Visual Argument

Visual arguments are more persuasive than verbal arguments as the audience is in tune with or aware of what the writer is trying to convey. Visual arguments are brief and to the point. As a result, the author must take great care to understand his audience and know how the visual arguments will be perceived. He must make sure the verbal and visual elements of the argument work together to achieve the desired result.

Carefully planned, visual arguments can be more effective than long, wordy documents. This is true because our society has become visually oriented. We have been conditioned to get many of our facts and values from physically watching television, or from reading a poster, flier, or brochure, or from looking at a cartoon or advertisement. Most people would rather spend a minute or two understanding a clever or poignant visual argument, than spending fifteen minutes or more trying to decipher the logic behind a verbal argument. Thus, a succinct argument that conveys the message has strong appeal and saves time.

Besides saving time, visual arguments can be more persuasive because of the techniques they use to create visual appeal. For example, choosing a vivid picture to portray suffering or poverty has more of an emotional impact than trying to verbally explain how a person has been maimed or abused. In this same fashion, presenting data by using a pie chart or bar graph can give more weight to the story behind the numbers. Graphs allow for a quick comparison between groups over time. This could easily show whether unemployment is going up or down, or how the marital status of females by age-group is broken down. In addition, visual techniques such as the size and type of fonts, the use of color versus black and white, the blending of pictures and words, and the use of layout and orientation are effective ways to create a vivid point of view. These help draw the reader emotionally to the argument. In conclusion, visual arguments are more persuasive not only because they are short and to the point, but also because they create images that have strong emotional appeal.