Guidelines for Creating Visuals

 

Image credit: Antoni Shkraba/Pexels

By Lilian H. Hill

 

Visual content in social media and networks has become more important with the emphasis on storytelling using pictures. One reason is that the human brain processes visual images 60,000 times more quickly than written text. Visuals capture our attention and can lend clarity to written text. Additionally,

 

• On average, people spend more than 2 hours on social media daily, and during the COVID pandemic quarantine that time increased (Hernandez, 2021). 
• 63% of social media is made up of images.  
• Nearly half of all Internet users have reposted a photo or video they have found online.  
• 54% of Internet users have posted an original photo or video that they personally have created. 
• Content with relevant images gets 94% more views than content without (Lee, 2014).

 

There are many types of visuals you can choose to use or create including creative photography, video, screenshots, infographics, data visualization (charts and graphs), comics, memes, visual note-taking, and miscellaneous graphics (Lee, 2014). Additionally, PowerPoint and Prezi are commonly used to make presentations.

 

Marketing researchers have identified that what captures viewers’ attention best are visuals with low cognitive demand and high clarity, meaning that they can be quickly understood (Hernandez, 2021).

 

Therefore, we provide some brief guidelines to help readers become more effective in the visual images that they select, curate, and create.

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Use faces in your visuals.

• People have evolved to pay attention to human faces and what they are looking at (Hernandez, 2021).

 

Keep visual content clean.

• If your visual image is too complex or cluttered, it will increase cognitive demand and reduce clarity (Hernandez, 2021).

 

Create a center of attention.

• Usually, viewers will focus on the front and center of the visual image. This is where you want to place the most important visually idea (Hernandez, 2021).

 

Use high-quality graphics. 

• Resolution matters. Low-resolution images will look fuzzy, especially if you are projecting your visuals.

• Copyright also matters. It is tempting to copy images from the internet but can get you in legal trouble.

• Some sources provide high-resolution images that are no- or low-cost and copyright-free. You can begin with clip art provided with Microsoft products. Other sources include Flickr, Pexels, Unsplash, and Getty Images (Lee, 2014).

 

Use visual image-creation tools.

• These tools can help create effective visuals and are particularly useful for people without a graphic design background.

• Many people get good results using Presentation software such as PowerPoint.

• Canva, Remix, and Easel.ly are just a few examples (Lee, 2022).

• The following example was created in Canva using an Infographic Template.
  

Visuals should relate to the point(s) you are making.

• There are times when a picture really is worth 1000 words. However, remember that the purpose of visuals is to reinforce and augment your message, not to distract from it.

 

Reduce the amount of written text.

• If you have more text than can be comfortably fit on a page or slide in a reasonable point size, either divide it into a series of slides or convert the information to a handout.

• If you copy a chart or something similar, increase the size of the image so that it can be clearly seen, especially if you plan on projecting your visual image.

Use a minimum of 18 pt. type. Between 24 and 48 is even better.

• Look at your visuals from a distance to be sure the information can be clearly seen. For images such as chemical structures, it is crucial that fine details can be seen.

 

Choose fonts carefully. 

• Sans-serif fonts are often easier to read than serif fonts.

• Too many different fonts in a slide or a presentation can be distracting, so use no more than two fonts per page, and avoid fonts that are not easily understood such as Baquet Script or Curlz MT.

 

The use of color is helpful.

• Be judicious in your choice of colors. Too many colors can be distracting.

• There must be sufficient difference between the background color and the print or image. For example, red type of white background does not provide enough contrast and neither does pale blue on a dark blue background work well.

• Think carefully about color symbolism, the subjective meaning humans attach to various colors. Try to avoid colors and color combinations that might offend people.

 

Remember the needs of students who are color blind.

• There are many different types and degrees of colorblindness, instead, they are "color deficiencies" since few people are unable to perceive at least some colors.

• For some color deficient individuals, the names red, orange, yellow, and green are simply different names for the same color. The same can be true for violet, lavender, purple, and blue.

