It’s time to talk about visual communication!
Let’s suppose that you are in a non-familiar place and what you see on the phone is the low battery icon. A series of thoughts would definitely run through your head, and perhaps the most important one, that you won’t able to connect with colleagues or relatives, is followed by a mix of emotions.
You’re not the only one who gets a dose of emotions when you see the low battery icon… After all, it’s not just an icon. It is the integral element of a powerful visual communication, which causes instant chemistry and produces many more feelings than words.
Visual language is not frisky, it penetrates immediately into the emotional centers of the brain, precisely to turn on useful bulbs. Compared to written language, it is more easily digested as information and thus shapes our worldview.
Through airports, roads, means of transport, bars and restaurants, toilets, museums, theaters or bookstores, one communicates visually with symbols, to be guided and orientated quickly, regardless of the unknown…
We would like to share with you an illuminating passage from the book “History of Graphic Design”, which reinforces this statement: Primitive man ensured survival mainly by hunting, and when he saw a paw on the muddy ground, he instantly visualized the animal hiding behind it.
The truth is that a long way has been made to come to the present day. However, something remains unchanged: Visual storytelling has never lost currency, even with modern life’s offerings of countless “technological canvases.” It continues to overcome language and socio-economic barriers, while spreading to all cultures.
Did you know that in the world of social media, visual content is 40 times more likely to be shared, and that 75-100 word articles accompanied by an image are shared twice as often as text-only articles?
Head of the Creative Department, Brunilda Hoxha
“Creators are for sure the architects of this universal language. Because they are the ones who form the identity and contribute to the longevity of a symbol or a work.”
Head of Video and Production Department, Olti Dulaku
“Undoubtedly, creators are the ones who produce attractive and often mesmerizing narratives.”
PR & Copywriter, Alessia Selimi
“And it’s the creators who design functional and communicative products at an instinctive level.”
Who better than creators can provide an objective assessment of everything that accompanies and drives visual communication?
Is there an alphabet for visual language, such as for written language?
“There is a natural and quite close symbiosis between the two languages, there is no doubt about that. Visual language energizes any idea, whether brilliant or short-lived. In what form and, above all, in what quantity, this always remains to be seen. What is known for sure is that the alphabet of written language is definitely complementary to an attractive language, with an atypical and mysterious alphabet”, – says Alessia.
How is a concept, topic or idea communicated through visual language?
“A concept, a product or an idea through visual language is communicated precisely thanks to the elements that distinguish this language: colors, lines, shapes, textures and methods of composition, but always keeping in mind the audience, if we want to achieve effective communication. I would consider the relationship between this language and its creators themselves quite interesting, who, even though they’re the ones who are hidden behind visual elements or symbols, happen to take them for granted”, – says Brunilda.
Does visual language evolve?
“Of course, yes! I would consider the symbiosis of visual language with technological developments as the most important determining factor. The evolution of visual language has left a mark over the centuries, unaffected by time – until yesterday, very local and closely related to the cultural context of a certain community, while under the rhythm of time it got widely used and accepted around the world. Example: Film effects introduced by industry pioneers exactly 1 century ago, such as the Vertigo effect, B-rolls, etc…” – says Olti.
Visual language, the one that everyone takes for granted, should be appreciated, cherished and embraced. We are born with it; we are not born to understand and master it like written language. The day we become convinced of this fundamental truth, then we will see that our personal and professional lives are only in our hands.