
to make people understand the phenomena around them.
As issues arise the determination to comprehend them more than ever can be seen in how
advertisements emerge in the limelight as ground-breaking technology that advances advocacies.
People realize of their importance. Gradually, tiny details manage to awaken their sensibilities.
Evaluating messages in this era is made simpler. Looking at them through several lenses is helpful
as culture is arbitrary in nature. It conveys ideas that are distinct and rooted in myriad sensibilities.
What one experiences is what one brings to the table to further explain what is depicted in the
picture, video or any form of illustration. Unlocking messages is central to evaluation. So be
mindful of the elements that make up the bulk of the illustration, as these are the ones you will be
assessing as you read on.
GUIDE QUESTIONS IN UNLOCKING MESSAGES
1. What is the general motif of the picture?
2. How does the motif reflect interrelatedness of the elements?
3. What objects/elements stand out?
4. What objects/words seem out of place?
5. What culture prevails in understanding the meaning conveyed?
6. What general note can be drawn from the picture?

INFO CORNER:
A MOTIF is a usually recurring salient thematic element
(As in the arts) especially: a dominant idea or central theme

GUIDE QUESTIONS IN EVALUATING MESSAGES

1. How is the message conveyed?
2. What belief is used to support the message?
3. In what way is the message best delivered?
4. To what extent is the impact of the message felt?
5. Who is the addressee of the message?
6. What ethos does the message support?
Simple unlocking means distinguishing the objects present, even colors. As these gradually come to
the fore, careful investigations of the value each present follows.
The explosion of cultures is alluded to how distinct people’s ideas are from each other. Pinning
down a meaning to something without acknowledging the culture of the author is perhaps
considered an offense. Without examining the cultural backdrop, many things could be displaced,
and out of the many things identity is unquestionably the first one to lose essence.
Within man’s spectrum, messages could go ad infinitum – these make him who he is. Evaluating
them would support the quest for truth behind his consciousness.
EASY STEPS:
1. Determine what you will evaluate.
2. Define your goal.
3. State your objective.
4. Identify your audience.

GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4

 5. Establish your baseline.

TASK #1

This idiom suggests that a picture contains far more in its colors, forms, textures, and
content than 1,000 words ever could. While words convey one idea, a simple picture has
the capacity to convey multiple at the same time while also engaging the viewer on a
different level.

Post/attach at least two pictures you like most which communicate the best message
you love from among the most favorite collections of images you keep without saying
any word.

LESSON 2: THE POWER OF NONVERBAL CUES

LET’S READ!

“Our interpersonal effectiveness depends on more than words. Nonverbal messages add to or
detract from our words. In effect, we become the message, with our nonverbal cues announcing our
state of mind, and sense of self. Our entire beings chatter incessantly, revealing what we really
feel and think.” (www.sagepub.com/gambleic)
Listening to someone talking gives the privilege of proving his sincerity to the addressees. Like
many politicians, anyone finds common gestures along with words uttered. This is based on the
premise that human beings share commonalities. Standing before a crowd, for example, not

GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4

 only exposes one’s vulnerabilities but it also shows, most importantly, his ability to overcome the
fear of public speaking. In many instances, speakers are evaluated based on the tiniest of
details they display to people. This implies that nonverbal cues are so powerful in communication.
People unknowingly uncover the other side of themselves when communication is free-flowing. It
does reveal habits such as gestures while speaking. While these do not necessarily define an
individual’s overall being, it shows, however, a huge part of the psyche. It is important to note
that this does not at all translate into changing personalities by putting an end to some of these
habits.
At the end of the day, the concern is just to evaluate messages put across by these
manifestations during communication. What is more vital in the process is the ability to
understand what they would want to convey to add clarity to the spoken words.
TYPES OF NONVERBAL CUES

Kinesics Facial expressions, gestures, eye movement,

Posture, rate of walk
Paralinguistics How words are spoken, variations in the voice
Proxemics How space and distance are used
Haptics different types of touching
Clothing & Artifacts Appearance, style
Color Variations in clothing & environmental colors
Chronemics Using time to communicate

Rich expressions provide rich meanings. The eyes primarily reflect the totality of an
individual. They are considered as the windows of the soul. The sample images are
snapshots from HBO’s World Premiere of Game of Thrones Season 7, Episode 6.
Characters (Jon, Arya, Sansa, and Daenerys) are immensely celebrated by fans all
over the world for their unparalleled artistry in evoking emotions that intensify the impact
of what needs to be delivered.
Disclaimer: The inclusion of information from Game of Thrones is giving credit to the world-renowned characters that
specifically highlight the impact of careful communicative strategies employed in a given context.

GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4

 TASK #2

Read carefully the line below taken from the book Overcoming Fake Talk: How to Hold
Real Conversations that Create Respect, Build Relationships, and Get Results by John
Stroker.

“93/7 Rule: 93% of communication occurs through non-verbal behavior and tone; only 7%
of communication takes place through the use of words.”

Do you agree with Stoker’s claim? What does the 93/7 rule suggest? Explain/elaborate the
rule supported by your own communication experiences in a short essay form.

LESSON 3: EXPLORING TEXTS REFLECTING DIFFERENT CULTURES

LET’S READ!

GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4

 A “text” isn‘t limited to something written down. A text can be a film, an artifact, anything in
a language and culture that conveys meaning. Think about the text that you use in your language
classroom: what‘s in the textbook? What do you read in class or even at home? How do you
describe the classroom, its design? Why do you think the chairs are placed facing the tables? Those
questions, with its finite answer would tell you that there are texts that are reflection of one‘s own
culture.
Text can be categorized into the following groups:
 Created texts: Texts authored by non-native speakers for non-native speakers to achieve pre-
determined curricular goals.
 Semi-authentic texts: Texts created by native and/or non-native speaker, based on original
language materials, but adapted to fit curricular needs.
 Authentic texts: Texts created by native speakers for native speakers for consumption in a
native environment.
Cultural texts are those objects, actions, and behaviors that reveal cultural meanings. A photo is
an image, but is also a cultural text, a picture with cultural information beyond just the picture
itself. Food and clothing also suggest cultural information, and it doesn‘t stop there. The entire
place and space, all of the people and interaction, all of the rituals and rules and the various
forms in which they manifest themselves, are “readable” texts, suitable for observation and
analysis by the ethnographer and writer—namely by you.
The initial description of a cultural text may make it seem as though everything is a cultural text.
While in some sense true, this doesn‘t mean that every text has particular cultural relevance.
Sometimes a book is just a book; a picture is just a picture. The difference between relevant
cultural texts, (one that has one connection with your project) and an irrelevant cultural text, (one
that may have nothing to do with your project), has to do with the meaning transferred to that
text by the people who create and/or use the text.
Identification of a cultural text is relatively easy. Take a look around the room or place you are in
right now and briefly catalog the people and/or thing you see. These objects and actions are
cultural texts.
HOW TO EVALUATE MESSAGES AND IMAGES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEXT
REFLECTING DIFFERENT CULTURE?
The following should do:
o Understand how the specified cultures live.
o How the people in the specified group communicate each other.
o Learn the symbolism of their culture.
o Be aware in every detail such as artifact, language, and symbolism.

Text is not literal text, but in semiotics refers to a combination of signs, signifies and
mechanism like metonymy. A text could be a sentence, paragraph an image, a story, or a
collection of stories. Collection of signs in a single photograph or painting, a video clip, a television
show, a feature film and whenever these signs come together in the land of semiotics, they become
texts. These texts can be understood, rearranged and put together in different combinations, with
different meanings to different groups of people. But cultural texts are not one-dimensional. A text
is not simply representative of one culture; it does not belong to one culture, even if it purposely
excludes others semiotically. Cultural texts are multi-dimensional, they are dynamic.
A cultural text is perhaps better understood as having cultural layers of understanding where
groups different in age, race, nationality, sexual orientation may read and understand a
collection of signs in different ways. Depending on the producer or the audience, the text itself
has a kind of flexibility in meaning to different people when it starts to operate culturally.