• Among the colors most often confused are pink/gray, orange/red, white/green, green/brown, blue green/gray, green/yellow, brown/maroon, and beige/green. Pastels and muted tones are also difficult to distinguish.

 

Do use some white space.

• A visual or a page that is too crowded can overwhelm, confuse, and discourage the reader.

 

References

 

Hernandez, S. (2021, October 25). How to get the most visual attention on your content. Retrieved https://www.socialmediatoday.com/spons/how-to-get-the-most-visual-attention-on-your-content/608678/

Lee, K. (2014, May 27). A complete guide to visual content: The science, tools and strategy of creating killer images. Retrieved https://buffer.com/resources/a-complete-guide-to-creating-awesome-visual-content/

Lee, K. (2021, October 31). 22 tools and resources to create images for social media. Retrieved https://buffer.com/library/tools-create-images-for-social-media/ 

Trafton, A. (2014, January 16). In the blink of an eye: MIT neuroscientists find the brain can identify images seen for as little as 13 milliseconds. MIT News, Retrieved https://news.mit.edu/2014/in-the-blink-of-an-eye-0116

Cultural Competence, Cultural Humility, and Intercultural Literacy

Image credit: Lillian H. Hill

By Lilian H. Hill, PhD

The multiplicity of terms related to effective intercultural interactions confirms the need for theory development and educational initiatives to develop people’s skills. Terms that have been used include cultural competence, cultural humility, intercultural literacy, cross-cultural and multicultural interaction, cultural literacy, intercultural competence, and global competence (Schliakhovchuk, 2021). This article examines three related concepts: cultural competence, cultural humility, and intercultural literacy.

Cultural Competence

Cultural competence is defined as the ability to understand one’s own cultural identity, understand and respect the cultural identities of others, and seek to understand how the various cultural realities may differ and intersect to form relationships of mutual respect, dignity, and service to others (Lekas, 2020). Within professional settings, cultural competence involves congruent attitudes, behaviors, and policies that serve intercultural interactions (Arredondo, 2013). To be culturally competent, a person must possess an internal desire to understand the various cultural beliefs and values of others, consider how these values affect life decisions, actions, and goals, and be able to integrate these into interpersonal relationships. For example, the picture above shows several people learning about the Japanese tea ceremony. The term has been used in adult education, teacher preparation, elementary and secondary education, higher education, counseling and psychology, social work, healthcare, and business.

Cultural competence is a large construct with knowledge, skill, behavioral, and attitudinal aspects. Cross et al. (1989) laid the basis for a cultural competence continuum, moving from cultural destructiveness through incapacity, blindness, pre-competence, competence, and cultural proficiency.  

Figure 1: Continuum of Cultural Competence (Cross et al.,1989)

The premise of this continuum is that individuals and organizations reflect various levels of awareness, knowledge, and skills vis-à-vis their relationship with cultural variables.  

Many of the earlier articles on cultural competence appeared to take an essentialist view of culture in which it becomes a list of characteristics to be memorized rather than a dynamic process of complex interactions (Gray & Thomas, 2006). This is illustrated by resources that, reminiscent of a cookbook, provide a cultural overview of specific groups and describe their behaviors and practices with recommendations for appropriate ways of interacting with them (see for example, see Salimbene, 2000). These resources made no allowance for differences within cultural groups. While people espousing cultural competence may have good intentions, the danger is that it can reduce people to a stereotype. Cultural competence also treats cultures as static and fails to recognize the multiplicity of identities a single individual may have. However, some voices challenge the orthodoxy of the cultural competence view rooted in cultural differences. Wear (2003) suggests educators should examine how culture is conceived. She uses Giroux's (2000) concept of "insurgent multiculturalism" which looks beyond the focus on subordinate groups' deficits, to examine the historic, semiotic, and institutional roots of racism. Over the years, a model of the higher levels of "proficiency" has emerged that acknowledges a greater recognition of societal inequities (National Center for Cultural Competence, 2007).

