Chapter 5: Visual Communication and Perception

Lesson 1: Definition of Visual Communication and Perception

Intended Learning Outcomes: At the end of the lesson, the learners shall be able to:
a. Define Visual Communication and Perception
b. Building a better perception about Visual Communication and Perception
c. Make an Art Piece that represents Visual Communication and Perception

Overview:
In this module you will be able to fully define visual communication and perception, Building a
better perception about visual communication and the ways to attain it and Relate real life
situation in which visual communication and perception is being manifested in simple way.

I. Activity:
Visual Communication has been an effective way of wrapping up long messages into a
single photo or representation in which audience are interested to spend their time looking at
because it is not time consuming and it is highly informative. Now, let’s see if this claim is true.
Do a quick survey, utilize Google forms and send it to all of your FB friends, ask them to answer
your survey for a while. Your Google forms must have questions like: (1) do you prefer to look
at visual representations rather than read lengthy information? And then you can add up any
question you wish to have. At the end, tally all the response and submit the tally in here. Show
me numbers, how many prefer visual communication and how many are still into reading
information no matter how long they are. Submit a screenshot of your Google form too, just to
make sure you did a real survey. Best of Luck!

II. Analysis:
Answer the following questions listed below: Be truthful in answering, there is no need
to ask anyone else or even Google your answers because these questions are purely personal.
You can even answer them while closing your eyes.
i. What do you think about visual communication? Is it really important?
ii. What are the privileges that you got as a student from the concept of visual
communication?
ii. Where are you between a Pro and a Con to the concept of visual
Communication? Can you defend your choice with a simple explanation?
iii. Visual Communication has benefitted many, do you agree? If yes, can you site a
proof? If no, can you say the reason why?

III. Abstraction:

Visual Communication
By definition, visual communication is the practice of graphically representing
information to efficiently, effectively create meaning. There are many types of content in the
realm of visual communication, with examples including infographics, interactive content,
motion graphics, and more. The possibilities are endless. But no matter the medium, all
incorporate at least some of the following elements: interactivity, iconography, illustration,
supporting text, graphs, data visualization, and animation.

Which type of visual communication is right for your company or campaign depends on
the goal(s) you’d like to achieve. It also depends on your target audience. Ask your creative
content partner for recommendations.

Examples of where visual communication can be used include conferences and

trade shows, websites, social media posts, office presentations and meetings, and so much
more. That’s why, today, the definition of content marketing success includes visual
communication. So when updating your content strategy, make sure your organization isn’t
left behind. Explore the articles below to learn how to implement visual communication across
your organization.
What is Visual Perception?

Visual perception is the ability to perceive our surroundings through the light that enters our
eyes. The visual perception of colors, patterns, and structures has been of particular interest in
relation to graphical user interfaces (GUIs) because these are perceived exclusively through vision.
An understanding of visual perception therefore enables designers to create more effective
user interfaces.

Physiologically, visual perception happens when the eye focuses light on the retina. Within
the retina, there is a layer of photoreceptor (light-receiving) cells which are designed to change
light into a series of electrochemical signals to be transmitted to the brain. Visual perception occurs
in the brain’s cerebral cortex; the electrochemical signals get there by traveling through the optic
nerve and the thalamus. The process can take a mere 13 milliseconds, according to a 2017 study
at MIT in the United States.

Different attributes of visual perception are widely used in GUI design. Many designers
apply Gestalt principles (i.e., how humans structure visual stimuli) to the design of GUIs so as to
create interfaces that are easy for users to perceive and understand. The visual perception of
affordances (action possibilities in the environment) is another example of how the understanding
of visual perception is a critical item in any designer’s toolkit.

Visual communication is a way to communicate ideas graphically in ways that are efficient
and help to convey more meaning. It’s a critical element of any content marketing strategy. This
is because visuals can help to evoke emotions in your audience, provide stronger examples for
your message and so much more. There are at least three crucial reasons to incorporate visual
elements into your content creation process. Let's get started.

Why Is Visual Communication So Important?

A common challenge we face with creating content is that we put resources into exceptional work
that fails to make the impact we want. How can we avoid this and make sure the content we’re
creating makes the impact we need? There are three core challenges at the root of this problem.
 Limited attention
 Difficulties remembering your content
 Failure to understand what you’re trying to say

First we’ll explore how to address these challenges. Afterwards, we’ll unpack concrete ways to
launch effective visual communication strategies.

