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Visual Rhetoric

This resource was written by Karl Stolley.
Last full revision by .
Last edited by Allen Brizee on March 16th 2008 at 1:28PM

Summary: These resources will help students and teachers better understand the use of visual elements for rhetorical purposes.

This resource is enhanced by an Acrobat PDF file.

Jump to listing of all of this resource's sections

Visual Rhetoric: Overview

This section of the OWL discusses the use of rhetorical theory and rhetoric as it relates to visuals and design. "Visual rhetoric" has been used to mean anything from the use of images as argument, to the arrangement of elements on a page for rhetorical effect, to the use of typography (fonts), and more.

While we cannot hope to cover these and many other topics in depth in this resource, it will be possible for us to look at some of the common visual rhetoric problems encountered by student writers: the text elements of a page (including font choices), the use of visuals (including photographs, illustrations, and charts and graphs), and the role of overall design in composing a page rhetorically.

Note: Much of the current use of "visual rhetoric" is directed at analyzing images and other visuals that already exist. This handout is meant to help you generate visual material.

What is Visual Rhetoric?

The term visual rhetoric falls under an umbrella term known as visual literacy, which is generally split into three categories: visual thinking, visual learning, visual rhetoric/communication (though clearly visual thinking and visual learning must occur in order to communicate visually). The following diagram illustrates these ideas. The graphic is modified from Sandra Moriarty's diagram in her essay, "A Conceptual Map of Visual Communication" and from "Teaching Visual Literacy and Document Design in First-Year Composition" (MA Thesis) by Allen Brizee.

This image shows the breakdown of areas under the term visual literacy. The diagram is split into three subsections. The first subsection is visual thinking, which contains metaphoric thinking, visualization, source of imagery, right brain and left brain functions, and mental nodes. The second subsection is visual learning, which contains design of materials, reading pictures, and research on learning. The third subsection is visual rhetoric and visual communication, which contains art, media, and aesthetics.

Image Caption: Visual Literacy

Essentially, a beginning definition of visual rhetoric and its applications are as follows:

  • Use of images as argument
  • Arrangement of elements on a page
  • Use of typography (fonts, etc.)
  • Analysis of existing images and visuals

Other OWL resources that are related to visual rhetoric and that may help you understand these ideas are:

For more information:

You may also download the pdf Works Cited and Works Referenced from "Teaching Visual Literacy and Document Design in First-Year Composition" in the Media box above. This pdf contains a number of resources on visual literacy, visual rhetoric, and document design and the uses of these concepts in composition and professional writing.

All Sections in Visual Rhetoric:

  1. Visual Rhetoric: Overview
  2. Visual Rhetoric: Text Elements
  3. Visual Rhetoric: Color
  4. Visual Rhetoric: Use of Images
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