The Visual Rhetoric of Instagram
Heuristics For Discussing Visual Rhetoric & Design Thinking in FYC
Design Thinking
CRAP! aka
Contrast, Repetition, Alignment & Proximity
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These 4 simple concepts can assist students in thinking about the visual choices they or others make when composing images. Show students examples of each concept and then challenge them to incorporate these concepts into images they create.
Contrast: Making elements in an image more prominent through color, line, size or density.
Repetition: The use of repetition gives an image unity and can direct the viewer's line of sight.
Alignment: Alignment of lines and elements in an image also creates unity and "scannability".
Proximity: How far away or close elements in an image are placed. Proximity also helps to denote groupings.
Source: ThinkAroundCorners Design Blog
HATS! aka Hierarchy, Access, Typography, & Space
In addition to the design properties of the visuals, students can consider the visual properties of text using the following four principles:
Hierarchy: Use of varying sizes, fonts, and alignment indicates differing levels of importance.
Access: How easily readers are able to access and recognize textual elements.
Typography: How typography or font impacts perceptions of text in terms of tone & style.
Space: How much space or real estate is allocated to textual elements and the corresponding negative space around texual elements.
A helpul web resource is the Purdue OWL PowerPoint on HATS.