Vocabulary is the set of words that make up a language. Words are the fundamental, atomic units which make language possible.
Visual language, like written and spoken language, has developed over time. Your visual vocabulary is the set of elements, or visual "words" that make visual language possible.
The greater your vocabulary, the greater your capacity to think and communicate.
This module describes the basic building blocks of a visual vocabulary.
Contents at a Glance
Color links
- Color makes the world go round
- Squidoo lens on color
- A color portrait of the English language
- Color Code is a full-color portrait of the English language. Each word has been assigned a color based on the average color of images found by a search engine.
- Learn to love color
- Color, like food and music, is not to be overanalyzed but to be savored by the senses.
- Colorblender
- Free online tool for color matching and palette design.
- Colrpickr
- Find Flickr photos to match any color palette. By the inimitable Krazydad.
Books to improve your understanding of color
Contrast
Contrast is a way to see or show what's different. Big seems bigger when compared with little. Black seems blacker when compared with white. Smooth seems smoother when compared with rough.
What's different?
White space
White space is a term artists use to describe the areas between and around things. It's called white space because usually, artists work on white surfaces such as paper or canvas. White spaces are like air or a void -- the space around shapes and forms has a tendency to lend them certain qualities.
More white space makes the things seem smaller and more isolated. Less white space makes things feel larger and more crowded.
A good balance of white space allows the viewer to breathe -- this is why double-spaced text seems easier to read.
Leave space.
Visual vocabulary resources
- Introduction to the elements of design
- Great introduction to visual vocabulary, from Cornell University.
Books to improve your visual vocabulary
Next mini-course module
- Visual thinking tools
- The right tools can help you think better. Probably the best tool for any kind of thinking is still the pencil or pen and paper combination. There are plenty of computer-based visual thinking tools as well, but this module focuses on the real-world variety.
- Return to main
- Go back to the visual thinking school home page.
by dgray
Dave Gray is the founder and CEO of XPLANE, the visual thinking company. The company's vision was formed and continues to be driven by Dave's passion for... more »
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