LESSON 4: MULTIMODALITY
LET’S READ!
GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4
 Multimodality refers to the interplay between different representational modes, for instance,
between images and written/spoken word. Multimodal representations mediate the sociocultural
ways in which these modes are combined in the communication process (Kress & Van Leeuwen 2001,
p. 20). Nowadays, it is difficult to draw lines between reading, speech, watching and writing. Humans are
not only targets of messages but also producers of communications and meanings and participants in
meaning-making communities and networks (Lankshear & Knobel 2006). Using video games as a
research target, Gee (2003) has outlined the relationship between literacy and learning.
According to Gee, language is not the only important communication system in digital media,
since visual symbols and signs are as significant as written or spoken language. The idea of visual
literacy as a part of new literacies is an important one. Words and images are integrated in a
variety of ways in web pages, newspapers and magazines, as well as in textbooks. Gee stresses
that in specific domains, content is generated, debated and transformed via distinctive ways of
thinking, talking, valuing, acting and, often, writing and reading.
Multimodality is an inter-disciplinary approach that understands communication and
representation to be more than about language. It has been developed over the past decade
to systematically address much-debated questions about changes in society, for instance in
relation to new media and technologies.
Multimodal approaches have provided concepts, methods and a framework for the
collection and analysis of visual, aural, embodied, and spatial aspects of interaction and
environments, and the relationships between these. It is the application of multiple literacies
within one medium. For example, understanding a televised weather forecast (medium) involves
understanding spoken language, written language, weather specific language (such as
temperature scales), geography, and symbols (clouds, sun, rain, etc.).
Multiple literacies or "modes" contribute to an audience's understanding of a composition.
Everything from the placement of images to the organization of the content to the method
of delivery creates meaning. This is the result of a shift from isolated text being relied on as
the primary source of communication, to the image being utilized more frequently in the digital
age. Multimodality describes communication practices in terms of the textual, aural, linguistic,
spatial, and visual resources used to compose messages.
Multimodality is a theory which looks at the many different modes that people use to
communicate with each other and to express themselves. This theory is relevant as an increase
in technology tools, and associated access to multimedia composing software, has led to people
being able to easily use many modes in art, writing, music, and dance and every-day
interactions with each other.
A mode is generally defined as a communication channel that a culture recognizes.
Examples of modes are writing, gesture, posture, gaze, font choice and color, images, video,
and even the interactions between them.
While many of these modes have always existed, they have not always been recognized as a
legitimate or culturally accepted form of communication or expression. Learning theorists who
advocate for multimodality emphasize that people communicate in a variety of ways, and
that in order to completely understand someone, the many modes they use to communicate
must be observed and recognized.
The theory of multimodality can be found in writings and discussions related to communication
theory, linguistics, media literacy, visual literacy, anthropological studies, and design studies.

WHY MULTIMODALITY MATTERS?

The future of reading and writing are closely interwoven with the future of digital technologies.

GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4

 Students already know much about multimodal texts from their home experiences. As teachers it is
their responsibility to build on these experiences and the students’ knowledge of multimodality in
the classroom. This means we need to recognise the relationships between different modes: text
and image, sound and gesture and use this in our teaching.
Supporting students with reading, analyzing and using modes will enable them to develop literacy
skills for today and the future.

MODES​
The following overview of how meaning can be composed through different semiotic
resources for each mode (spoken language, written language, visual, audio, gestural, and spatial)
is informed by The New London Group (2000), Cope and Kalantzis, (2009), and Kalantzis, Cope,
Chan, and Dalley-Trim (2016). Learners engage with all of these meaning making practices
through multicultural and/or multilingual lens.
Currently, there is extensive pedagogic support for teaching meaning making through spoken and
written language, and some resources developed to support teaching meaning making in the visual
mode, through ‘viewing’. However, as yet there are few resources available for teaching young
students how to comprehend and compose meaning in the other modes.

 Written​ ​ Meaning - Conveyed through written language via handwriting, the printed
page, and the screen. Choices of words, phrases, and sentences are organised through
linguistic grammar convention​ ​ ​ ​ register (where language is varied according to
context), and genre (knowledge of how a text type is organised and staged to meet a
specific purpose). In bilingual or multilingual texts, written meaning may be conveyed
through different scripts and laid out differently, whether typed or handwritten. Learners
may also write words from their home languages using English letters (transliteration).
 Spoken (oral) Meaning - Conveyed through spoken language via live or recorded speech
and can be monologic or ​ ​ dialogic. Choice of words, phrases, and sentences are
organised through linguistic grammar conventions, register, and genre. Composing oral
meaning includes choices around mood, emotion, emphasis, fluency, speed, volume, tempo,
pitch, rhythm, pronunciation, intonation, and dialect. EAL/D learners may make additional
choices around the use of home languages to create mood or emphasise meaning.
 Visual ​ ​ Meaning - Conveyed through choices of visual resources and includes both still
image and moving images. Images may include diverse cultural connotations, symbolism
and portray different people, cultures and practices. Visual resources include: framing,
vectors, symbols, perspective, gaze, point of view, colour, texture, line, shape, casting,
saliency, distance, angles, form, power, involvement/detachment, contrast, lighting,
naturalistic/non-naturalistic, camera movement, and subject movement.
 Audio Meaning - Conveyed through sound, including choices of music representing
different cultures, ambient sounds, noises, alerts, silence, natural/unnatural sounds, and use
of volume, beat, tempo, pitch, and rhythm. Lyrics in a song may also include multiple
languages.

