Through visual communication, if correctly designed and disseminated, it can move, inform, persuade and captivate.
Visual communication is a format that allows information to be transmitted through stimuli, designs and strategies that can be perceived with the eyes, that is, through the sense of sight .
To carry it out, we essentially resort to the image and the graphic sign , the key resources that make up the visual language . This, depending on how and why it is used, acquires an aesthetic purpose in a framework linked to the artistic question; It adopts a propaganda style at the service of the art of advertising or it is objective if it is limited to a single interpretation of the data to be communicated.
In order to give it universal reach and allow the greatest number of people to receive it adequately regardless of times, languages, ages or educational level, visual communication must use a direct and easy-to-understand code, be correctly defined and designed and disseminated by the most convenient channel according to the receiver you want to reach with the message.
Characteristics of visual communication
Visual communication brings together characteristics that differentiate it from other types of communication systems or styles.
On the one hand, its effect is faster and more effective compared to exclusively textual content. This is already assured by a popular saying that indicates that a mere image is worth more than a thousand words. A well-designed illustration , attractive photography , eye-catching graphic , and colorful pictogram are more powerful than text and usually do not require the audience to know how to read.
You save both money and time by communicating with images, which are channeled and disseminated through multiple platforms. Internet sites , cinema , television , magazines and videos published on social networks are used daily for visual communication purposes.
Techniques and tools
Over the years, and thanks to the advancement of technology and the modernization of graphic design and visual marketing , techniques and tools have been added to facilitate, streamline and improve visual communication .
Beyond the resources used, it is essential that the result manages to attract attention and provoke in the recipients the effect desired by the creators of the message. Creativity , empathy , aesthetic criteria and mastery of programs, applications or techniques are essential for any visual composition that wants to be inclusive, clear, powerful and useful.
Visual communication is relevant and useful in marketing and advertising: it serves and is necessary for product design, the development of signage and the choice of packaging, for example.
Those who wish to gain experience in the field of visual communication or use that format to express an idea, generate an emotion or provoke a reaction in someone should familiarize themselves with specialized software, digital instruments and procedures related to animation , design , photography and illustration .
The Canva online platform that can be used to create infographics, web pages and colorful presentations, the Adobe Illustrator editor (ideal for those interested in digital art and the creation of vector graphics) and the famous Adobe Photoshop intended for editing photographs and Images appear among the most appropriate programs to engage in visual communication . Adobe Premiere Pro , Figma and DaVinci Resolve are also other alternatives to consider.
Functions of visual communication
Visual communication has various functions. Sometimes, as can be seen when analyzing practical cases, an informative purpose is pursued. This happens, for example, when the image of a female silhouette accompanied by the word "Ladies" is placed on the door of a toilet, while at the entrance to another bathroom the image of a male figure is placed next to the term "Gentlemen. " » .
Emotions are transmitted from a visual design displaying the emotive function of the communication system. A photograph of a newborn baby , to indicate one possibility, usually generates tenderness, while a campaign aimed at raising greater awareness about responsible pet ownership is likely to include images of dogs and/or cats in poor condition, sad or adrift. on public roads.
There are also factual intentions (aimed at serving as a warning or attention call against dangerous substances or unsafe places), aesthetic objectives (aimed at exalting beauty, as happens with a painting or sculpture) and hortatory or appealing functions (to convince of something, which can be from the advantage of giving the vote to a certain political candidate to contracting a certain service or purchasing a specific product, to one individual or to many).
The message to be transmitted through a piece of visual communication will have greater reach and a more effective result if the content combines a powerful image and striking typography.
Application fields
The fields of visual communication are numerous, as are the impacts and influences of messages constructed with signs , fonts and various graphics .
It is necessary to mention the importance of editorial design in the universe of visual communication , an aspect that must be prioritized without exception when developing a work of graphic design .
Likewise, signage actions, the creation of advertising , the product design process, support materials on cardboard or other supports to facilitate the learning of children, young people and adults through drawings, photos or graphics and the design of user interface , to add other references, take advantage of the benefits of visual communication .