Visual Principles

Roles of Visual in Instruction1) Provide a concrete referent for ideas

- iconic i.e. more easily to be remembered as compared to words.

This visual image of an apple is the referent of the word ‘apple’

APPLE

2. Motivate learners by attracting their attention, holding their attention and generating emotional responses.

3. Simplify information that is difficult to understand.

Role of Visuals in Instruction

SERIES OF DESIGN DECISION

Visual Design Element Visual Design Pattern Visual Design Arrangement

Visual Element Verbal Element

Realistic

Analogic

Organization

Letter style

Colour

Capitals

Number of style

Size

Spacing

Alignment

Style

Balance

Shape

Colour scheme

Colour appeal

Add Appeals

Surprise

Texture

Interaction

Proximity

Directionals

Figure-ground contrast

Consistency

Visual Literacy• refer to the learned ability to interpret

visual messages accurately to create such messages.

2 visual approaches1. Input Strategy

2. Output Strategy

Input Strategy• helping learners to “decode”

(read), visuals proficiently by practicing visual analysis

Developmental EffectsCultural EffectsVisual Preferences

Developmental Effect (Dwyer, 1978) “As a child gets older, he

becomes more capable of attending selectively to those features of an instructional presentation that have the greatest potential for enhancing his learning of desired information.

Different cultural groups may perceive visual materials in different ways.

• Usually thumbs up gesture means positive or okay.

• But for Balinese the thumbs up is part of a ritual way of showing respect to someone of a higher caste.

Visual Preferences

• Teacher should select between preferred visual and most effective visual.

Visual Literacy: Output Strategies

1) Learners create their own visual presentation

- using camera / camcorder etc.

- sequencing – ability to arrange idea in logical order

Goals of Visual Design• Ensure legibility• Reduce the effort required to interpret the

message• Increase the viewer’s active engagement

with the message• Focus attention on the most important part

of the message

Process of Visual Design

1) Elements – selecting the verbal/visual elements to be incorporated into display

2) Pattern – choosing an underlying pattern for the elements of the display

3) Arrangement – arranging the individual element within the underlying pattern

Elements : Visual Elements1) Realistic• Show the actual object under study

ABSTRACT REALISTIC

Elements : Visual Elements2) Analogic visualsConvey topic by showing something else and implying a similarityE.g. the function of human memory with the function of computer memory

Elements : Visual Elements

3) Organizational visuals• Such as flowcharts, graphs, maps,

classification charts

Elements : Verbal Elements

1) Letter style• It should be consistent and harmonize with

the other visual elements • Straightforward and plain style

Elements : Verbal Elements

2) Number of lettering styles• Not more than 2 different type styles• Limit variations (bold, italic, underline, size

changes) to four

Elements : Verbal Elements

3) Capitals• Use lowercase letters• Adding capitals when it is necessary• Headlines can be in capitals but not more

than 3 words

Elements : Verbal Elements

4) Colour of lettering• The lettering colour should contrast with

the background colour• Think about your audience..

Elements : Verbal Elements

5) Size of lettering• Rule of thumb: make lower case letters ½

inch high for each 10 feet of viewer distance

Elements : Verbal Elements

6) Spacing between letters• Consider ‘optical spacing’• Estimating approximately equal amounts

of with space between letters

L A B W O R K

Elements : Verbal Elements

7) Spacing between lines• Letters should be not too cramped or too

widely separate• Text is most legible when separation is

11/2 times average letter height

• Surprise

• Interaction

. Texture

Elements : Elements that add appeals

Alignment

Color AppealStyle Color Scheme

BalanceShape

Process of Visual Design : Pattern

Process of Visual Design : Pattern

1) Alignment• Balance alignment• Same imaginary horizontal and vertical

line• Viewer expend little effort making sense

out of what they are seeing

Process of Visual Design : Pattern

2) Shape• Put and arrange visual into shape that

familiar to learner• Simple geometric figure – circle, rectangle• Consider of the ‘Rule Of Thirds’

Rule of Thirds

• Place your important elements where these lines intersect

• Good places to put things; third of the way up, third of the way in from the left

• Duff places to put things; right in the middle, right at the top, right at the bottom, away in the corner

Process of Visual Design : Pattern

3) Balance• The ‘weight’ of the elements in a display is

equally distributed either horizontally or vertically

Process of Visual Design : Pattern

4) Style• Simple, uncluttered• Primary colour for children• Realistic colour for adult

Process of Visual Design : Pattern5) Colour scheme• Consider the harmoniousness of the

colour – color wheel

6) Colour appeal • Consider ‘warm’ and ‘cool’ colour• Warm colour – active learner, children• Cool colour – thoughtful learner, adult• Consider cultural basis

Complimentary colours: any two coloursthat lie directly opposite each other

Analogous colours: colours that lie next to each other

Complimentary and Analogous colours may form pleasing combinations when used together in a display

The Colour Wheel

• Use cool colour for background

• Highlight important cues in warm colour such as red and orange

Arrangement

• Proximity• Directional• Figure-Ground Contrast• Consistency

Visual Planning ToolsStoryboarding Types of Letters Drawing, Sketching and Cartooning

Digital ImagesPhoto CDs

Flatbed Scanner

(CCD)

Digital Cameras

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