Critiques of Cultural Competence 

A critique of cultural competence is that cultural competence initiatives can stereotype and further marginalize people by assigning culture to people based on visible characteristics. Simplistic views of culture result in over-generalized representations of cultural identities and practices (Singer et al., 2015). Lekas et al. (2020) commented that:

Culture is not stagnant, but a changing system of beliefs and values shaped by our interactions with one another, institutions, media, and technology, and by the socioeconomic determinants of our lives. Yet, the claim that one can become competent in any culture suggests that there is a core set of beliefs and values that remain unchanged and that are shared by all the members of a specific group. This static and totalizing view of culture that connotes a set of immutable ideas embraced by all members of a social group generates a social stereotype. (p. 1)

Given the long-standing diversity of the U.S., it is arrogant and condescending to assume that a single person, institution, or system can become culturally competent in an all-inclusive manner. Everyone has their own intentional and unintentional racist, sexist, classist, and other biases, whether personally acknowledged or suppressed. Despite these biases, “the idea of cultural competency gives us a false sense of exemption from these human flaws in perception” that cause us to mistreat others (Cooks-Campbell, 2022, para. 22). Ignoring diversity does not adequately address people’s multiple identities or individuals whose identity is not immediately visible. 

Cultural Humility

Based on the flaws of cultural competence, some suggest that cultural humility should replace the term as a goal (Lekas, 2020; Tervalon & Murray-Garcia, 1998). Cultural humility is an approach to sociocultural differences that emphasizes intersectionality and understanding one’s implicit biases. This approach cultivates self-awareness and self-reflection, bringing a respectful willingness to learn to interpersonal interactions and attention to power dynamics. Reflecting upon one's culture is often a first step in becoming more aware of one's relationship with those culturally different from oneself (National Center for Cultural Competence, 2007). Self-reflection can be employed to identify how white privilege reinforces and maintains institutionalized racism (Lekas et al., 2020; Tyson, 2007). 

Intercultural Literacy

Intercultural literacy builds on the ideas of cultural competence but, much like cultural humility, adds concepts of critical reflection and self-examination. It also includes responsibility for contributing to constructive change within one’s culture. An interculturally literate person can draw on their background experience to comprehend a second culture, including its symbols and communications. Intercultural literacy requires analyzing dominant cultures as they interact with other cultures in global or cross-cultural partnerships. Intercultural literacy is “the competencies, understandings, attitudes, language proficiencies, participation, and identities necessary for effective cross-cultural engagement” (Heyward, 2002, p. 9). Yelich Biniecki and Stojanović (2023) note that cross-cultural interactions have become a daily experience for people and advocate that in “today’s internationalized work and education environments, developing the competencies, attitudes, and understandings to support cross-cultural encounters should be a priority” (p. 4). Preparation for internationalization is a goal of many higher education institutions (Yelich Biniecki & Stojanović, 2023) and businesses (Shliakhovchuk, 2021). Cross-cultural interactions are now the norm in a world with increased international interconnectedness, advanced communication technologies, frequent travel and migration, scholar and student exchanges, and displacement of populations due to conflict and devastation of natural environments (Schliakhovchuk, 2021). The current labor market requires workers with advanced skills, including soft skills that include communication, collaboration, and teamwork, all requiring the ability to work with others. 

Comparison of Related Concepts

Schliakhovchuk (2021) noted that discussion of international or global interactions emerged in the 1970s. Cultural competence was discussed as early as 1980, with cultural humility following soon after. Cultural literacy was described as early as the late 1980s, and, in the 21st century has become synonymous with “intercultural competence, intercultural literacy, CQ/cultural intelligence, or cultural mindfulness” (p. 234). The health professions intensively discussed cultural competence, and many training opportunities were offered. Over time, the reputation of cultural competence has waned because it assumes an impersonal, objective, and hypothetically superior person who is proficient in dealing with others. In contrast, intercultural literacy assumes more equality and parity among people involved in any intercultural relationship. Not only that, but intercultural literacy allows for self-examination, critical reflection, personal and cultural change, and the possibility of transformative learning.