 Spatial Meaning - Conveyed through design of spaces, using choices of spatial resources
including: scale, proximity, boundaries, direction, layout, and organisation of objects in the

GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4

 space. Space extends from design of the page in a book, a page in a graphic novel or
comic, a webpage on the screen, framing of shots in moving image, to the design of a
room, architecture, streetscapes, and landscapes.
 Gestural meaning - Conveyed through choices of body movement; facial expression, eye
movements​ and gaze, demeanour, gait, dance, acting, action sequences. It also includes
use of rhythm, speed, stillness and angles, including ‘timing, frequency, ceremony and
ritual’ (Cope and Kalantzis, 2009. p. 362). Gestures and body language may have
diverse cultural connotations.
TYPES OF MULTIMODAL TEXTS
Multimodality does not necessarily mean use of technology, and multimodal texts can be
paper- based, live, or digital.
Paper-based multimodal texts include picture books, text books, graphic novels, comics,
and posters.
Live multimodal texts, for example, dance, performance, and oral storytelling, convey
meaning through combinations of various modes such as gestural,
spatial, audio, and oral language.
Digital multimodal texts include film, animation, slide shows, e-posters, digital stories,
podcasts, and web pages that may include hyperlinks to external
pronunciation guides or translations.
WHY TEACHING MULTIMODAL LITERACY IS IMPORTANT
Effective contemporary communication requires young people to be able to comprehend, respond
to, and compose meaning through multimodal texts in diverse forms.
To do this, students need to know how each mode uses unique semiotic resources to convey
meaning (Kress, 2010) and this needs to be taught explicitly. In a visual text, for example,
representation of people, objects, and places can be conveyed using choices of visual semiotic
resources such as line, shape, size, line and symbols, while written language would convey this
meaning through sentences using noun groups and adjectives (Callow, 2013) written or typed on
paper or a screen.
Students also need to be taught how authors juggle the different modes to determine the most apt
way to tell their story, and how meaning in a multimodal text is ‘orchestrated’ through the
selection and use of different modes in various combinations (Jewitt, 2009. p.15).

LESSON 5: MEDIUM OF COMMUNICATION

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 LET’S READ!

A COMMUNICATION MEDIUM is a means of conveying meaning to people. This includes any

outlet that can be used to communicate knowledge, data, emotion, entertainment, visual symbols and any
other type of information. The following are illustrative examples.

 Conversation – an interactive conversation in person or using a voice tool such as a

telephone. For example, word-of-mouth recommendations of a television show that cause
viewership to rise.
 Public Speaking – verbal communication that is more or less one-way such as a
presentation at a conference.
 Documents – a written artifact such as a note, research paper, report, chart, presentation
or meeting minutes. Often a digital file.
 Messages – messages that are sent to a person or group of people such as a letter, email,
or direct message.
 Art – art and performance are forms of communication. For example, a painting that
critiques society, culture, politics or economics.
 Music – music such as a song that communicates an emotion or aesthetic.
 Video – video such as a film, television show or a promotional music video.
 Images – static visual information such as photographs, symbols, graphs, or diagrams.
 Publication – documents that are distributed to the public such as a book, eBook or
newspaper.
 Interactive Media – information environments that can be explored as a website or app.
 Broadcast Media – any media that is transmitted from a single point to a large audience
such a radio station or television show.
 Social Media – tools that allow anyone to share content with a potentially large audience.
 Physical Environment – physical things such a billboard, product package, in-store display
or movie poster.
 Virtual Reality – information conveyed in digitally simulated environments such as a game.
 Mixed Reality – digital elements that are introduced into the real world or vice versa.

