Visual rhetoric is the study of how document design (including the use of illustrations, charts and graphs, typography and layout) communicate, as opposed to aural or verbal messages. Visual rhetoric examines also the relationship between images and writing.
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La difficulté de la lecture à l'écran et le fait que les internautes lisent en diagonale font qu'il est très important, sur Internet, de donner du relief visuel à l'information.
Hardy, Jean-Marc. Redaction (2004). Design>Web Design>Visual Rhetoric
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Monitoring Order: Visual Desire, the Organization of Web Pages, and Teaching the Rules of Design 
Monitoring Order looks at two potential sources -- writings about book design and writings about visual arrangement in painting -- for helping teachers of writing think about teaching visual composition for Web pages; both sources are problematic but suggest directions for further study.
Wysocki, Anne Frances. Kairos (1998). Articles>Web Design>Information Design>Visual Rhetoric
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El Movimiento en la Visualización
Desde el principio de la humanidad, la correcta percepción del movimiento ha constituido una rutina importante de la vida cotidiana. También constituye un recurso importante en la visualización.
Dursteler, Juan Carlos. InfoVis (2004). (Spanish) Articles>Usability>Visual Rhetoric>Cognitive Psychology
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Much Ado about Nothing, Part 2: Deconstructing a Page 
In a continuation of his January column, Hart sheds some light on page layout and design—and gives color to a seemingly “black-and-white” concept.
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2008). Design>Document Design>Visual Rhetoric
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My Brain's Not Like Yours: Individual Differences in Visual Processing Styles
The principles of graphic design 'work' for viewers for several reasons. One reason is that well-designed graphics perform significant information-processing functions for viewers. This workshop looks at individual differences in several dimensions of information-processing style (including visual/haptic,field independent/dependent, high/low detail analysis, high/low visual distractibility, and leveling/sharpening in visual memory). It then examines the ability of graphic designs to 'supplant' processing skills for viewers by either captializing on viewer strengths or compensating for their weaknesses.
Ausburn, Floyd B. and Lynna J. Ausburn. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Graphic Design>Visual>Cognitive Psychology
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In this article we examine 561 different airline tailfin designs as a visual genre, revealing how the global-local binary may be managed and realized semiotically. Our analysis is organized into three strands: (a) a descriptive analysis identifies the strikingly restricted visual lexicon and dominant corporate aesthetic established by tailfin design; (b) an interpretive analysis considers the communicative strategies at play and the meaning potentials which underpin different visual resources; (c) a critical analysis links these decisions of design and branding to the political and cultural economies of globalism and the airline industry. Specifically, we show how airlines are able to service national identity concerns through the use of highly localized visual meanings while also appealing to the meaning systems of the international market in their pursuit of symbolic and economic capital. One key semiotic resource is the balancing of cultural symbolism and perceptual iconicity in the form of abstracted stylizations of kinetic effects. Although positioned unfairly in the global semioscape, airlines may resist straightforward cultural homogenization by strategically reworking existing design structures and exploiting possibly universal semiotic meaning potentials.
Thurlow, Crispin. Visual Communication (2007). Design>Graphic Design>Visual Rhetoric
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Newspaper Design as Cultural Change
his article describes the (re-)design of newspapers and magazines as a process of cultural change which goes beyond designing a publication's layout, typography and use of colour, and includes designing the processes and structures of its production.
de Vries, James. Visual Communication (2008). Articles>Graphic Design>Publishing>Visual Rhetoric
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Organizing Visual and Verbal Information
For this exercise, you will create a two-panel brochure about carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) that could be distributed with other medical literature in your campus’s health center. The text and visual aids you will use are contained in this file, though they will require significant modifications using design principles presented in Technical Communication/5e.
Burnett, Rebecca E. Thomson (2001). Academic>Course Materials>Visual>Visual Rhetoric
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Page Design: Directing the Reader's Eye
Sevilla discusses principles of effective page design and techniques that ensure consistent document layout.
Sevilla, Christine. Intercom (2002). Articles>Document Design>Visual Rhetoric
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Perception of Fonts: Perceived Personality Traits and Uses
This study sought to determine if certain personalities and uses are associated with various fonts. Using an online survey, participants rated the personality of 20 fonts using 15 adjective pairs. In addition, participants viewed the same 20 fonts and selected which uses were most appropriate. Results suggested that personality traits are indeed attributed to fonts based on their design family (Serif, Sans-Serif, Modern, Monospace, Script/Funny) and are associated with appropriate uses. Implications of these results to the design of online materials and websites are discussed.
Shaikh, A. Dawn, Barbara S. Chaparro and Doug Fox. Usability News (2006). Design>Typography>Visual Rhetoric
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Picture Perfect: Selecting Graphics for Instruction
Discusses some principles for choosing appropriate graphics for instructional materials.
Lyons, Chopeta C. Intercom (1995). Articles>Education>Presentations>Visual Rhetoric
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Picture Power vs. Word Power: A Crash Course in Presentation Visuals
One of the biggest complaints about presentations that has been voiced far too frequently is 'The visuals were terrible.' This demonstration will show presenters that if they have visuals at all then they should be good visuals. It is as easy to make good visuals as it is to make poor ones.
Rhodes-Marriott, A. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Presentations>Visual Rhetoric
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Practicing Safe Visual Rhetoric on the Web
This essay examines when and why a 'safe' approach to visual design for web pages is attractive to writers and writing teachers. It considers typical reasons for choosing a 'safe' approach to designing the visual dimensions of web pages, traditional sources in print graphics and writing for safe advice about visual design, and design challenges posed by issues of a web design's stability and navigation. The essay then turns to the fact that the additional media included in a web site bring more design traditions into consideration. It discusses the differing concerns and aims that issue from visual design traditions that focus on prose graphics versus those that focus on theatrical graphics. Keeping these differences in mind, the essay ends with a consideration of the forces shaping visual rhetoric on the web.