References

• Arredondo, E. (2013). Cultural competence. In M. D. Gellman, M. D. & J. R. Turner (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer. doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_172
• Brandt, D., & Clinton, K. (2002). Limits of the local: Expanding perspectives on literacy as a social practice. Journal of Literacy Practice, 34(3), 337-356
• Cooks-Campbell, A. (2022, February 14). How cultural humility and cultural competence impact belonging. Retrieved from https://www.betterup.com/blog/cultural-humility-vs-cultural-competence
• Cross, T., Bazron, B., Dennis, K., & Isaacs, M. (1989). Towards a culturally competent system of care (Vol. 1). Washington, DC: Georgetown University Child Development Center, CASSP Technical Assistance Center.
• Giroux H. (2000). Insurgent multiculturalism and the promise of pedagogy. In E. M. Duarte & S. Smith (Eds.), Foundational Perspectives in Multicultural Education (pp. 195-212). Longman.
• Gray, P. D., & Thomas, D. J. (2006). Critical reflections on culture in nursing. Journal of Cultural Diversity, 132(2), 76-82. 
• Hayes, E., & Colin III, S. A. J. (1994). Racism and sexism in the United States: Fundamental issues. In E. Hayes & S. A. J. Colin III (Eds.), Confronting racism and sexism. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, No. 61 (pp. 5-16). Jossey-Bass.
• Heyward, M. (2002). From international to intercultural: Redefining the international school for a globalized world. Journal of Research in International Education, 1(1), 9−32. https://doi.org/10.1177/147524090211002
• Imel, S. (1998). Promoting intercultural understanding: Trends and Issues. Center on Education and Training for Employment. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED424451.
• Lekas, H. M., Pahl, K., & Fuller Lewis, C. (2020). Rethinking cultural competence: Shifting to cultural humility. Health Services Insights, 13, 1-4. doi: 10.1177/1178632920970580
• National Center for Cultural Competence. Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development. Retrieved February 22, 2008 from http://www11.georgetown.edu/research/gucchd/nccc/
• Salimbene (2000). What language does your patient hurt in? A practical guide to culturally competent patient care. EMC Paradigm. 
• Shliakhovchuk, E. After cultural literacy: new models of intercultural competency for life and work in a VUCA world. Educational Review, 73(2), 229-250 doi:10.1080/00131911.2019.1566211
• Tervalon, M., & Murray-Garcia, J. (1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence: A critical distinction in defining physician outcomes in multicultural education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 9(2), 117-125. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2010.0233
• Tyson, S. Y. (2007). Can cultural competence be achieved without attending to white racism? Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 28: 1341-1344.
• U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health. National Standards for culturally and linguistically appropriate services for healthcare. Retrieved from http://www.omhrc.gov/assets/pdf/checked/finalreport.pdf
• Wang, W. (2007). Cultural competence of international humanitarian workers. Adult Education Quarterly, 57, 187-204.
• Wear D. (2003). Insurgent multiculturalism: rethinking how and why we teach culture in medical education. Academic Medicine, 78(6), 549-54. doi: 10.1097/00001888-200306000-00002
• Yelich Biniecki, S., & Stojanović, M. (2023). Fostering internationalization in adult education graduate programs in the United States: Opportunities for growth. Educational Considerations, 49(2). https://doi.org/10.4148/0146-9282.2364

 

Social Media Literacy: Definitions, Benefits, and Strategies

 

This podcast is a continuation of our series on different forms of literacy. We have discussed visual and graphic literacy, digital literacy, media literacy, and digital citizenship. In this podcast episode, Dr. Lillian Hill focuses on social media literacy: definitions, benefits, and strategies for protecting privacy, engaging in respectful online communication, and avoiding falling victim to misinformation and online scams. Listen to the episode and join the online forum.