LESSON 6:

GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4

VISUAL GRAMMAR – HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITHOUT
WORDS
LET’S READ!

Communication requires language. That language can be aural as in the spoken word, it can be
gestural as in sign language, or it can be visual as in design. The more you understand any
language the better you can communicate using that language. The visual language of design is no
exception.
Design elements are like letters and words. When we add design principles and apply them
to our elements, our words, we form a visual grammar. As we learn to use both we enable
ourselves to communicate visually.
DEFINING VISUAL GRAMMAR
Most of the information in this lesson is coming from Christian Leborg’s book; from the preface of
the book:
The reason for writing a grammar of visual language is the same as for any language: to define its
basic elements, describe its patterns and processes, and to understand the relationship between the
individual elements in the system. Visual language has no formal syntax or semantics, but the visual
objects themselves can be classified.
The last point in the quote above is important. It would be great if we could place a circle on the
page, a rectangle to the right of it, and a curved line to the right of the rectangle and have it
mean the same thing to all people. It won’t. That makes it harder to think and communicate visually,
though also much more interesting. It’s one reason a single design problem can have so many
different design solutions.
However, we can classify much of this visual grammar. I’m going to deviate just a bit from the way
Christian organizes his book and organize visual grammar as:
Objects – The basic elements we have to work with. Can be abstract or concrete.
Structures – The patterns formed from our basic elements. Can be abstract or
concrete.
Activities – The processes we can represent with our basic elements and patterns.
Relations – The relationships between objects, patterns, and processes. They’re the
way everything in your design relates to each other and the viewer.
OBJECTS - Objects are the basic elements at our disposal. They’re akin to letters and words. We
use objects to express different ideas and concepts. A circle is an object as is a line as is a single
character of type. A single point is an object as is an image of a person holding your product.
Objects are the most basic elements we can add to any design.
Objects can be abstract or concrete.
ABSTRACT OBJECTS - Abstract objects are idealized shapes that can’t physically be created. For
example take a point. A point by definition has no area. It only has a position. Any point we try to
draw will have some kind of area if we are to see it and once it does, it ceases to become a point.
It can only exist as an abstract concept and not as a physical thing.
Abstract objects include:
Points – A position on a coordinate system without area. Points have no dimensions
Lines – A series of points adjacent to each other. Points have one dimensions
Surfaces – A series of lines that are adjacent to each other and perpendicular to
their direction. Surfaces have two dimensions.

GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4

 Volumes – An empty space defined by surfaces, lines, and points. Volumes have
three dimensions.
Theoretically objects can have an infinite amount of dimensions. Of course we can only
perceive three of them, width, height, and depth so our abstract objects end with volumes. Beyond
volumes we can only imagine more abstract objects and we can only represent these additional
abstract objects using points, lines, surfaces, and volumes.
Everything we see is perceived in relation to some kind of external limit. This external limit is the
format. For example this post is seen in relation to the format of your browser window. The format
of a book or magazine is the page.
CONCRETE OBJECTS

Concrete objects are perceived within defined limits called contours. Inside and including the
contour itself is our object, our shape, our form, and outside the contour is everything else. Forms or
shapes can be geometric, organic, or random (sometimes called abstract). A circle is an example
of a concrete object. It’s contour being the curved line that encloses it.
Concrete objects have:
Form – defined by a contour of surfaces and lines. A form is how a thing looks.
Size – Forms can be large or small. They are perceived relative to the person viewing,
other forms in the composition, and the format of the design.
Color – we perceive different wavelengths of light as color. A form can be any color,
though we are limited to seeing only those colors in the visual spectrum
Any element we place on the page is a concrete object. Remember abstract objects can not
physically be created. Abstract objects exist to talk about objects in general in order to better
describe them.
STRUCTURES - Whenever we place two or more objects in relation to one another we form a
structure. We describe these structures by the patterns they form. We must be able to recognize
the presence of a pattern in order to describe the structure.
Structures have structure lines connecting objects. These lines are the axis along which the objects
are arranged. Structure lines may be visible or invisible and they may be active or inactive.
As with objects, structures can be abstract or concrete.
ABSTRACT STRUCTURES - When the structure lines of a structure are invisible and inactive the
structure is considered to be abstract. Consider the image below. The circles are clearly
arranged in a pattern. There is a structure present, but the lines defining that structure are invisible.