Sullivan, Patricia. Science Direct. Articles>Web Design>Rhetoric>Visual Rhetoric
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Las presentaciones tienden a ser más visuales y menos textuales. Convertir cada concepto en una imagen es el reto y, a la vez, la solución.
Dursteler, Juan Carlos. InfoVis (2003). (Spanish) Presentations>Graphic Design>Visual Rhetoric>Technical Illustration
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Query By Attention: Visually Searchable Information Maps 
This paper explores how the design of information spaces might be grounded in knowledge of human visual processing, notably what kinds of visual selection are most efficient. Information maps spatially array graphical symbols representing items of information and their attributes. Ideally, their users should be able to do query by attention: answer questions about the information quickly by controlling visual attention (i.e., through spatial selection and visual search), instead of manipulating an interface. I propose a preliminary method for designing visually searchable maps based on experimental results about what kinds of visual search are easy. The hope is that the resulting maps will better employ the perceptual capabilities of their viewers when they search. An example information map of recent movies illustrates the approach.
Foltz, Mark and Randall Davis. MIT (2001). Design>Information Design>Search>Visual Rhetoric
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Reading Minds: The Book as a Communicational Space (Practice + Pedagogy)
Book designers research, compile and interpret information that helps them to determine the various formal attributes of the book. What size should it be? What format should it have? What should be the approach to the cover design, the typography, and the structure of the layout? The selected attributes may make certain impressions, on the potential reader, about the nature of the content. These impressions are interpretations of meaning which may create expectations about the character of the book, its content and style of writing. In other words, the formal attributes give the book a certain 'visual identity' which is intended to represent to the reading public, in a carefully selected visual language, the 'essence' of the author’s work.
Colberg, Susan. University of Alberta (2003). Design>Typography>Visual Rhetoric
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Reading Online Text: A Comparison of Four White Space Layouts
In this study, reading performance with four white space layouts was compared. Margins surrounding the text and leading (space between lines) were manipulated to generate the four white space conditions. Results show that the use of margins affected both reading speed and comprehension in that participants read the Margin text slower, but comprehended more than the No Margin text. Participants were also generally more satisfied with the text with margins. Leading was not shown to impact reading performance but did influence overall user preference.
Chaparro, Barbara S., J. Ryan Baker, A. Dawn Shaikh, Spring S. Hull and Laurie Brady. Usability News (2004). Design>Web Design>Typography>Visual Rhetoric
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Reflections on an Icon Development Process: Negotiating Design Issues
Technical communicators with visual design skills increasingly are called upon to help design of the 'look and feel' of software interfaces, including icons and toolbar buttons. Several practitioners in technical communication have developed useful guides for developing icons and toolbar buttons. Unfortunately, sometimes the application of these guidelines is complicated by issues that arise within the contexts of specific software development environments. This paper briefly reviews research and guidelines. It then reviews issues that might arise during the development process and guidelines for negotiating them based on the author’s experiences developing icons at two different software firms.
Hunt, Kevin. STC Proceedings (1996). Design>Graphic Design>Rhetoric>Visual Rhetoric
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Andrew Feenberg's critical theory of technology is an underutilized, relatively unknown resource in technical communication which could be exploited not only for its potential clarification of large social issues that involve our discipline, but also specifically toward the development of a critical theory of illustrations. Applications of critical theory help strengthen our discipline by forcing us to delineate extant approaches and consider whether democratic goals are being achieved through those approaches. If a critical theory of illustrations can be built from Feenberg's critical theory of technology, it should be useful for classroom instructors and researchers as well as theorists.
Northcut, Kathryn M. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2007). Articles>Scientific Communication>Visual Rhetoric>Technical Illustration
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Research-Based Guidelines For Visual Interface Design
Whether it is for a help system, a multimedia training product, or a software application, there are two key elements needed for good screen design: knowledge of the applicable research, and the ability to balance aesthetic appeal with functionality. This paper focuses on research into the specific human factors that affect how users interact with the visual display of information, and provides guidelines for how to apply the research results. The author adds information from his own interface design and usability testing experiences at Microsoft.
Prekeges, James G. STC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>User Interface>Multimedia>Visual Rhetoric
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Resources for Teaching and Working with the Visual Aspects of Texts
An online guide that explains color theory and shows how to use it in design through examples and exercises.
Poynter Institute, The (2001). Articles>Education>Visual Rhetoric>Color
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This handout offers advice making informed design choices in creating a resume. We also have a sample resume that uses these design principles.
Purdue University (2004). Careers>Resumes>Document Design>Visual Rhetoric
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Rethinking the Design of Presentation Slides
Summary, models, and templates of a new design of slides for technical presentations. This design is fully documented in Chapter 4 of The Craft of Scientific Presentations (Springer, 2003).
Alley, Michael. Penn State University (2004). Articles>Presentations>Information Design>Visual Rhetoric
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La existencia del lenguaje visual propicia el concepto de y retórica u oratoria visual. Al igual que su contrapartida hablada, la visual tiene sus propias figuras y su forma de utilizarlas.
Dursteler, Juan Carlos. InfoVis (2003). (Spanish) Articles>Rhetoric>Visual Rhetoric
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The Rhetoric of Typography: Effects on Reading Time, Reading Comprehension, and Perceptions of Ethos
Asserts that typography has not occupied a significant role in discussions of visual rhetoric. Extends those discussions by investigating whether typeface persona shapes readers' interactions with a document.
Brumberger, Eva R. Technical Communication Online (2004). Design>Typography>Rhetoric>Visual Rhetoric