 

Listen to the Podcast 

 Information Literacy Episode 21 Transcripts

 

References

 

MacKay, J. (2023, June 6). How to protect your personal information on social media. Retrieved from https://www.aura.com/learn/how-to-protect-your-personal-information-on-social-media

Polanco-Levicán, K., & Salvo-Garrido, S. (2022). Understanding social media literacy: A systematic review of the concept and its competences. International Journal of Environmental Research in Public Health. 19(14): 8807. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19148807.

Roeder, A. (2020). Social media use can be positive for mental health and well-being. Harvard School of Public Health. Retrieved from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/social-media-positive-mental-health/

Walsh, S. (2022, May 30). The Top 10 Social Media Sites & Platforms. Search Engine Journal. Retrieved from https://www.searchenginejournal.com/social-media/biggest-social-media-sites/#close

Wong, B. (2023, May 18). Top Social Media Statistics And Trends Of 2023. Forbes Advisor. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/social-media-statistics/#:~:text=The%20number%20of%20social%20media,5.85%20billion%20users%20by%202027.

Zote, J. (2020, August 7). 130 most important social media acronyms and slang you should know. Sprout Social. Retrieved from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-acronyms/

Media Literacy: Skills Needed to Function in Society

 

 

Media literacy involves interpreting and creating information in multiple media, including radio, television, videos, social media, printed text, and digital information. In this podcast episode, Lilian Hill defines media literacy, compares it with digital literacy, and identifies the problems with the lack of media literacy and the skills needed today to function in society.  

 

Listen to the Podcast

 Information Literacy Episode 18 Transcripts

 

References

 

Grisham, J. (2021, October 27). Media literacy and digital literacy: How they differ and why they matter, Retrieved https://echo-breaking-news.com/blog/media-literacy-vs-digital-literacy/  

Lynch, M. (2023, May 18). What are the 7 skills of media literacy. The Edvocate. Retrieved https://www.theedadvocate.org/what-are-the-7-skills-of-media-literacy/#:~:text=The%20seven%20skills%20of%20media,become%20more%20responsible%20online%20users

Media Literacy Now. Retrieved https://medialiteracynow.org/about/ 

National Association of Media Literacy Education. Retrieved https://namle.net/resources/ 

Schwartz, A. B. (2015). The Infamous “War of the Worlds” Radio Broadcast Was a Magnificent Fluke: Orson Welles and his colleagues scrambled to pull together the show; they ended up writing pop culture history. The Smithsonian. Retrieved https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/infamous-war-worlds-radio-broadcast-was-magnificent-fluke-180955180/ 

Living in a Visual World: Visual Literacy

 

Picture credit: Lilian Hill

By Lilian H. Hill

Humans are a visual species, which is beneficial in a world dominated by images. The human brain can recognize a familiar object within 100 milliseconds, so when we see a picture, we are quick to analyze it. Bright colors capture our attention because our brains are wired to react to them. Our visual senses are by far our most active of the senses. Ninety percent of the information transmitted to the brain is visual. Visual images are processed in our brain 60,000 times faster than text (Trafton, 2014).

In addition to reading text, humans "read" visual information every day in traffic signs, pictographs, internet icons, in GPS maps, and many other symbols we see often. We easily make sense of them, even when they are presented in an unusual way. For example, once you learn the symbols for the male and female restrooms, we easily understand symbols that use centaurs for the men’s room and mermaids for the women’s room. Remember that the printed word is a symbol that represents language and language represents human experience. In the same way that written words are symbols, sports logos, road signs, thermometers, clocks, smartphones, and GPS maps are all symbols that we have learned to interpret.  

 

Visual Literacy

Visual literacy is the ability to read "visual text" effectively to find, interpret, evaluate, use, and create images and visual media. To be considered visually literate, people must have the ability to understand, appreciate, and create visual images and symbols to comprehend and share information. For example, is the danger in the image above from the octopus' arms or the manhole cover? Is an octopus really trying to escape?

