the art of
Persuasion
Seeing argument
Persuasive texts are not limited to just oral and written forms- they also exist as Visual Representations of argument. Visual texts can be use as a form of persuasion for multiple purposes, often depending on the audience. For instance a cereal box might include bright colours and a heart foundation ‘tick of approval’ logo to persuade consumers that the cereal is nutritious and a credible health product. Persuasive texts surround people in their everyday environment- sometimes without noticing.
Advertising: Food packaging, billboards, posters, T.V commercials
Campaign posters: Publicizing an issue & presenting an argument
Political or Satirical Cartoons seen in newspapers or online blogs
Much like written or oral forms of persuasive texts; Visual Texts use similar devices to persuade or present an argument to an audience. Visual Persuasive Texts often include one or more aspects from the table below:
Visual persuasive texts can appeal to an audience’s sense of LOGOS, ETHOS and/or PATHOS.
Not only do we need to consider the narrative elements of the image being presented, but also need to learn to have an appreciation and analysis of formal properties (line, shape, colour, angle, perspective) and how these work (and work with narrative elements) to influence a viewers perception and interaction with the image (Newell et al. 2011, p. 99). Ultimately, when we analyse a text, we need to think about how the physical features of the image support it’s argument and concept.
