This document discusses how to interpret and analyze visual texts. It defines visual texts as those created using images with or without words, including television, film, advertising, and art. To understand visual texts, one must consider the images, words, typography, layout, and how they are influenced by culture. These elements provide meaning and should be carefully examined. Specifically, images convey information through subjects, symbols, and techniques like framing and perspective that influence interpretation. Words also require analysis of audience, language, and emphasis. Layout and typography help guide the eye and emphasis important information. Combining different visual and text elements intentionally can effectively engage audiences on social media.

1. Understanding Visual
Texts

2. Visual texts
Texts that are created using still or moving
images
May or may not contain words
Television, film, radio, advertising, billboards,
the Internet, computer games and programs, art
works such as paintings, drawings, sculptures,
architecture, book covers, illustrations

3. Visual Text Comprehension
Understanding images & words in the context it is being
used
◦ Bring life experiences & background knowledge to what is
being read/viewed
All visual texts are influenced by the cultures, values,
ideologies and world views in and through which they
are created & consumed.
◦ Eg. Family photo in your home vs. A family potrait in a magazine
or
◦ Artists’ impression vs. housing agent’s view of a HDB estate

4. How to interpret visual texts?
We need to first identify the different elements that
make up the text.
These include:
◦ Images
◦ (Colour)
◦ words – includes title, headlines, captions
◦ Typographical features - type of font, font size
◦ Layout – spatial arrangement of different elements in a text

5. Images…
Images are mental représentations, pictures of objects,
people or animals or any diagram that provides visual
information.
Images in a visual text may contain:
◦ People, animals or object participating in an action
◦ Flow charts, maps or labelled images showing a concept or an
idea
◦ Symbols or icons

6. What does this
image show?
- Concept/idea
- Desire to
show unity
between
young & old
- Unity between
different races
also

7. What does this
image show?
- An action – ex –
offender trying to
remove the label
from his back
- Stereotype –
tattooed people are
offenders

8. More on images…
Angles – looking down vs looking up
◦ Looking down at someone conveys a sense of power
or control
◦ Looking up at a person or object can make us feel
vulnerable
Framing – determines amount of information
given to viewers
◦ Close-up shot – closer social relation, lesser details
◦ Long shot – distant relation, more details

9. Framing
NDP poster
- Long shot – more details
- Focus on people in singapore

10. Framing
Election poster in 2006
- Close-up shot of Lee Hsieng Leong
- Focus on voting for him

11. Words (Includes titles, headlines,
captions)
Who is the target audience when something is
said?
Why are certain words used over others?
What information is being conveyed in words?
Literal, Inferential, Evaluative understanding of
words in text

12. NEA Poster
- How are the words
being transposed with
the image in the
poster?
- Why do you think the
words ‘Just Bin it’ was
used in this poster?
What effect is this
intended on the
viewer?

13. Words (Includes titles, headlines,
captions)
Title – main topic of the poster
Headline – main statement that tells the main
message of the poster ; usually the text in the
largest and boldest font
Captions – It is the typed text under
photographs explaining the image and usually in
one sentence

14. Typographical features - font type
and size
Are the fonts in capital letters or non-capitalised letters?
Are some words intentionally larger or smaller for any
reason? Why?
Usually determines the reading paths of the reader/viewer.
◦ Reader/viewer will tend to be attracted to the larger fonts used
in the text.
◦ Usually for words that are meant for emphasis.

15. - What are the words
that are meant to
capture viewer’s
attention first?
- What is the next
thing that captures
your attention?
- With regards to the
typographical
features, why do you
think the poster is
created as such?

16. Layout
Placement of elements in text can influence the
meaning of the image.
Types of placement:
◦ Top/bottom – top contains the ‘attention-grabber’;
bottom contains new information
◦ Left/right – left side contains information that is
understood; right side presents new information
Note: not all of these ‘codes’ apply to every image
– images are shaped according to purpose and
effect their creators wish to achieve.

17. Top/bottom
• Top – attention-
grabber (Visual
+ words)
• Bottom – more
information
about the deal
that Burger King
is offering

18. Left side –
reported
natural
disasters in
the country
Right side –
information
about the
services they
are providing

19. Remembe
r this?
Advertorial by Watsons
Study the placement of
the image with the
products that Watson’s is
trying to sell. Notice that
the testimonies of the
experts are placed before
the products they are
selling.
Why do you think the
layout is as such?

20. How to Combine Text and Visual
Content for Better Social
Engagement

22. #1: Illustrate Your Tagline
is descriptive and gives you a pretty
good idea of what they’re going for.
But when the company uses photos
to reinforce the written tagline, it
becomes real and exciting.

23. #2: Change Your Infographics
The problem is that so many
marketers are posting the same kinds
of infographics (usually graph-heavy)
that yours can easily be overlooked,
especially if it’s a variation on the
same theme.

24. #3: Make Your Brand
Personable One problem in social media is getting
lost behind a logo and a corporate
“big business” image. Even if you’re in
a more serious industry like tax
preparation, accounting, banking or
insurance, you can always add a
human perspective to your business.

25. #4: Show What You’re Selling
Don’t underestimate the simple
tactic of showing pictures and
describing what you’re selling.

26. #5: Tell the Bigger Story
The combination of beautiful
images, facts, background and
additional information creates an
enormous social response. The
museum also uses geotagging to
subtly encourage fans and
followers to visit the museum in
person.

27. #6: Create Text Overlays
Think about what gets your customers
excited about your product and come up
with short phrases that convey that
feeling.
Pair the phrases with an
image that reinforces both your product
and your customers’ sentiment for a
winning engagement combination.

28. #7: Ask for Fan Stories
It’s an easy way to encourage
more audience participation while
pointing the spotlight at those
fans—and it highlights your
products being used by happy
customers.

29. Recap…
Different elements of visual texts:
◦ Images
◦ (Colour)
◦ words – includes title, headlines, captions
◦ Typographical features - type of font, font size
◦ Layout – spatial arrangement of different elements in a text

30. Task
Kingsway Unit 3 Paper 2