Communication through images

A Chinese proverb says that an image is worth a thousand words. This constitutes
a good starting point for our discussion, especially because throughout this book we are
going to concentrate not only on the verbal, but also on the visual aspect of media
discourse, which combines messages, images and their supports.
Images may sometimes create a greater impact on people than words due to the
fact that they stick in peoples memory, creating a positive or negative impact in their
emotive receptivity. Communication through images leaves unique and memorable traces
on peoples feelings. That is why Alain Joanns1 considers that the performance of an
image depends on four phenomena: impressions, emotions, information and associations
triggered in peoples memory.
I. Seven impressions
1. Size = refers to the proportions of an image
- a huge image is overwhelming
- a small image can be easily dominated by the viewer, implicitly leading to the
idea of assimilation, intimacy and secret
2. Proximity2 = refers to the conventional distance between the subject and the viewer
- the impression of being too close, for example, can trigger (depending on the
context) either a feeling of security or shyness
3. Luminosity = represents the impressions of clarity or darkness, visibility or invisibility
- a bright image is attractive and has a calming effect
- a dark image is disturbing
4. Composition = refers to the representation and combination of objects
- a chaotic composition leaves the impression of multitude
- a clear composition is associated with the idea of freshness
5. Dynamics = refers to the types of lines suggested by the images
- perfectly vertical or horizontal lines denote stability, but also rigidity
- oblique lines denote instability
6. Colours = they create an atmosphere which is a message in itself, all the more
emphasized when the symbolic values of each colour are added
Johannes Ittens3 symbolism of colours
Colour
Yellow

Positive symbols
Beauty, intellect,
knowledge, wisdom

Negative symbols
Envy, betrayal, doubt, fear,
mistake

Alain Joanns, Comunicarea prin imagini, Iasi, Polirom, 2009, pp. 15-18.
E.T. Hall, La dimension cache, Paris, Le Seuil, 1978.
3
J. Itten, Art de la couleur, Paris, Dessain et Tolra, 1993.
2

Orange
Red
Green
Blue
Violet

Brightness, good-will
Power, passion, courage,
spiritual love
Hope, satisfaction
Spirituality, meditation,
faith
Divine love, spiritual
domination, devotion

Pride
Demonic force, violence,
ostentation
Mystery, laziness, vulgarity
Passivity, fear
Superstition, secret, threat,
unrest

7. Texture = renders the degree of realism or idealism of an image

- the science-fiction representations, for example, are usually created in such a
manner as to produce associations between the visual and the tactile feelings

II. Six emotions

Each emotion triggers feelings that may range (on a scale) from weak to strong or from
negative to positive, depending on the context and on the viewers. Thus:
1. Surprise from stupefaction to admiration
2. Happiness from satisfaction to mockery
3. Fear from unrest to terror
4. Disgust from rejection to phobia
5. Sadness from regret to compassion
6. Anxiety from dissatisfaction to rage
III. Three types of information
1. Explicit information the details (regarding time or age, for example) that can be
easily depicted from the image
2. Implicit (conventional) information the details that establish the truthfulness of
representation (for example, the choice of photography as means of expression suggests
the choice of realism
3. Coded information encapsulated in the image. It derives from the multiple and
different use of codes (the feelings, emotions and information triggered by the image of
an advertisement are differently assimilated from those triggered by a photo caption, for
example)
IV. Three associations
The most powerful associations are those between the visual and the mental images. A
painting of a melon, for example, raises memories related to its texture and taste in the
same manner in which the mental object rose has an olfactory content.
1. Interpersonal associations function between or among individuals that know each
other very well or guess each others feelings
2. Cultural associations are triggered between or among individuals that share the same
values
3. Universal associations are those triggered in all individuals, no matter their
interpersonal relationships or cultures