Visuals: A communication dynamite

Visuals are more than just decorative elements of a message. If utilized skilfully, they can be a communication dynamite that conveys more effectively to people the message of a publication or presentation.

“The apt saying that ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ has been accepted as truth in our culture because a visual has the ability to quickly convey so much meaning with very little or even  no explanation at all,” said Dr Muhizam Mustafa, a senior lecturer in communication graphics at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

“Visuals play a pivotal role in a world where communicating is no longer confined to audio-verbal transmission, and where it’s imperative to disseminate the essence of a message quickly in a coherent and potent manner,” he stressed.

Dr Muhizam was speaking on ‘Close Encounter of the Other Kind - Encoding and De-coding Target Messages’ to DISTED College students recently.

He said a strategic alignment of visuals to the intended message could enhance communication effectiveness.

“Impactful communication requires a visual message strategy which consists of a positioning statement and support points,” he remarked.

Diploma in Creative Multimedia Production student Thinakkaaran Thamilchelvam said of the insights he gained from the talk: “As most people suffer from information overload, a good visual message is needed to grab their attention.”

“Although we cannot dispense with the written word in communication, nothing beats a captivating illustration or data visualization that helps the audience to grasp the big picture and how they can relate to it,” he added.

For more information on DISTED, please check out www.disted.edu.my or call 604-2296579.