Not every person in the communication world is alike. Many people respond to visual communication better than verbal communication and others respond to verbal communication better than visual communication. This can go for all types of communication whither it be visual, verbal, audio or written. Personally, I respond best to visual communication. This is true especially when it comes to learning. When I am in class or at work and someone is explaining something to me, chances are I will understand the main point they are trying to get across but not necessarily fully comprehend it. When I’m shown a visual image such as a graph in math or a picture of how to set the table for work, I will be more likely to fully understand and keep that information with me.
The types, images, symbols and colors are all necessary and certainly important tools in visual communication. Although, I feel that images are the key factor of good visual communication. People respond well to images and they are usually easy for people to decode. In a world so immersed in the Internet, there is more visual communication now than ever before. There is everything from social media enthusiasts who create memes for people to interpret and enjoy all the way to advertisements with logos all over every website.
There are several companies, brands and even people whose visual communication is out of this world. One of the main ones that come to mind is FedEx. Their logo is simple yet creative and their colors are eye catching. The logo is laid out so that the last part, the Ex, is close enough and leveled so that it makes an arrow. This is touching on the fact they are in the shipping business. The arrow is representing moving something from one place to the next. The colors are complimentary so it soft on the eye, yet vibrant enough to be noticed.
Another company that does a stellar job with visual communication is McDonald's. Their golden arches are known practically everywhere around the world. Without any words at all people know that the arches mean french fries and hamburgers. The colors that they use in their logo represent the condiments that put the final touches on their signature items. Something about being able to tie what your company is about into something so simple, yet creative is admirable.
A local beer company named Flying Bison is another great example of good visual communication. When you think flying bison, you think a bison with wings. The company however, steered away from that directly and included wings around a circle with a bison in the center. They used different shades of brown to represent the colors of beer. I think they made something that could have turned out corny into a modest piece of art.
Visual communication comes in all shapes and sizes, literally. Digging deeper into the world of visual communication is exciting and I’m ready to learn more about it!