Visual Communication Addresses Three Core Challenges

In the modern content landscape, we have some challenges that can prevent us from having as
much impact as we want. There are 3 particular challenges that visual communication helps us
address.

Challenge 1: Limited Attention

The first challenge we need to overcome is the limited attention span of your audience. According
to the classic 2015 study by Microsoft, the average human has an 8 second attention span.

In the years since, attention spans have been narrowing. According to a 2019 study in Nature
Communications the lack of attention trend is accelerating.

Since we know distractions are a problem, we want to explore how visual communication can help
us make our content as distraction-proof as possible. The good news is that visual communication
helps us to transform our content into a distraction-proof, problem-solving tool.

Because the likelihood of distraction online is often correlated with the quality of
visual information in your content, the use of visuals helps them refocus and return to the main
ideas in your content.

Visual communication has two crucial benefits when it comes to memory.

First, it increases the likelihood that your content will create long term memories in your readers.
That way, your readers will reflect on what they read and come back later for more content.
Additionally, strong visual communication will increase reading comprehension and memory
while your readers are still reading the content. This is critical because it allows them to experience
more insights and epiphanies.

It’s crucial to keep them following along if you want them to experience breakthroughs on the
problems they’re looking to address.

Visuals support these insights because they summarize the critical points you want
to communicate. This helps readers to make their own connections applying your ideas to their
Unique situation.

Help your readers connect with your content by using this modern design concept map. Our brain
has an important area called the visual cortex. It's a large area in the very back, and it's the part of
the brain responsible for processing images.

But there's another area called the Broca’s area that is much, much smaller. That’s responsible for
reading words.

We want to make it easy on our readers and help them access that huge region of the brain as
opposed to making them struggle.

Neuroscience lecture complete. There are additional reasons why word-heavy content makes it
hard on readers.

When we see the word, “tree,” we have to generate our own imaginary representation of the word
based on our memories. This is because words are abstract.

The word itself is just a placeholder for everything we know about trees. If we make our readers
generate meaning from abstraction after abstraction they will become exhausted and go back to
Slack, Instagram or email.

Infographics. Create fun infographics centering with this step-by-step process infographic
template.

IV. Application:

Make an info-graphic design of something you wanted students like you to know, you
can choose a bible verse, a saying, a quote or even a lesson that you wanted to share to every
students who can be reached by the info-graphics you made. You must make your info-graphic
attractive in its form so that everyone would spend their minute or two just to take a look of
your work and eventually read the message you wanted to convey. Upload it in your social
media account, you are free to choose whichever platform you prefer, you can have
your Facebook, your Instagram or even your twitter. After a day screen shot the post include
the reactions your post has gained in just a day and attach that same photo to your answer. Your
audience impact will give you a higher score because it means many have viewed your info-
graphics.

Resources/References:
Brian Nuckols (2016). What is Visual Communication and Why is it Important?.
 Retrieved by: https://visme.co/blog/visual-communication/
Lesson 2: Application of Visual Communication and Perception to our Daily Lives

Intended Learning Outcomes: At the end of the lesson, the learners shall be able to:
a. Determine the applications of visual communication and perception in our daily
lives.
b. Apply visual communication to some areas of their studies where they think it is
useful.

Overview:
In this module you will be able fully Determine the applications of visual communication
and perception in our Daily Lives and Apply visual communication to some areas of their studies
where they think it’s useful.

I. Activity:
Do a quick search and wrap up some details about which areas are visual
communication commonly used in. Make a list of the fields, areas, work or anywhere
that use the visual communication. Let’s find out if this has been very useful to everyone and if
pursuing a career on this will give you a bright future.

Follow the format provided below: Make a conclusion write after filling in this list; your
conclusion must be about what you find out about visual communication.

List of Areas that Uses Visual Communication

1.
2.
3.
4.

II. Analysis:
To sum it up, let’s answer the following questions listed below:
i. How visual communication has proven its usefulness in your studies?
ii. How would you describe the benefits of visual communication in one word? Why
have you chosen this word as the perfect description, please reason out.
iii. How would you promote the use of visual communication in the field of education?
iv. As a student, what can you say about the process of making your own visual
representation? Is it hard or easy? Why?

