Visual journalism is the practice of strategically combining words and images to convey information.
Universal
Visual journalism is premised upon the idea that at a time of accelerating change, often words cannot keep pace with concepts. Visual journalism incorporates ancient
symbol
A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...
s that resonate with humans across cultures and time and conveys meaning instantaneously at a deep level. Visual journalism is an outgrowth of the practice of graphic facilitation and recording that began entering corporate board rooms, conferences, and think tank meetings in the 1970s with the leadership of David Sibbet, founder of The Grove Consultants International. But its roots date back to ancient
cave painting
In archaeology, Cave paintings are a type of parietal art (which category also includes petroglyphs, or engravings), found on the wall or ceilings of caves. The term usually implies prehistoric origin, and the oldest known are more than 40,00 ...
s and carry forward in the work of designers, architects, and engineers. Only recently has
interactive visualization
Visualization or visualisation (see spelling differences) is any technique for creating images, diagrams, or animations to communicate a message. Visualization through visual imagery has been an effective way to communicate both abstract and c ...
of this sort moved out into common use in a variety of group engagements. The scholarly father of this visual form of communication is Robert Horn,
Ph.D., a fellow at
Stanford University and author of the book ''Visual Language''.
Meaning is suggested
Visual journalism is not a series of symbols with precise meanings but rather images that suggest complex meanings and, in the
Egyptian tradition of the
cartouche
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an oval with a line at one end tangent to it, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name. The first examples of the cartouche are associated with pharaohs at the end of the Third Dynasty, but the fe ...
, contain words. The symbols do not simply represent but participate in the meaning and, in combination with evocative phrases, are designed to provoke creative thinking. Visual language is one tool described by author
Daniel Pink in his book ''A Whole New Mind'' for the emerging "conceptual age" where people must tolerate ambiguity and communicate quickly, often before concepts are ready to be captured in traditional writing.
Projects
2015,
People's Republic of Bolzano,
Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
2016,
Europa Dreaming,
Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
2021,
Glocal Climate ChangeEuropean Data Journalism Networkan
Sheldon.studio
Further reading
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See also
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Broadcast journalism
Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are broadcast by electronic methods instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. It works on radio (via air, cable, and Internet), television (via air, cable, ...
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Photojournalism
Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (suc ...
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Video journalism
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News design
News design is the process of arranging material on a newspaper page, according to editorial and graphical guidelines and goals. Main editorial goals include the ordering of news stories by order of importance, while graphical considerations inc ...
External links
Visual Editors- A social network of visual journalists
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Society for News Design
The Society for News Design (SND), formerly known as the Society of Newspaper Design, is an international organization for professionals working in the news sector of the media industry, specifically those involved with graphic design, illustration ...
- A trade organization for newspaper designers
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National Press Photographers Association
The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) is an American professional association made up of still photographers, television videographers, editors, and students in the journalism field. Founded in 1946, the organization is based in at ...
- Industry trade group for photojournalists
Visual Journalism platform-
Free university of Bozen-Bolzano
Types of journalism
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