Critical writing: Visual communication methods

The purpose of the essay is to analyse the influence that Graphic Design has had on the political changes in the 21st century, so an important thing to establish is a full understanding of the meaning of visual communication and the methods that are most commonly used.

Visual communication is the transmission of information and ideas using symbols and imagery. It is one of three main types of communication, along with verbal communication (speaking) and non-verbal communication (tone, body language, etc.). Visual communication is believed to be the type that people rely on most as it has an established universal language so it can communicate to a larger amount of people than the other types. 

The first signs of visual communication were seen in the cave paintings 40,000 years ago, which had representations of animals, landscapes, sacred spaces; but the exact purpose of these is still unknown. The advancement of societies then resulted in the use of pictograms to represent physical objects, share ideas or ask questions in the most simple yet effective manner.

In an academic context, the use of symbols and visual communications is called semiotics, used to analyse how people make meaning out of symbols and then interpret said symbols. The associations are established through the learning within society and culture, for example, learning what the word 'tree' means and then associating it with the physical object 

The main methods of visual communication are:

• signs
• typography 
• drawing
• graphic design 
• illustration
• industrial design 
• advertising 
• animation 
• colour

The essay structure will be based on the visual communication methods and how they have been used within the political advertising and establishment of identities for each of the parties.