VISUAL COMMUNICATION Images with Messages PAUL MARTIN LESTERTHE MEDIA THROUGH WHICH WE SEE ™ SIX PERSPECTIVES FOR ANALYZING ANY IMAGE Cris throughout the history of literature have used many methods to analyze works created by others. For example, David Lodge in his book Small World lists fourteen differ- nt analytial perspectives: allegorical, arche ‘ypal, biographical, Christan, ethical, exis- tenis, Freudian, historical, Jungian, Marx- ist, mythical, phenomenological, rhetorical, and structural, To fully appreciate visual communication, you must be able to use some sort of critical method to analyze pic: tures. In the rem: ng chapters ofthis book, ‘we emphasize six perspectives for analyzing images 1. Personal: a gut reaction to the work based on subjective opinions 2, Historica: a determination of the impor- tance of the work based on the medium’s time line 3, Technica: the relationship between light, the recording medium used to produce the work, and the presentation of the work.4. Ethical: the moral and ethical responsibili- ties that the producer, the subject, and the viewer have of the work. 5. Cultural: an analysis of the symbols used in the work that convey meaning within a particular society at a particular time. 6. Gritcal: The issues that transcend a par- ticular image and shape a reasoned per~ sonal reaction, By studying any image—whether still or ‘moving—from personal, historical, techni- cal, ethical, cultural, and critial perspectives, you become intellectually involved with the picture. Using the six perspectives will en- courage you to base conclusions about images om rational rather than emotional responses. You will find that any and all images have something to tell you because every picture created has some meaning to communicate. ‘The producer of the image took the time to frame and make the picture for a reason. The _message thatthe artist wants to communicate ‘may simply be a literal summary, the hope that the viewer will appreciate the image's aesthetic beauty, or an underlying political agenda, Just because you cannot intially see any purpose for the image is no reason to discard it. Many large lessons are lost because ‘of a failure to study small, captured moments. ‘An image, regardless of its medium of presentation, is forgotten if it isn’t analyzed. ‘A forgotten image simply becomes another in 4 Jong stream of meaningless pictures that seem to flood every aspect of communica tion. Meaningless pictures entertain a viewer only for a brief moment and do not have the capacity to educate. But an analyzed image can affect a viewer fora lifetime. Image analysis teaches two important les- sons about the creation of memorable pic~ tures: 1. a producer of messages must know the culture of the intended audience; and 2. the symbols used in the image must be understood by that culture. Before using any of the six perspectives, you should frst look at all the major graphic and content elements within the frame of the picture. Graphic elements include the four visual cues discussed in Chapter 4: color, form, depth, and movement. Study the sraphiic elements of a picture to see how the various visual cues interact and conflict. Ac- tively notice a pictur’s composition—the use of shadows and lighting effects, utiliza- tion of shapes and lines within the frame of the image, creation of depth, the use of ‘color—and the way the eye actively scans the image because of the elements within the frame. Having accomplished that mental ex- cercise, record all the content elements within the picture, listing separately elements that ‘are meaningful and elements that are unclear. ‘Spend time with the symbols that are confus- ing to figure out their meaning. ‘keat the analysis of a picture as a game—as an exer- cise similar to a detective’s challenge in trying to solve a mystery. Ifyou don't under- stand the meaning of a content element, ask someone else or research the work in the library. Ifthe picture is famous, chances are that critical writes have analyzed the image and explained the symbols used by the art- ist. After identifying the graphic and the symbolic elements, you are ready to ana- Iyze the image in terms of the six perspec- tives a Personal Perspective Upon first viewing any image, everyone draws quick, gu-level conclusion about the picture based entirely on a personal response. Words and phrases such as “good,” “bad,” “I like it” or “I don’t like ie” indicate that a person initially analyzes an image ona super- ficial, cursory level. Personal perspectives are important because they reveal much about the person making the comments. However, such opinions have limited use simply be- cause they are personal. These comments cannot be generalized beyond the individual,