This document provides guidance on how to analyze visual texts. It explains that a visual analysis involves breaking down the different elements of a visual text, such as photos, advertisements, or websites, to understand how they communicate the intended message. The key steps are to describe the visual elements of the text, respond to one's initial reaction to it, and then analyze how each element contributes to the overall message being conveyed considering the audience and context. A strong visual analysis includes a clear thesis about the text's message and organizes the analysis of elements around supporting that thesis.

1. Analyzing Visual Texts

2. What is Visual Analysis?
In a visual analysis, you break down the different
elements of a text that communicates primarily with
visuals. Your goal is to understand how these
different elements communicate the message and
accomplish its purpose.
Visual texts include everyday material like:
• Websites
• Photos or paintings
• Brochures or flyers
• Advertisements

3. Visual vs. Verbal Analysis
•In both cases, you consider the text’s rhetorical
situation, which is made up of its audience, speaker,
and object (or circumstances).
•In both cases, you think about how the text’s elements
communicate purpose, context, and message.
•However, visual elements are different to verbal
elements.

4. Visual Analysis: The Process
As with all writing, there is no one process that will
work for everyone when it comes to analyzing a visual
text. As you develop your ideas for a visual analysis,
though, you might find it useful to follow three general
steps:
1. Describe
2. Respond
3. Analyze

5. Describe the Visual Text
Many people overlook this step, but simply describing a
visual text is an important part of the process. Trying to
analyze a visual text without being able to first describe
it would be like trying to analyze an article without being
able to first summarize it.
When you describe a visual text, you might look at:
• Colors and shading
• Objects and shapes
• People and places
• Arrangement of elements on page
• Foreground and background

6. Respond to the Visual Text
A good visual analysis will go beyond basic reaction, but
thinking about how you react to a visual text can be
useful in developing your ideas.
When you look at a visual text, think about:
• What’s my initial, gut reaction?
• How does the text make me feel?
• What does the text make me think?
• Does the text make we want to do something?
• Does the text remind me of anything I’ve seen, heard, or
read about before?

7. Analyze the Visual Text
In the next step, push beyond description and
response. Consider how the text’s different elements
communicate a message and accomplish a purpose.
Remember the rhetorical situation: The audience,
object, and speaker of the visual text.
To think about how the text communicates a message
to its reader, ask questions about each element you
described. For each element, ask: What is its
purpose? What is its effect on the audience? How
does it contribute to the text’s message? How does it
relate to the context?

8. Creating a Thesis
The thesis for a visual analysis will depend upon your
specific assignment, purpose, and text. Always return to
the prompt to understand your assignment’s focus,
purpose, and requirements.
Generally, a visual analysis thesis will make a claim
about how the text communicates a message
A visual analysis thesis might sound like:
The Ford F150 advertisement uses dark colors, images of
men working, and an outdoor setting to suggest that the truck
is intended for outdoorsy, hardworking men.

9. Introduction
Your introduction will also depend upon your
assignment, purpose, and text. Below are some
general ideas for writing an introduction for your visual
analysis:
• Name the text with as much publishing detail as you have:
“The Ford F150 advertisement,” “The New York Times
cartoon”
• Include a brief general description of the text. You will
include more description in your body paragraphs.
• Characterize briefly the text’s rhetorical situation. Again, you
will include more of this in body paragraphs.

10. Organizing the Analysis
The organization of the visual text analysis depends on
the thesis. Below are some general options for
organizing the body of your paper.
• Spatial: The structure of your paper follows the way your
eyes follow a visual text, generally from left to right or from
most to least prominent parts.
• Elements: Each section or body paragraph focuses on an
element of the text, such as color, images, etc.
• Rhetorical appeals: The paper’s sections are divided into
the three appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos.
• Rhetorical situation: The paper’s sections are divided into
the elements of the rhetorical situation: audience, purpose,
and context.

11. Conclusion
The conclusion will provide insight into the relevance of
the topic of the visual text’s message as stated in
your thesis. You could ask yourself:
• Is there a general truth that the cartoon expresses?
• Is is a currently controversial topic?
• Does the message fit to the author’s biography, the mood of
the time?
• Can the message be connected to any other texts that were
discussed?