Task 1

VISUAL COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL MEANING

23/10/14

                                                                          
                                                                      CONTENT

                                                                 1)INTRODUCTION

                                                                 2)MEANING

                                                                 3)THREE PILLARS OF                                                                                        SUCCESSFUL                                                                                              VISUAL                                                                                                        COMMUNICATION

                                                                  4)MANIFESTATION OF                                                                                      CULTURE 

                                                                  5)BENEFITS OF CULTURE

                                                                  6)BENEFITS OF VISUAL                                                                                    COMMUNICATION

                                                                  7)CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

Visual Communication is a quarterly, peer-reviewed academic journal publishing top research in visual studies. It welcomes contributions from scholars in anthropology, sociology, history and scientific research. Articles cover still and moving images; graphic design and typography; visual phenomena such as fashion, professional vision, posture and interaction; the built and landscaped environment; and the role of the visual in relation to language, music, sound and action.

 

Visual Communication

The expression of ideas and information using visual forms or aids. Body language including gestures are part of such communication. Presentations may also include photographs, charts, graphs, and diagrams to enforce or demonstrate ideas or data.

Culture.

Culture is the sum of total of the learned behaviour of a group of people that are generally considered to be the tradition of that people and are transmitted from generation to generation.

The Three Pillars of Successful Visual Communications

Scalability
This ‘explosion’ in video demand and usage is forcing many organisations to think more carefully about implementing controls to improve the user experience, which will drive wider adoption of visual communications solutions and, in turn, ensure better return on investment. “But,” warns Heard, “the answer isn’t simply to ‘wrap’ a managed service around the visual communications estate.

Consistency
In terms of consistency, a key challenge for global organisations today is achieving the same standard and quality of visual communications across all of their offices around the world. Often, the video experience is fair at its headquarters or major regional offices, which usually offer high-touch support and have video experts on hand. But it’s not always the case with remote sites or home offices.

Adoption
Much has been said about the importance of user adoption in the success of visual communications. Again, the consistency of the user experience across geographical locations contributes to both ease-of-use and increased usage. Says Heard: “It’s important to keep your most ‘technology-shy’ users in mind − those who show an inherent reticence for using unfamiliar technology

MANIFESTATIONS OF CULTURE

>Cultural differences manifest themselves in different ways and differing levels of depth. Symbols represent the most superficial and values the deepest manifestations of culture, with heroes and rituals in between.

>Symbols are words, gestures, pictures, or objects that carry a particular meaning which is only recognized by those who share a particular culture.

>Heroes are persons, past or present, real or fictitious, who possess characteristics that are highly prized in a culture.

>Rituals are collective activities, sometimes superfluous in reaching desired objectives, but are considered as socially essential.

>Symbols, heroes, and rituals are the tangible or visual aspects of the practices of a culture. The true cultural meaning of the practices is intangible; this is revealed only when the practices are interpreted by the insiders.

Benefits of culture.

Culture Reduces Stress Levels
Regardless of your income level or education, taking in the arts is linked to being more satisfied with your life, says a study published last year in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Culture helps you express yourself
By participating in culture and being exposed to different forms of art, you broaden the ways in which you can express yourself. 

Culture Can Help Feed and Develop Your Perspective
It’s very easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of day to day life we have to contend with. By exposing ourselves to culture, we remove ourselves from this same old, same old routine and get out of our comfort zones, altering our perspective. 

Culture Connects You To Humanity And The community You Live In
By taking in culture (in any form, whether it be music, art or writing, to name just a few mediums) that focuses on the elements we contend with - poverty, sexuality, racism, etc. - we gain a better understanding of humanity as a whole and of the groups we live amongst

Benefits of Visual Communication  

Immediacy

Immediacy is whether you are seeking to communicate complex information, such as with statistical information, or seeking to emphasize the importance of an idea visual communication can often accomplish these tasks much more quickly than verbal communication. 

Simplicity

Another advantage to visual communication is simplicity. For example, if you seek to give driving directions to a friend, you may find it easier and even quicker to draw a visual map. Often, visual communication can simplify the information or ideas that you are seeking to pass on to another person or group of people

Flexibility

Flexible in many ways in visual communication can help you to communicate a marketing or advertising message to hundreds or thousands of people across diverse geographic areas, visual messages will often allow you to do so with more flexibility than verbal ones.

Conclusion: 

          The international nature of visual communication and culture has globalised the world economy, and the fundamental structural transformations experienced in the sector, have also increased the need for comparable data. There are many challenges when comparing culture and visual communication internationally. The use of visual communication, designed for national purposes, for international comparisons is a complicated matter as no country defines culture or culture consumers in exactly the same way but visual communication the same way.

References.

Thurley-Ratcliff, c. S. A., 31st october 2013. Oxford university press, Livestrong.com , Canadian Word press , Dimension data. s.l.:s.n.