From time to time we feature guest columns from Balfour advisers. Here’s a guest post from Holy Trinity Episcopal School adviser Sarah Tricano. Sarah shares examples of visual-verbal collaborations in the yearbook and corporate world. This is her 11th year teaching and advising.
When imagery or graphics work alongside the copy, they tell the story in a more impactful and meaningful way. Images alone can be powerful, but we enhance the message by using text and copy that contradicts or correlates with the content. As yearbook advisers, we take cues from the pros, who are masters of manipulation and collaborators of the visual-verbal realm, and adapt ways to implement this strategy throughout our books to create more meaningful visual stories.
LOGOS
Take a look at some of these widely-known, brand-name logos. Each one has verbal elements tied together with specific and intentional graphics to create a complete message.
Amazon
The orange arrow pointing from the a to the z in amazon indicates that you can purchase anything from “a to z”.
Le Tour de France
The yellow circle represents the yellow jersey handed to the lead bicyclist each day and the “R” becomes the biker.
FedEx
The way the “E” and “x” meet creates an arrow, indicating movement, indicative of FedEx’s primary business of moving packages. The tight kerning also increases the feeling of strength that FedEx wants to communicate.
Burton
Burton’s logo is a simple lowercase “b” formed by an upturned arrow which is represents a mountain—appropriate since Burton is a snowboarding gear/apparel company. It also captures motion.
Target
One of the most recognizable brands, Target, has taken a red circle and a bull’s-eye and made it exclusively their own. When looking at an advertisement with nothing but red circles, you recognize it as the Target brand immediately.
AD CAMPAIGNS
Ad campaigns are known for their subtle, persuasive undertones. Designs achieve a higher impact by combining visual and verbal cues. Each of these examples exhibit a strong collaboration between what we see and what we read.
As part of a three-year marketing plan for Australian Avocados, the second year concentrated on increasing avocado sales by focusing on people’s affection for them. The designer substitutes the “v” with a sliced avocado while also creating a heart (the universal symbol of love). A connection is established between the word and the symbol. The message? Love of avocados.
As part of an online campaign for their Signature Sandwich line, this McDonald’s advertisement uses graphic typography to illustrate a veggie burger. The words on the left and the burger on the right mirror each other to drive home a single, cohesive message.
This logo for a creative email subscription service provides a simplistic way to create a message using visual-verbal collaboration. Replacing the “e”s with the keyboard smiley face makes the word “cheeky” feel lighthearted and as if it is speaking to us. There is no color or fancy fonts at play here for the Cheeky brand.
The graphic designer adds a simple graphic to the Smile Clinic’s logo to create an impactful brand identity. The name of the clinic sits on top of a half circle representing a smile—simple yet effective.
THEME DEVELOPMENT
Where and how should we use this idea of visual-verbal collaboration? Start with theme development. Choose imagery and graphics that connect back to your verbal theme statement.
Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy- "Go With It"
The theme “Go With it” was paired with imagery on the theme pages in the book creating motion and movement. Ranging from stopped motion to blurred action, the visual-verbal connection reinforces the theme’s message.
Hockaday- "three60"
Use consistent imagery and verbal messages throughout your book that tie back to the theme. In the 2018 Hockaday book, the theme “three60” was illustrated by a simple open circle on the cover. The connection continues on the title page verbally (coming full circle) and visually (continued use of the open circle). The visual element is carried through the content pages in the folio, typography (numbers on contents shaped in a circle) and graphic elements. Also, a date stamp in the upper-right corner of each spread featuring a circle that is filled, bit by bit, as the year/book progresses.
Rock Canyon High School- "Go Figure"
Choose images that speak to the viewer without words and then add words to enhance the message. The image of students on stage performing in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” pairs with the headline “Who knew?” The headline “It figures” verbally directs the reader back to the theme of this particular book. For the middle spread, the word “FIGURES” appears again, but it is used in a different context, as a noun rather than a verb. The images surrounding the headline link directly to the spread’s message because it pictures students “in motion” doing things they love. Add variety to your headlines while keeping them connected to your theme. In the last example, the page editor chose to use a “figure” (number) as the headline that visually links to the amount of money raised during “Wish Week”.
VISUAL-VERBAL HEADLINES
You don’t always need to connect back to the theme. A simple connection of headline to image goes a long way in enhancing a message. Bellaire High School created headlines that verbally match the dominant photos. The fun headlines dynamically tie the story to the images, creating a strong message.
Visual-verbal collaboration is a great way to emphasize your theme’s message on spreads throughout your book. A little connection goes a long way to engage your viewers and keep them turning pages.
