The age of visual expression

The Age of Visual Expression

Visual aesthetics have played a major role in our neo-digital era. They are a growing part of us and every industry we stumble upon. So much so, that we can hardly even imagine a life without visual imagery.  The power of imagery is surprisingly immense, from content marketing to film-making, it has affected all aspects of our lives. We even link personal experiences with different kinds of imagery, there is not a single moment that passes without our brains creating images.

Visual stimuli have a profound effect on our brains than textual references. We know that infants interpret and recognize objects before speaking or even reading. That is a major reason there are abundance of picture books in the children section.

Nowadays educational sectors are also inspired by the power and impact of visual imagery and hence, have tried to implement it in learning environments. Studies have shown that students pick up and learn better from a visual experience than a textual experience. If we take visual communication to a further level, it is used in various sectors profusely especially for graphic designers, filmmakers, advertisers, typography and other different sectors. For instance the uses of Gestalt Theory, semiotics and other cognitive theories have helped illustrators, graphic designers and advertisers immensely in their respective fields.

Visual communication uses our primary sense of vision to help comprehend different things. Growth of technology has been in juxtaposition with growth in visual communication.

One of the most familiar instance, in our everyday life is the use of emoticons and how profound and widespread its effect has become. Why is it we rely on the use of emoticons so much nowadays? It is because it helps us relate and express our state of mind in much simpler way, for the receptor to comprehend. How do you think photojournalists have engraved their names in history?

They influenced world affairs by visually capturing moments of esteem importance. This is one of the reasons why visual communication plays such a major role in media. They enhance emotions in typography, effects on a photograph and design layouts of print media. Speaking of layouts and typography they play a key role in design principles of the print media. Rather I might as well say that in a way design is saving print publishing by enhancing the depth of space. Layouts and typography enhance the message being delivered in their visual sense.

 Messages have such strong impact on masses when delivered via a visual medium. Now, as we are talking about visual communication, we surely can’t miss the opportunity to talk about the milestones achieved in various film industries using technology in visual aesthetic imagery.  Starting, from the wonder works of Georges Méliès and Lumière brothers in the late 19^th and early 20^th century which were truly remarkable for their times, we have come a long way developing entire cities and virtual people through the art of CGI.

In fact, the cinematic world has enhanced and developed in such a futuristic manner that it has become difficult to draw lines between fakery and realism. Technology and inventions have helped filmmakers really grow and achieve further heights of expression and storytelling. The art of filmmaking has shed so many boundaries, from the functional cinematic presentation of early cinema like A Trip to the Moon (1902) and Wizard of Oz (1939), we have seen more believable imagery in films  like Gravity (2013) and Oz the Great and Powerful(2013).

Possibility has been endless since the revolution of digital filmmaking has rolled in. We have seen such great depths of filmmaking in our recent times making us believe film industry can achieve and acquire beyond horizon. Examples of just movies in which use of CGI has shocked us are Life of Pi, Avengers, Avatar, Star Wars, Hobbit, Mad Max: Fury Road and so many countless more. Grossing to billions of money, digitalization has completely transformed our world enhancing as a great art of visual communication. 

Nowadays making films without the help of CGI is never usually considered. That is the level of dependency on the digital living. Bordering on technical perfection and eeriness of “uncanny valley”, maybe we have developed a whole new dimension of virtual world.