A well-rounded education in the 21st century requires not just verbal and mathematical proficiency, but also the ability to interpret, critique, create, and use visual communication on sophisticated levels. In today's visual world, it is critically important to hold an appreciation for the profound effects imagery has on individuals and the communities in which they live.

Visual Communication focuses on cultivating visual and media literacy from both consumption and production points of view and introduces students to the application of intuitive intelligence to a visual context. Innovative in its field, it provides a solid theoretical overview of the most advanced thinking and research about visual communication, teaching readers how to apply theory to enhance their understanding of and work with images.

This book is intended for students in visual literacy and communication courses. It can also be used in photojournalism courses and other coursework with a visual component. Individuals interested in mass media studies will likewise find the book to be a worthwhile read.

About the Author
Rick Williams is Chair of the Division of the Arts at Lane Community College in Eugene, OR. Julianne Newton is Associate Professor of Visual Communication in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon.

Reviews

"An intelligent and beautifully illustrated book on how visual communication helps us achieve intellectual and intuitive literacy. A well-researched treatise that instantly shows what Omniphasism and Integrative Mind are all about. What Fritjof Capra tired to do in the Tao of Physics three decades ago, the authors have accomplished here: to bring rational and intuitive intelligences into balance and to help us reconcile our inner and outer vision for a higher state of awareness and a richer state of life." -- Herb Zettl, San Francisco State University

"Drawing on their extensive experience as visual artists, educators, and researchers, the authors have produced a book that will inform and stimulate any reader who wants to gain a better understanding of the ways in which our minds make sense of visual images. This is a work of mature scholarship, containing a new theory of visual communication as well as a synthesis of prior research. A valuable addition to the visual studies literature." - Paul Messaris, University of Pennsylvania, Annenberg School of Communication

"This is an important and truly beautiful book, one that is personally and professionally useful, as well as theoretically advanced. In it, Williams and Newton synthesize key theories in neurology, art and visual communication as a platform for the concept of an integrative, balanced mind. Filled with insights and practical exercises to achieve this balance, this book suggests that the truly integrated mind finds an equilibrium between intuition and reason that leads to both a fuller way of life and a philosophical outlook with vast educational and cultural implications." - Ann Marie Barry, Boston College

"Rick Williams and Juliana Newton are two of the most accomplished theorists in the wide field of visual communication. Their years of experience as educators and photographers combine in a well developed and important theory of intuitive intelligence. Additionally the exercises they have created and tested in their own courses illuminate for students ways to access visual intelligence, creativity and the whole mind. The book is a strong argument for inclusion of courses in visual communication and visual literacy in the liberal arts curriculum. Especially valuable are the examples and historical review of the intersections between science and art as performed in the highly mediated culture in which we live and learn. All of us have something to learn from this text." -- Diane S. Hope, William A. Kern Professor in Communications, Rochester Institute of Technology

"A challenging book because it presents a thorough review of theory and research in visual communication. An eloquent book because it demonstrates the beauty and process of visual communication through illustrations and many creative exercises. It integrates the art and science of visual communication and is a testimony to the power and insights of Omniphasism-the underlying theory on which this work is based and which explores an integrative balance in ways of thinking and knowing, both rational and intuitive. Visual Communication breaks new ground in textbook writing by bringing alive the creative and mind-stretching classroom exercises that these professors have developed for their own instructional use. It helps rational thinkers learn to break through to their intuitive side through experiential learning. You have to do more than read about it to open up the intuitive side of the brain. Every student, whatever the learning or thinking style, expands individual potential in a personal and private journey through these broadening exercises." - Sandra Moriarty, University of Colorado

Book Information
ISBN 9780805850666
Author Rick Williams
Format Paperback
Page Count 488
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Inc
Weight(grams) 3600g