Visual information comes in many forms and sizes. The following
types of visual information are presented in various ways.
1. Painting – the term painting may refer to the act of
applying paint or other medium to a surface with the use of a brush or the product of this activity. 2. Photos/Images – image is defined by Merriam Webster as “a reproduction or imitation of the form of a person or thing in solid form,” while photo is a “picture or likeness obtained by photography.” 3. Sculpture – this term is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the action or art of processing plastic or hard materials into works of art.” 4. Cartoon/Comic Strip – these are two-dimensional illustrations that are either animated or printed Comic strips are illustrations that are done on paper wherein a story develops by connecting panels of illustration. Cartoons are animated digitally to create a story with moving characters. 5. Graphs/Charts – these are visual representations of statistics and other information. Two types of data to consider in creating graphs and charts - Categorical data are information that are “grouped into non-overlapping categories.” - Continuous data “are measured on a scale or continuum.” A. Bar graph – categories or groups of data are represented by bars with the height portraying the quantity in the category. It is one of the best ways to show the comparison between multiple categories. B. Line graph – this type of graph shows the relationship between multiple types of information. This graph is especially useful for time-stamped data. C. Pie chart – this type of chart is circular in shape, resembling a pie divided into slices of categories. This shows the comparison of each part and how much they contribute to form a whole. D. Histogram – just like bar graphs, a histogram is illustrated by connected bars to show frequency of cases falling within defined columns. This can be used to measure continuous data. 6. Billboard and Poster – these are illustration or images, or text on images printed in large sizes that aim to promote, announce, inform, or persuade the public. These are mostly used for advertisements and announcements targeting a huge amount of audience.
Visual Information Processing
The following criteria for evaluation of visual information is enumerated by Magpile (2016):
Evaluation of visual information
1. Use of color – visual information come in different colors
and the kind used to create a visual representation must be analyzed to know what the theme and subjects is and what it is trying to convey. 2. Use of medium – aside from colors, the medium used in creating the visual information is vital in analyzing its message. It is shown in the incorporation of other materials and how the material was presented. The kind of medium adds value to the message of the media and creates more impact to the public. 3. Level of creativity – visual information, as it relies on the sense of sight, is gauged by its level of creativity and artistic sense and how it can capture the audience’s attention. 4. Choice of subject – the choice of subject in the visual information presented determines how the audience interprets or react to the work as they are at the receiving end of the visual information. 5. Choice of theme or message – behind each element in a visual information is a message that the creator is letting the people indirectly receive. According to Magpile(2016), timely messages are considered significant because it can influence people to act and move towards something that will prove to be beneficial to the society.