Visual analysis guide
for graphic designers

Contents

1. Pre-attentive Perception
2. Emotional Effect and Expression
3. Construction
4. Semiosis
5. Aesthetics
6. Socio-cultural Background~Discourse

Introduction

The analysis of the visual is a fundamental concern of research in communication design to gain knowledge about visual perception, processing, and culture to make better designs. The analysis proposed here proceeds from the concrete visual sensory impression, to emotional/cognitive processing, on to the socio-cultural embeddings. It does so by the example of one graphic design.

This guide is a collaborative effort by master students at HMKW Berlin and Prof. Dr. Jan-Henning Raff in the course «Design and Research» (winter semester 2019/2020).

Start with
1. Pre-attentive Perception