Today my beloved pointed something out that got me thinking about graphic design (more on that later). It seems like an exacting craft, requiring a combination of artistic flair and great precision and like any other craft, I’m pretty sure making it look effortless takes a lot of hard work. It also got me thinking about the use of visual language.
Styles of visual language, just like the written, land on the page freighted with context. We’ve all been absorbing it all our lives.Writers use styles of language to help set time and place for readers, according to the rule of “show, don’t tell”.
It’s particularly handy for flash fiction, where you don’t have the word count to lovingly describe the setting. So, I could write:
“What ho, old bean,” said Freddie, making somewhat free with the brandy and s.
and you could guess I’m setting my story in 20-30s Wannabe Wodehouse Way, Clichéville.
Similarly, a graphic designer can do this: Read the rest of this entry »
