Considering Visual Elements

What Should It Look Like?

Kringen, Shannon "more pentax fish kring" (9/30/2010) via Flickr. Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License

In this post, I will be evaluating the importance of images and appearance in my editorial.

Creating Visual Coherence

• Color Choices
• The colors red, grey, and blue would best reflect the visual tone of my project: Red for book banning, grey for our stagnation, and blue for future programs / activism.
• The background will be white, as that is the background for all editorials on the New York Times, and it will be straightforward for the reader to approach and read.
• The font will be black, again because of the New York Times formatting, and it would provide the best readability and contrast from a white background.
• The background and font colors will function as a neutral 'canvas' so to speak, that will not interfere with or take away from image impact.
• Any boxes or lines that function in my text will either be black and grey due to New York Times formatting. This will keep these lines neutral so that the images can speak for themselves.
• Font Choices
• The font I will use throughout is Times New Roman, due to New York Times formatting. For the title, I will enlarge my font to draw attention. I will most likely use italics or hyperlinking in the body of my text to create any kind of visual emphasis.
• Using the same font throughout will be complementary to my piece, and provide readers with easy reading and consistency.
• Times New Roman is an 'official' font that is mainly used in scholarly works and important documents. Readers will most likely identify the text as an important source of information.
• This font is completely appropriate to the visual-rhetorical tone of my project. It doesn't distract from my message, and fits the formatting of my platform.
• The fonts will be large enough to be read from a projector screen if needed.
• My  font will be black to create readability on a white background.
• Shapes, Text Boxes, Headings, and Lines
• My project may include graphics such as charts or graphs that will match the color scheme and content.
• I may choose to set aside a statement by enlarging it and placing it in some form of text box.
• My  text boxes will be the same color as the background.

Creating Visual Salience

• Image Selection
• I hope to include an image of books in jail, or something along those lines which I may end up creating myself.
• This will lend to my portrayal of book banning, library program stagnation, and the need for an 'escape.'
• This will hopefully engender feelings of outrage and restriction in my audience, which may invoke the desire to do something.
• This image adds to my argument, and gives the cause of my article in an image.
• Image Framing or Anchoring
• The image will be located by the introduction of my article, which will contain background on my argument - the image is a representation of that background.

Creating Visual Organization

• My organization may need a little work to flow better both visually and textually.
• I will most likely only use one image, to introduce my topic and create interest, as any more would be confusing within my genre and my purpose.

Creating Visual Impact

• My visual so far seems connected to my text.
• The rhetorical tone is pretty consistent and fits well.
• I need to develop my call to action more, and specifically outline what librarians and patrons can do.
• My image and textual information outline what will happen if action isn't taken.
• I think that the image is best located before or next to the introduction of my editorial, as it will draw my audience in.

Reflection: After reading Tom and Cynthia's blog posts, I realized that we can do so much with visuals, and that each genre really determines how much personal creative control we have over appearance. Like Cynthia, I am writing on a platform that doesn't allow for interesting fonts or colored text. Even being able to have a different font for the title like Tom makes me want to be more creative! But, I need to conform to my platform and genre, and express myself through words more so than images.