Visual Rhetoric

Visual rhetoric is an interesting topic I had never thought much about before, and I didn’t realize how much I use it in my everyday life. The most common way I use visual rhetoric in my everyday life is by the way I dress. When I dress, I try to look fashionable, neat and clean. I care about my image. I don’t like to stand out though, and most of the clothes in my closet are darker or more neutral colors. Everything I put on is sending a message to people. When I see other people’s clothes, sometimes it is easy to see their personality.

Another way I use visual rhetoric is through social media. I don’t post too often, but when I do, it is usually about some fun activity I’ve done with my family or friends.

As I was sitting writing this, I noticed on my wall and my desk I have a ton of pictures hanging up. I think that this is a type of visual rhetoric, even though not many see it.  If people saw it, it would show them a lot about what is important to me. Most of what is hanging up on my wall is pictures of my family. Pictures are a way to show what can’t be expressed in words, especially with emotions. One picture can express what might take hundreds of words to explain.  

Visual rhetoric is definitely an important thing to be aware of and learn how to use. If you learn how to use it correctly, it can become a useful tool in your everyday life, especially with business. People buy or pick things out based on its looks. If you want to sell something, it needs to look good. Take books, for instance. When I go pick out a book to read at the library, I notice how a book looks. I usually walk through the isles, and if the picture or color stands out to me, I pick it up and then read the back to see if I’m interested in it. I’ve heard a million times, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but that is exactly what I do (only with books though). Most of the time, if the cover doesn’t look very interesting, I’m not as inclined to read it. It is the same with movies, websites, electronics, etc. If it doesn’t ‘look’ right, most people won’t bother with it.