Prior To Beginning Work On This Discussion Review Chapter 7 ✓ Solved

Prior To Beginning Work On This Discussion Reviewchapter 7andchapter

Prior to beginning work on this discussion, review Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 , Chapter 9 from your textbook and the Week 3 Weekly Lecture. Write about an example of communication that could be improved by applying the visual design principles you read about this week. The communication can be any medium—a web page, a magazine ad, a promotional email, an illustration from a report, etcetera—as long as you can display it in the discussion forum. To attach a file to the discussion forum, select the “Attach” button in the bottom left-hand corner when creating a discussion response. In your post, identify the visual weaknesses and describe ways to fix them. Explain why the message is not as effective as it could be and how your suggestions would make it more effective.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

Effective visual communication is vital in conveying messages clearly and efficiently across various media. When visual design principles are not properly applied, the message may become confusing or fail to engage the audience. Analyzing an example of ineffective visual communication and proposing improvements grounded in design principles can enhance understanding and effectiveness.

Example of Communication with Visual Weaknesses

Consider a promotional email from an online retail store promoting a summer sale. The email features bright background colors, multiple images, and aggressive promotional text. However, it suffers from several visual weaknesses: cluttered layout, inconsistent font styles, poor color contrast, and insufficient whitespace. These issues collectively undermine the message's clarity and aesthetic appeal.

Visual Weaknesses and How to Fix Them

1. Cluttered Layout: The email includes too many images and text blocks packed together, making it visually overwhelming. To improve, adopt a cleaner grid layout with a clear hierarchy, allowing the viewer's eye to naturally flow through key information.

2. Inconsistent Font Styles: Multiple fonts and sizes are used without coordination, which distracts readers. Standardizing font types (e.g., using one sans-serif font) and establishing a typographic hierarchy (headline, subheading, body) enhances readability and professionalism.

3. Poor Color Contrast: Some text overlays on busy backgrounds lack sufficient contrast, reducing readability. Improving contrast by choosing complementary colors or adding semi-transparent overlays improves accessibility for all viewers.

4. Insufficient Whitespace: The dense arrangement leaves little space around elements, reducing visual breathing room. Increasing whitespace around headings, images, and calls-to-action (CTAs) guides the viewer's focus and enhances overall aesthetics.

Impact of Improvements on Message Effectiveness

Applying these visual design principles improves the overall clarity and attractiveness of the promotional email. A cleaner layout and consistent typography direct attention to key messages, while better color contrast and whitespace improve readability. Thus, the message becomes more engaging, easier to understand, and more likely to motivate action, such as clicking the CTA to shop the sale.

Conclusion

Using visual design principles such as layout structure, typography consistency, contrast, and whitespace significantly enhances communication effectiveness. By critically evaluating and refining visual elements, communicators can ensure their messages resonate more powerfully with audiences, resulting in improved engagement and response rates.

References

• Lidwell, W., Holden, K., & Butler, J. (2010). Universal Principles of Design. Rockport Publishers.
• Kress, G., & Van Leeuwen, T. (2006). Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. Routledge.
• Lupton, E. (2014). Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students. Princeton Architectural Press.
• Shneiderman, B., & Plaisant, C. (2010). Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction. Pearson.
• Maeda, J. (2006). The Laws of Simplicity. MIT Press.
• Tufte, E.R. (2001). The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Graphics Press.
• Few, S. (2012). Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten. Analytics Press.
• Johnson, J. (2014). Designing with the Mind in Mind: Simple Guide to Understanding User Interface Design Guidelines. Morgan Kaufmann.
• Sweller, J., Van Merriënboer, J. J. G., & Paas, F. G. W. C. (2019). Cognitive Load Theory. In J. M. Demetriou (Ed.), Cognitive Load Theory. Routledge.
• Beaird, J., & George, J. (2019). The Principles of Beautiful Web Design. SitePoint.