III. Abstraction:
With so many businesses and organizations now operating online, visual communication is
more important than ever. Whether you’re an executive looking to align your team
on new organizational processes, or a marketer looking for ways to differentiate on social media,
you may wonder how best to use visuals to really connect with your audience. What is visual
communication? Visual communication defined:

Visual communication is the practice of using visual elements to convey a message, inspire
 Visual communication is the practice of using visual elements to convey a message,
inspire change, or evoke emotion.
 It is one part communication design crafting a message that educates, motivates,
and engages and one part graphic design using design principles to communicate
that message so that it’s clear and eye-catching.
 Effective visual communication should be equally appealing and informative
 Visual communication is really about picking the right elements (usually text, icons,
and shapes, imagery and data visualizations) to create meaning for your audience.

Some common visual communication strategies include:

 Effective visual communication should be equally appealing and informative.
 Using data visualization to show the impact of your work
 Using shapes and lines to outline relationships, processes, and flows
 Using symbols and icons to make information more memorable
 Using visuals and data to tell stories
 Using color to indicate importance and draw attention
What are some of the most common types of visual communication?
When you think about visual communication, your mind might first jump to design-heavy content
like social media graphics or infographics. And while visual communication certainly plays a role
in those cases, there are a ton of other types of content that fall under the visual communication
umbrella. Some common types of visual communications in the workplace include:

 Infographics
 Process Diagrams
 Flow Charts
 Roadmaps
 Charts and Graphs
 Visual Reports
 Presentations
 Mind Maps

These can look very different when used in different industries, but they all use the same visual
Communication strategies and design principles to accurately present information and create
meaning for audiences. Let’s take a look at some visual communication strategies used
across different types of organizations.

Non-profit organizations
Non-profit organizations often combine data visualization and visual storytelling to gain the trust
of their audiences and establish the credibility of their organization. This might take the form of
a statistical infographic or an impact report that they share with their donors and supporters:

They may also create public-facing informational posters or brochures to build awareness another
place where visual communication is key for larger nonprofits is to update stakeholder’s
on campaign or research results. These reports often combine storytelling with data visualization
to inform and convince. Around their organization and foster support for their cause.

Another place where visual communication is key for larger nonprofits is to update stakeholders
on campaign or research results. These reports often combine storytelling with data visualization
to inform and convince.
Healthcare organizations

A visual communication strategy often applied in healthcare is the use of plain language and simple
iconography to communicate with audiences with lower health literacy.

For example, a public health unit might create an infographic factsheet to ensure
that recommended protocols are followed, like these recent COVID-19 guidelines from Public
Health Ontario

In fact, the CDC recommends the use of visuals to boost understanding of health information for
external communications in healthcare. These types of visual guides aren’t just helpful for external
communication. Similar tactics can be used to remind staff of workplace best practices, like
patient safety and infection prevention practices.

Business consulting organizations

Business development organizations may use diagrams like process maps to
communicate high level strategy to clients, which can help make their value more tangible. A
simple roadmap or summary of strategy recommendations can go a long way towards
communicating and aligning with clients.

Why does visual communication matter?

Visuals can help create understanding where words alone cannot.
They can help bridge the gap between concepts and words, especially when appealing to an
audience with diverse needs and backgrounds. It is clear that visual communication is top-of-mind
for many. When we surveyed marketers about their use of visual content, 74% of the marketers
we surveyed stated that more than 70% of their content contained some form of visual.
Plus, it has been demonstrated time and time again that in addition to making information more
engaging, visuals can actually help with the comprehension of information. But when should you
consider making your content more visual?

You can use visual communication to:

 Engage your audience
 Communicate complex information
 Tell a story and convey emotion
 Simplify information
 Communicate the impact of your data

Let’s take a look at how this can apply in the workplace.

How to use visual communication in the workplace you might think that visual communication
isn’t really necessary in your day-to-day work. But visuals, in the right hands, can be used as a
tool to influence what your audience pays attention to, thinks about, and understands.

1. How to make boring topics engaging

Creating engaging content that shows the value of your business can be a challenge when
you work in a “boring” or technical industry like finance, business development,
engineering or healthcare.

But it’s this kind of challenge where visual communication shines. Creating unique visuals can
help you position yourself as the innovative solution in the market.

Here are some simple strategies to consider:

Use stylized icons to make technical information feel concrete and approachable
This infographic about credit card merchant processing, for example, takes advantage of a playful
icon style and a modern design treatment to capture your attention and keep you reading. This
might be the perfect way to signal to young business owners that you’re different from the
traditional big banks, and that you’re right for them. It feels so much more approachable than a
wall of text on a web page

Just applying some basic visual communication strategies can make this “boring”
technical information a bit more accessible and relatable to your target audience–ready
to boost engagement on social media, your blog, or your newsletter.

