Syllabus

Module-I (4 hrs)/ Elements of visual communication: Recognizing the relevance of visual messages and scope for visual communication design introduction to various modes of non-verbal communication (i.e., signs, symbols, imagery, and metaphor) general concepts of visual culture and its relationship with communication design denotative and connotative meanings of visual messages elements of visual communication systems of visual structure or organization of elements (i.e., composition, style, code, etc.) Assignment: Identify elements of communication in a visual message from everyday life and analyze their contribution.

Module-II (8 hrs)/ Theories of visual communication: Introduction to general concepts of communication theory, human perception, and visual ergonomics introduction to reductive logic in graphic design interpretation and visual representation of various ideas, emotions, and human activities Introduction to theories of visual communication: sensory theories (e.g., Gestalt laws, Law of Prägnanz) and perceptual theories (e.g., semiotics, cognitive theory) understanding relationship between syntactic, semantics, and pragmatics of visual language Application of these theories in communication design Assignment: Analyze a visual message for potential application of any communication theory.

Module-III (12 hrs)/ Principles of visual communication: Strategies for gaining attention: contrast, scale, size, proportioning system, colours, ordering principles, sequencing, layering, figure-ground ambivalence, and others Strategies for orienting the user: categorization of information (alphabetically, by time, by location, etc.) visual affordances, navigation, mapping, etc. reading gravity or pattern (e.g., Gutenberg diagram), visual hierarchy and edge relationships elements of typography (typeface, size, font family, alignment, kernelling, combining different fonts, etc.), and others Strategies for interpreting visual messages: reading signs (icon, index, symbol), substitution, appropriation, visual metaphor, etc. Strategies for retaining and extending meaning from visual messages: use of a schema (event, place, or role), use of memory aids (stereotype, archetype, narrative, mnemonics, brand identity, etc.), and others Assignment: Analyze a visual message to identify the strategies adopted to help users interpret the message. Identify the role of the specific cultural context of the target user in easing interpretation.

To understand the organizational structure of various elements of visual communication design through the application of relevant theories of communication.

To learn the application of principles of visual communication.

To sensitize students to the importance of visual communication as an integral part of user experience.

1. An ability to recognise the significance of visual aids of communication in user experience design.
2. An ability to apply relevant theories of communication and principles of visual communication in design of visual messages.
3. An ability to understand how visual messages are shaped by the specific context (socio-cultural and physical environments) where it is intended to be used.

Davis, M. and Hunt, J., Visual Communication Design: An Introduction to Design Concepts in Everyday Experience, Bloomsbury , 2017

Smith, K., Handbook of visual communication: theory, methods, and media, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates , 2005

Baldwin, J., Lucienne. R., Visual Communication, from theory to practice, AVA Publishing SA , 2006

Williams, R., Newton, J., Visual Communication: Integrating Media, Art, and Science, Routledge , 2007