Prepared for UC10B/FOUN1002 – March 2012

VISUAL ARGUMENT
Visual arguments are compact multimedia texts that exist as independent creations; for example
opinion-advertisements (op ads), photo essays, websites, and montages. When you construct a
visual argument you have the opportunity to experiment with many forms of media to make a
powerful argument. You can apply strategies for inventing, arranging, and producing the design of
an innovative visual argument that will persuade viewers to agree with your message.

Each medium structures information in a distinct way. A photo essay is set up differently than a
web-page or a magazine advertisement, or a montage. Therefore, part of creating a powerful visual
argument lies in identifying your chosen medium’s conventions of structure and style and adjusting
the form of your argument: - its layout, design, style, and organisation of information – to be the
most appropriate choice for your project.

THE OPINION-ADVERTISEMENT (OP-AD)

This is one of the most concise forms of visual argument. It comprises compact persuasive text that
uses rhetorical appeals to convey its message. Most op-ads promote an opinion rather than a
consumer product. The op-ad may rely partially on written text, but tends to work through the
visual components of its argument; so, it may convey the thesis through a strategic combination of
visual and verbal elements. For example, in an op-ad for The Body Shop, the words “There are 3
billion women who don’t look like supermodels and only 8 who do” is superimposed on the image
of a normal sized woman on a bed of leaves. The visual/image creates an argument based on
pathos, the statistics draw on logos, and the result is a powerful visual argument which shocks
readers into questioning concepts of beauty.

Op-ads often rely on the rhetorical strategy of parody (using one text’s formal properties to subvert
the meaning of the original and make an independent argument). [E.g. in an Alcoholics
Anonymous ad the “chairs” for the recovering addicts are arranged in the form of a bottle of
vodka].

Another rhetorical strategy used in op-ads is visual juxtaposition – the combination of multiple
images as a rhetorical device to call attention to the discrepancy between different things (e.g.
different ways of life).

Designing an Op-Ad

● Decide on your purpose.

● Identify your audience.

● Know your argument.

Prepared for UC10B/FOUN1002 – March 2012

● Determine which appeals to use (Pathos? Ethos? Logos?).

● Select key images for your ad.

● Write your print text; decide how it will function in relation to your image(s).

● Draft a gripping headline to complement your image.

● Experiment with layout i.e. arrangement, image, size, organisation of text – to arrive at the
most effective design.

THE PHOTO ESSAY

The photo essay is an image in which photographs, rather than (the) print text, convey the central
argument. In a word-based essay, verbal text takes priority, and images are typically used as
supplements. By contrast, in a photo essay, the visual collaborates with verbal text or becomes the
primary mode of representation and persuasion. The photo essay develops your points more
thoroughly than one image/page allows. It works best if you have a topic that can be effectively
argued through an accumulation of visual evidence presented as a sequence of images.

An electronic photo essay typically contains (1) a photo, (2) an accompanying caption, (3) an
audio option, and, (4) a table of contents toolbar to allow readers to navigate through the images.
The result is an electronic text that maintains many structural similarities to print text: it offers
readers a clear sense of progression from beginning to end while investing its argument with the
rhetorical force of multiple media (word, image, sound).The photo essay works best if you have a
topic that can be effectively argued through the accumulation of visual evidence presented as a
sequence of images. [N.B. The photo essay can be in the form of a poster].

Designing a photo essay is like drafting a research paper; the task of crafting the argument involves
sifting through information, determining relevance, and arranging the most powerful evidence in
your finished product. Remember to shape your photo essay around your argument through
carefully made rhetorical choices about purpose, audience, and medium.

Designing a Photo Essay

● Decide on the argument or thesis for your project.

● Categorize your images, arranging them within theme groups.

● Organise them into different configurations by chronology, theme, and/or subject.

● Draft written text in the form of headings, captions, and paragraphs (optional).

● Determine your layout by experimenting with ways of formatting the words and images.
Prepared for UC10B/FOUN1002 – March 2012

THE MULTIMEDIA MONTAGE

The multimedia montage is a visual presentation which can take the form of a collage, a
multimedia mix using audio and video or a hand painted mural (among other forms). A montage is
a sequence of still images or any combination of diverse media elements.

It is important to understand: audience, medium, form, and purpose in order to design the project.
For example, a collage can allow for a dialogue between simultaneous, competing images and/or
you can exploit the power of numerous images and crop and arrange those images for rhetorical
purpose. In addition to giving careful consideration to audience, medium, etc., think carefully about
your argument, your audience’s familiarity with the topic, the organisation of your materials, and
the media available to you, as you design your multimedia montage. [E.g. a student created a hand-
painted graffiti mural to make an argument about the power of graffiti as a medium for social
protest and self-expression. [N.B. The multimedia montage can be in the form of a poster].

Designing a Multimedia Montage

● Decide on your purpose (to teach, persuade, or move to action).

● Identify your audience.

● Select you content and main argument.

● Determine which appeals to use (Pathos? Ethos? Logos?).

● Avoid jarring colour combinations or visual clutter.

● Be strategic in your use and placement of images.

● Write your print text; decide how it will function in relation to your image(s).

● Draft a gripping headline to complement your image.

● Experiment with layout i.e. arrangement, image, size, organisation of text – to arrive at the
most effective design.

Source:

Alfano, Christine, L. & Alyssa J. O’Brien. Envision: Writing and Researching Arguments.
Boston: Pearson Longman, 2011. Print.
Prepared for UC10B/FOUN1002 – March 2012