Use visual metaphors to get your audience thinking Visual metaphors are another way to make old
ideas feel fresh and exciting, and can even help foster deeper understanding of your subject matter.

The use of women running in the infographic below, for example, helps me think about NPS scores
in a new way:

To sum up, here are some visual communication tips for how to make boring topics engaging: Use
visuals and icons to make technical information feel approachable

Choose a graphic design style that will resonate with your target audience Think outside of the
box: use a unique visual presentation to get your audience thinking if you’re visual presentation is
unique, your information does not have to be revolutionary to give you an edge over your
competitors. How to communicate process changes and improvements being able to quickly re-
align your team on process changes has never been more important.

Visuals can make processes easier to understand and more memorable. They can also help boost
employee alignment and engagement.

Here’s how you can use process documentation to help align your team.
Show both high-level and low-level changes with hierarchical process diagrams breaking down
processes into discrete visual steps can make new processes much easier to grasp.

And breaking down steps into even smaller sections can help you communicate both high-level
concepts and specific details in the same place, like in this process diagram below.
Providing these process documents to employees can help quickly align teams on new strategies,
like an action plan to address a crisis or a shift into a new market, while also acting as a reference
point in the future.

Provide checklists to help your team keep track of complex processes

Providing a checklist of steps for your team to follow can help you delegate work with confidence,
while giving your team the confidence to know that they’re doing things right.

Checklists are particularly helpful for communicating complex or proprietary internal processes,
as they can help remove any anxiety from the process.

Build out a library of internal training documents that you can update periodically
Building out a library of training documents, while it might take a bit of time up front, can really
save time and money in the long run, because a team that’s aligned is a team that’s productive.

On-boarding guides, FAQs for new employees (like the fun onboarding FAQs below), and other
process documentation can all help make remote onboarding easier, and help new employees feel
comfortable and in control.

To summarize, here are your tips for communicating process changes on the fly: Show high- and
low-level changes with hierarchical process diagrams. Provide presentation slides as a post-
meeting reference guide. Help your team keep track of changes with checklists. Build a library
of internal training documents that you can update periodically. How to simplify complex
information with visuals. Perhaps the most powerful use of visual communication is to simplify
complex information.

Just take this image that HubSpot posted on Twitter recently, for example. With one simple visual,
they manage to position their product as the perfect solution to three problems experienced across
three different teams:

The four key steps for simplifying complex information with visuals are:
 Remove as much text as possible
 Use shapes like circles and rectangles to indicate groupings
 Use lines and borders to indicate flows and relationships
 Use color and size to draw attention to key information
 Read More: How to Summarize Information Visually

How to visualize data and insights: Effective data visualization does more than just display some
data from a spreadsheet.

It should communicate insights and capture ideas. It should communicate the why behind the
trends. It should help you answer the question often asked by busy people with competing
demands: why should I care? Use the right chart for your data and your goal. The first thing to
consider when visualizing data is what visual form will best communicate your insight.

At Venngage, we’ve developed the ICCOR method to help you choose the best charts for your
infographic. The ICCOR method is a framework aimed to help you use a visualization type that
aligns with your communication goal.

Your communication goal might be to:

Inform: convey a single important message or data point that doesn’t require much context to
understand
Compare: show similarities or differences among values or parts of a whole Show
Change: visualize trends over time or space
Organize: show groups, patterns, rank or order
Reveal Relationships: show correlations among variables or values

Each of these different goals will be best communicated with a different type of chart.
The recent rapid transition to remote work has propelled visual communication from a “nice-to
have” into an integral part of communication at work.
I hope you’ve already started thinking about how you can use visuals to amplify
your communications.

Just remember to keep these design and visual communication principles in mind:

Use modern design and visuals to make boring information engaging and differentiate yourself
from your competitors. Simplify your information to make an impact. Use data visualization
techniques to show the value of your work

Create designs with a cohesive visual brand and reuse them to keep your
communications consistent

V. Application:
Create a visual representation of your choice or simply choose one among these choices
below:
 Info-graphics
 Process Diagrams
 Flow Charts
 Roadmaps
 Charts and Graphs
 Visual Reports
 Presentations
 Mind Maps
 You can choose whatever visual representation you prefer. You can also
choose whichever topic you wanted to have. Just make sure that your output
is relevant to your topic and that your output serves its purpose of informing
the people by just looking at your made representation.

Resources/References:
MIDORI NEDIGE. (AUG 27, 2020). How To Use Visual Communication?:
Definitions, Examples, Templates. Retrieved from: https://venngage.com/blog/visual
communication/