Visual Literacy Workbook For Graphic Design and Fine Art Students

Appropriate for both graphic designers and fine artists, Visual Literacy Workbook: For Graphic Design and Fine Art Students provides a detailed approach to understanding visual imagery. The text presents a wide range of fine art, graphic, and digital examples and is divided into two major parts: visual form and visual content. As students cover new material in the workbook, concepts are reinforced and synthesized, resulting in a comprehensive understanding of form and content. Upon completion of the text, students are well-prepared to participate in the design process and further interpret visual content.

David Moyer is Assistant Professor of Art and Design at the Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Brian Flynn is Assistant Professor and Department Head of Art and Design at the Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Form & Content

Chapter 1 : Visual Literacy
Visual Literacy, Visual Image, Form, Content, Elements, Unit Forms, Formal Content, Symbolic Content, Narrative Content

Chapter 2 : The Visual Image
Visual Attractiveness, Contrasts, Visual Hierarchy, Unity, Picture Plane, Format/Frame of Reference, Negative Space/Ground, Positive Space/Figure, Open Composition, Shape, Curvilinear Shape, Rectilinear Shape, Representational Shapes, Nonrepresentational Shape

Chapter 3: Gestalt, Unity & Variety
Gestalt, Repetition, Rhythms, Alternating Rhythm, Progressive Rhythm, Integrative Repetition, Proximity, Similarity, Continuation, Closure, Variety

Chapter 4: Color
Additive Color, Color Spectrum, Cool Colors, Color Temperature, Color Wheel, Four Aspects of Color, Hue, Primary Colors, Saturation, Secondary Colors, Shading, Subtractive Color, Tertiary Colors, Tinting, Value, Toning, Warm Colors

Chapter 5: Illusion of Space
Aerial Perspective, Atmospheric Perspective, Background, Bright Color, Cool Colors, Dark Valued Color, Dull Color, Foreground, Horizon Line, Light Valued Color, Linear Perspective, Line Weight, Mid Ground, Orthogonal Lines, Spacial Planes, Vanishing Point, Vantage Point, Value, Warm Colors

Chapter 6: Balance
Asymmetrical Balance, Axis of Symmetry, Formal Balance, Hierarchy of Visual Weight, Horizontal Balance, Informal Balance, Near Symmetrical Balance, Pictorial Hierarchy of Visual Weight, Symmetrical Balance, Typographic Hierarchy of Visual Weight, Vertical Balance, Vertical Axis of Symmetry, Visual Weight

Chapter 7: Emphasis & Eye Flow
Accent Point, Contrast, Focal Point, Line of Sight, Real Line, Scale, Suggested Line Triangulation, Value,
Visual Hierarchy

Chapter 8: Proportion
Diagonal of a Square, Dynamic Rectangles, Dynamic Symmetry, Golden Section Rectangle, Half Diagonal, Long Rectangle, Proportion, Ratio, Rectangle, Root Rectangle, Square

Chapter 9: Structure
Columnar Grid, Custom Grid, Echo Lines, Eyes of a Rectangle, Formal Structure, Grid Cell, Harmonic Armature, Informal Structure, Long Rectangle, Proportion, Rabatment, Rabatment Container, Rabatment Lines, Square, Structure, Typographic Grid

Chapter 10: Compositional Dynamics
Accent Point, Compositional Dynamics, Counter Diagonals, Dominant Dynamic, Dynamic Hierarchy, Dynamic Orientation, Dynamically Neutral Forms, Focal Point, Lines of Sight, Major Axis, Minor Axis, Triangulation

Chapter 11: Visual Content
Bracketed Observation, Background, Closure, Conceptual Depth, Contextual Association, Element Condition, Foreground, Form, Formal Content, Element Function, Gestalt, Mid Ground, Narrative Content, Primary Level of Perception, Secondary Level of Perception, Spacial Planes, Symbolic Content, Visual Content, Visual Information, Variety, Unity/Harmony

Part 2: Visual Analysis Outline

Chapter 12: Visual Analysis Outline
Introduction, Visual Analysis Outline Sheet

Chapter 13 : Shape Type & Distribution Section 1
Section 1: Shape Type & Distribution, Identification and classification of visual elements

Chapter 14 : Gestalt Section 2
Section 2: Identify prominent examples of the four aspects of Gestalt, proximity, similarity, continuation, closure

Chapter 15: Balance Section 3
Section 3: Determine the type of horizontal balance, symmetry, near symmetry, asymmetry

Chapter 16: Focal & Accent Points Section 4
Section 4: Identify points of emphasis, focal & accent points

Chapter 17: Geometry Section 5
Section 5: Determine picture plane proportion (dynamic rectangle), relevance of harmonic armature and rebatment

Chapter 18: Compositional Dynamics Section 6
Section 6: Identify the dominant, subdominant, subordinate dynamics (diagonal, vertical, horizontal) and their importance to the composition

Chapter 19: Unity & Variety Section 7
Section: 7 Summarize and synthesize formal elements contribution to unity & variety

Chapter 20: Bracketed Observation Section 8
Section 8: Discern the composition's visual element, element function & element condition

Chapter 21: Contextual Information Section 9
Section 9: Discern and research non-visual information relevant to the work

Chapter 22: Contextual Association Section 10
Section: 10 Correlate bracketed observation with contextual information

Chapter 23: Visual Content Summary Section 11
Section 11: Identify (narrative, symbolic, formal) and synthesize visual content information

Chapter 24: Completed Visual Analysis
Sections 1-11 of the Visual Analysis Outline

Appendix
Artists Resource, Assignment Sequencing, Handouts

Bibliography

Glossary

Index