Visual Thinking

Visual Thinking and Advertising Concepts Visual Literacy
Visual literacy is the process of sending and receiving messages using images. We can define visual literacy as the ‘ability to construct meaning from visual images.’ The designer’s responsibility is about interpreting images of the present and past and producing images that effectively communicate the message to an audience. When talking about images:

Common Terms
Listed below are some of the more commonly used terms associated with graphic design. This quick glossary should be helpful for any clients or novice graphic designers wishing to learn a bit more about graphic design related terminology. Anti-Aliasing: the smoothing of jagged pixel edges in an image or graphic. Bevel: applying a beveled effect – giving a 3d appearance to an otherwise flat looking graphic. This is achieved by adding highlights and shadows to an object’s edges. Bleed (bleed edge): when creating a design for print, a “bleed edge” needs to be added to the document’s page size. For example, a brochure with the dimensions 8 x 10 needs to be created at something like 8.5 x 10.5. This leaves room for the design to extend past the cut area. DPI (dots per inch): represents the resolution of an output device such as a printer. The higher the DPI, the more pixels (dots) fit into each inch of the image. In other words, the higher the DPI, the better an image will look in print. 300 dpi is sufficient for many print jobs, but it’s all dependent on the detail required and the material being printed on. DPI is often confused with the term “PPI” (see “ppi” to learn more). Gradient: a gradual transition of colors. The way the sky fades from one color to another during a sunset is an example of a gradient. Pixelation: raster images (see “raster”) are comprised of tiny dots. The more dots that fit into a certain area (1×1mm for example), the higher the resolution. Often times images with low resolution appear “blocky” or pixelated because of...