Images can persuade and compel a person to do something without them even knowing it because it affects them on a deeper level. Bogost states that according to Hill, “images are more ‘vivid’ than text or speech, and therefore they are more easily manipulated toward visceral response” (Bogost 22). I agree with this quote because images are a quicker way to connect with the audience. Images are more ambiguous and interpretational than text or speech so they can be perceived in different ways depending on how the viewers see the image. Images lack the textual support and analysis, and can be manipulated to how the viewer wants to see it. They connect to a person on a deeper level, rather than just intellectually, without the person being actually conscious of the connection. For example, advertisement is a big genre of visual rhetoric. An effective ad, in my opinion, would have enlarged images with little to no text. The goal of advertisements is to quickly connect with the viewer on an emotional level. If there was a person on the advertisement smiling, it portrays a happy emotion, and when the viewer sees the happy emotion, hopefully they too will feel happy. Not only the emotion that is portrayed on the advertisement, but also the colors and the font can have an impact on the viewer. Advertisers want to persuade the viewer to think and feel a certain way without explicitly doing so. In addition, another example of this duality within advertising can be found within album art. A cover with bright colors and unique visuals can influence some to want to try and listen to the album, while others may view the cover as silly and ridiculous. Another tool of visual rhetoric is doing certain actions or deeds that convey different meanings or messages to onlookers. For example, something as simple as a public kiss can be perceived in different ways by different people. Some could argue that it is just a greeting between friends and others could think that it is a display of affection between two people in a romantic relationship. The interpretation of the kiss will depend on the person performing the kiss and the onlookers’ perspectives.
Visual rhetoric is a part of a communication process, just without text or speech. Like the other types of rhetoric, visual rhetoric is controllable. The creator of the visual decides which image they want to communicate out to the world or what they want the message to express.
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