Even when the structure lines are invisible we can often see them in our minds. Through
the gestalt principle closure we fill in what’s missing to complete the picture. Again consider the
image above. While no lines are visibly connecting the circles, it’s easy to imagine straight lines
from the center of one circle to the next. Structure lines are not limited to running through the
center of objects though.

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 In the image above the structure lines are not only invisible, but inactive as well. That is they
don’t influence the form of the structure in any way even while they are defining the position
of the structure.
The circles above are an example of a formal structure. The objects are evenly distributed.
They’re symmetrical and arranged on a grid. The structure lines are either horizontal or
perpendicular.
Formal structures are not the only type of abstract structures we can encounter or use.
Structures can be categorized as:
 Formal – even distribution of elements and spacing (structure units) between them
 Informal – lacking regularity in the arrangement of objects. Even if a pattern is observed the
structure is informal if the objects do not follow straight structural lines
 Gradation – structure units change in form or size, but at an even rate
 Radiation – structure units radiate from a common center
 Spiral – uneven distribution from a common center
When the structure organizing the objects can be judged by the eye alone we say the
structure has visual distribution. Each form is allowed to occupy a similar amount of space as the
others in the structure.
All compositions or objects are bound within certain limits of the surface on which they exist.
These limiting forces follow certain axis or paths which are considered the structural skeleton
of the composition or object.
CONCRETE STRUCTURES - Concrete structures have either visible or active structure lines. Where
abstract structures indirectly show the structure, concrete structures directly show the structure.
Concrete structures can be visible compositions on their own such as the patterns that form into
textures.
Visible structures do not have to include objects. As long as the structure lines are visible, the
structure itself is visible. Visible structures can include the objects being organized, but they
don’t have to. Both of the structures in the image below are visible structures despite the absence
of any objects in the second one.

Active structures are those where the structure lines influence the form of the objects within the
structure. In an active structure the objects need to be present, but the structure lines can be
absent as long as their influence is seen. In the image below both structures are active despite
the absence of any visible structure lines in the second one.

Structures that can be seen and/or felt are textures. Textures can be formed from either objects
or structure lines or both. Textures can be ornamental, random, or mechanical and we can classify
them in the same way we classify abstract structures. They can be formal, informal, gradations,
radiations, or spirals.

GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4

LESSON 6: THE VISUAL ELEMENTS
LET’S READ!

THE VISUAL ELEMENTS

The Visual Elements are Line, Shape, Tone, Color, Pattern, Texture and Form.
They are the building blocks of composition in art.

THE VISUAL ELEMENTS OF ART

The Visual Elements are Line - Shape - Tone - Color - Pattern - Texture - Form. They are the
building blocks of composition in art. When we analyse any drawing, painting, sculpture or
design, we examine these component parts to see how they combine to create the overall effect
of the artwork.
The Visual Elements have a relationship to one another:
o Most images begin their life as line drawings.
o Lines cross over one another to form shapes.
o Shapes can be filled with tone and color, or repeated to create pattern.
o A shape may be rendered with a rough surface to create a texture.
o A shape may be projected into three dimensions to create form.
Each of the elements may also be used individually to stress their own particular character
in an artwork.
Different elements can express qualities such as movement and rhythm, space and depth, growth
and structure, harmony and contrast, noise and calm and a wide range of emotions that make up
the subjects of great art.
The Visual Elements – Line
Line is the foundation of all drawing. It is the first and most versatile of the visual elements of art.
Line in an artwork can be used in many different ways. It can be used to suggest shape, pattern,
form, structure, growth, depth, distance, rhythm, movement and a range of emotions.
We have a psychological response to different types of lines:
o Curved lines suggest comfort and ease
o Horizontal lines suggest distance and calm
o Vertical lines suggest height and strength
o Jagged lines suggest turmoil and anxiety
The way we draw a line can convey different expressive qualities:
o Freehand lines can express the personal energy and mood of the artist
o Mechanical lines can express a rigid control
o Continuous lines can lead the eye in certain directions
o Broken lines can express the ephemeral or the insubstantial
o Thick lines can express strength
o Thin lines can express delicacy
The Visual Elements - Shape
Shape can be natural or man-made, regular or irregular, flat (2-dimensional) or solid (3-
dimensional), representational or abstract, geometric or organic, transparent or opaque, positive
or negative, decorative or symbolic, colored, patterned or textured.
The Perspective of Shapes: The angles and curves of shapes appear to change depending
on our viewpoint. The technique we use to describe this change is called perspective
drawing.

GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4

 The Behaviour of Shapes:
o Shapes can be used to control your feelings in the composition of an artwork
o Squares and Rectangles can portray strength and stability
o Circles and Ellipses can represent continuous movement
o Triangles can lead the eye in an upward movement
o Inverted Triangles can create a sense of imbalance and tension
The Visual Elements - Tone
Tone is the lightness or darkness of a color. The tonal values of an artwork can be adjusted
to alter its expressive character.
Tone can be used:
 To create a contrast of light and dark.
 To create the illusion of form.
 To create a dramatic or tranquil atmosphere.
 To create a sense of depth and distance.
 To create a rhythm or pattern within a composition.
The Visual Elements - Color
Color is the visual element that has the strongest effect on our emotions. We use color to create
the mood or atmosphere of an artwork.
There are many different approaches to the use of color:
o Color as light
o Color as tone
o Color as pattern
o Color as form
o Color as symbol
o Color as movement
o Color as harmony
o Color as contrast
o Color as mood

The Visual Elements - Pattern

Pattern is made by repeating or echoing the elements of an artwork to communicate a sense
of balance, harmony, contrast, rhythm or movement.
There are two basic types of pattern in art: Natural Pattern and Man-Made Pattern. Both natural
and man-made patterns can be regular or irregular, organic or geometric, structural or
decorative, positive or negative and repeating or random.
Natural Pattern: Pattern in art is often based on the inspiration we get from observing the
natural patterns that occur in nature. We can see these in the shape of a leaf and the
branches of a tree, the structure of a crystal, and the spiral of a shell, the symmetry of a
snowflake and the camouflage and signalling patterns on animals, fish and insects.

GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4

 Man-Made Pattern: Pattern in art is used for both structural and decorative purposes. For
example, an artist may plan the basic structure of an artwork by creating a compositional pattern
of lines and shapes. Within that composition he/she may develop its visual elements to create a
more decorative pattern of color, tone and texture across the work.
The Visual Elements - Texture
Texture is the surface quality of an artwork - the roughness or smoothness of the material from
which it is made. We experience texture in two ways: optically (through sight)
and physically (through touch).
Optical Texture: An artist may use his/her skillful painting technique to create the illusion of
texture. For example, in the detail from a traditional Dutch still life above you can see
remarkable verisimilitude (the appearance of being real) in the painted insects and drops of
moisture on the silky surface of the flower petals.
Physical Texture: An artist may paint with expressive brushstrokes whose texture conveys the
physical and emotional energy of both the artist and his/her subject. They may also use the
natural texture of their materials to suggest their own unique qualities such as the grain of wood,
the grittiness of sand, the flaking of rust, the coarseness of cloth and the smear of paint.
Ephemeral Texture: This is a third category of textures whose fleeting forms are subject to
change like clouds, smoke, flames, bubbles and liquids.
The Visual Elements - Form
Form is the physical volume of a shape and the space that it occupies.
o Form can be representational or abstract.
o Form generally refers to sculpture, 3D design and architecture but may also relate
to the illusion of 3D on a 2D surface.
Three-Dimensional Form can be modelled (added form), carved (subtracted form) and
constructed (built form). It can be created from sculptural materials like clay, wax, plaster, wood,
stone, concrete, cast and constructed metal, plastics, resins, glass and mixed media. It may also be
kinetic, involving light and movement generated by natural, mechanical and electronic means.
More recently the CAD process of 3D printing has been added to the list of sculptural processes.
Two-Dimensional Form constructs the illusion of 3D in 2D media by a skilful manipulation of the
visual elements. Perspective drawing, trompe l'oeil [1], 3D computer graphics programs and
holograms are examples of 2D form.

WASSILY KANDINSKY (1866-

1944)
Autumn Landscape with Boats, 1908 (oil on
board)

GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4

GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4
GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4
GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4
GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4
GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4
GEC-15, PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4