What are visual texts (1E3)

Understanding Visual Texts

1E3 English Lesson April 2015

What are we learning today?

• In this lesson, we will learn to analyse visual texts by learning how to identify and read the different elements in visual texts

• We will also learn to identify the purpose and intended audience of various visual texts

What are visual texts?• Texts that are created using images

• May or may not contain words

• We encounter visual texts in our everyday lives through newspaper, magazines, posters, brochures, websites, advertisements.

What are visual texts?

• Visual texts often have a target audience.• The target audience is a specific group of people

which the visual texts want to address

• Visual texts often have a message and purpose.

For the next two images that you see

• Write down what you think is the message of the visual text?

• Write down who is the target audience?

• Write down how the image guide you to the message?

What is the message of both images?

Who are the target audience?

Write down how the image helps guide you to the message?

What is the message of both images?

Both images are trying to send out the message that smoking kills, smoking is deadly, smoking is

harmful

Who are the target audience?

The intended audience could be smokers

and also non-smokers as it could be an image used to warn others not to pick up smoking

Write down how the image guide you to the message?

The first image shows that cigarettes are like bullets in a gun which is a weapon used to kill humans

The second image shows the ashes forming a human that appears to be dying.

What do you think is the purpose of both images?

What do you think is the purpose of both images?

The purpose of the both images are to discourage people from picking up smoking or to encourage smokers to quit smoking.

Now let’s learn about the different elements of a visual text!

1. Words: Title/ Heading, Caption/Sub-heading2. Images3. Layout

(how are the words and images arranged to convey the message)

Take time to think about how the images and words work together in the visual texts

Title/ HeadingWhy do you think it is located here?

What do you think is the effect of writing such a headline?

Caption/ SubheadingWhy do you think it is located here?What do you think is the purpose of the subheading?

The main image

What do you think this image is trying to show?

Who are ‘they’?

What are these additional images trying to tell us?

Title/ HeadingThe headline is

positioned at the centre

to capture readers’

attention.

The words are also used

to capture our attention!

To ‘scare’ us and make

us take action

Caption/ Subheading

The caption helps to provide

additional information after the

poster has captured your

attention.

The main image

This is an image of a

mosquito that can

make us ‘bleed’.

Who are ‘they’?They are the

mosquitos that

can make us

bleed.

What are these additional images trying to tell us? These images are places where mosquitos will ‘breed’.

Take time to think about the font size of the words.

Why are some texts in

larger fonts while

some are written in smaller

fonts.

Title/ Heading in larger font size

Subheadings/caption in smaller font size

Title/ Heading in larger font size

Subheadings/caption in smaller font size

The font size of the words will determine the reading path of the viewer!

We will tend to read the larger fonts in the text first before focusing on the smaller fonts (details)

Let’s attempt another visual text!

What is the image about?

What is the headline trying to say?

What do you think it means by ‘every

bit adds up’?

How does it relate to the picture?

Who do you think are the target

audience?

What is the image about? The Image shows a dirty playground full of litter

What is the headline trying to say?The headline is encouraging us to throw our little

into rubbish bins

What do you think it means by ‘every

bit adds up’? It means that every bit of litter counts

How does it relate to the picture?The picture show how the litter adds up to fill up

the entire playground into an unhygienic

environment .

Who do you think are the target

audience? This poster is directed at the general public

What do you think is the

purpose of this image?

What do you think is the

purpose of this image?

The purpose is to encourage

the general public to use

rubbish bins and not to litter.

What does the image show?

Who do you think are the intended audience?

What is the headline trying to say to the audience?

(Purpose)

What does “to him, it’s the only way” mean?

What does the image show?

It shows a wheelchair bound man trying to get onto an

elevator

Who do you think are the intended audience?

The intended audience are people without disabilities

What is the headline trying to say to the audience?

(Purpose)

The headline is asking audience to be more

considerate to people with disabilities.

What does “to him, it’s the only way” mean?

The wheelchair bound man has only one way to move

around, which is to use the elevator.

What have we learnt thus far…

• We have learnt about the different elements of the visual texts- Images- Texts (Headlines/Headings, Captions/subheading)- Layouts (How images and texts are arranged in visual texts)

• We have learnt how to identify the message and intended audience of visual texts