 

Use Of Visuals

Visuals are used online and in print materials to capture viewers’ attention, to make text more interesting to read, tell a story, and improve readers' understanding of what they are reading. They are used in stories, movies, television, print advertisements, billboards, signage, video games, informational videos, blog posts, and social media. Advertisers carefully study about what best captures viewers’ attention. The material that best attracts viewers’ attention and is most likely to prompt action is content with low cognitive demand and high clarity (Hernandez, 2021).

 

Optical Illusions

Despite our strong visual senses, the human eye can be fooled or tricked. Think of the common visual illusions such as the two portraits that can also be a vase, or the portrait of the old woman that can also be viewed as a young woman. For the image below, did you see the butterfly first or the multiple profiles?

 

Photo Credit: Unsplash

 

Altered Images

Have you ever taken a photo and edited it on your phone? If so, you understand how pictures can be easily changed to convey different meanings. Even the tone of a picture can create different meanings.  Consider the three images of dried flowers below. It is the same picture, but the colors used can really change emotional reactions to an image. The center image is the actual, unretouched photo, the left-hand image is in black and white, and the right-hand image has pink overtones. Consider how your mood changes when viewing the three images. 

 

Photo credit: Lilian H. Hill

 

One way that images can be altered relates to the way they are located in a photo. A close-up view reveals a lot of details about an object while a more distant view provides information about the context about where an object is placed, and its relative size compared to other objects. We can be fooled into thinking that an object is larger or smaller than it is in real life. 

 

Photo Credit: Unsplash

Some technologies, such as Photoshop, can produce visual images that cannot happen in real life. A good example is the image above of the large man "high-fiving" the tiny woman. Many advertisements alter their images to make products look better. They may change the lighting, use filters, or even fake a product. Did you know that the whipped cream you see in advertisements is really shaving cream? Shaving cream is used because it withstands heat better than whipping cream under hot studio lights.  If you try an internet search for “badly photoshopped images,’ the results can be entertaining. Next time you see an advertisement, ask yourself is the model’s waist really that small, are her legs that long, is her skin that fantastic? Are his shoulders really that broad, is he really that tall or muscular? Where did that extra hand come from? 

 

Visual Image Standards

It is interesting to look at the Associated Press standards for visual images which are copied below. The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit new agency headquartered in New York City. It operates as an independent organization dedicated to promoting truth in the press. Its membership is composed of U.S. newspapers and broadcasters. It produces news reports, radio broadcasts, and images that are distributed nation-wide and globally. The standard are below.

 

1. AP visuals must always tell the truth.
2. We do not alter or digitally manipulate the content of a photograph in any way. Changes in density, contrast, color and saturation levels that substantially alter the original scene are not acceptable.
3. Backgrounds should not be digitally blurred or eliminated by burning down or by aggressive toning. The removal of “red eye” from photographs is not permissible.
4. We do not stage, pose or re-enact events.
5. When we shoot video, environmental portraits, or photograph subjects in a studio care should be taken to avoid misleading viewers to believe that the moment was spontaneously captured in the course of gathering the news.
6. In the cases of portraits, fashion or home design illustrations, any intervention should be revealed in the caption and special instructions box so it can’t be mistaken as an attempt to deceive.
   

 

Source: https://www.ap.org/about/news-values-and-principles/telling-the-story/visual

References

Hernandez, S. (2021, October 25). How to get the most visual attention on your content. Retrieved https://www.socialmediatoday.com/spons/how-to-get-the-most-visual-attention-on-your-content/608678/

Trafton, A. (2014, January 16). In the blink of an eye: MIT neuroscientists find the brain can identify images seen for as little as 13 milliseconds. MIT News, Retrieved https://news.mit.edu/2014/in-the-blink-of-an-eye-0116