Borrowed from Karen Thompson, a visual lecture about using visual rhetoric for business writing students.

1. Visual Rhetoric &
Public Service
Announcements
• Visual Rhetoric
• Message Framing
• Creating a Public Service Announcement
1© 2015 Karen L. Thompson Department of English  University of Idaho

2. Definition of Visual Rhetoric
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Visual rhetoric is a branch of rhetoric and composition
studies that focuses on how visual images communicate to
audiences and how audiences interpret and find meaning
from visuals objects.

3. Not Every Visual Object is Rhetorical
• A visual is rhetorical when it seeks to engage the
viewer in a conversation through its message.
• That conversation may be aimed at persuading
the viewer or simply providing information.
• How that conversation works (or not) is a
function of message frames.
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4. About Message Frames
• A message frame limits or defines the message’s
meaning by shaping how it is presented.
• Message frames can be spoken, written, or visual.
Visual framing may or may not involve text.
• There are endless ways to frame a message, but
most fit within three categories or types of frames:
negative, positive, and neutral.
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5. Examples of Negative Framing
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A negative message frame seeks to persuade by showing
disadvantages, risks, and bad outcomes. Some studies
have shown that negative frames may not be the best way
to change public attitudes.

6. Examples of Positive Framing
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A positive message frame seeks to persuade by
showing advantages, benefits, and good outcomes.

7. Example of Neutral Frame
• This is a storm drain stencil. Notice how
the message is neither negative nor
positive. It simply informs.
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8. Framing a Message is Close to the
Concept of Spin
• Rhetorical spin is the way a message is
framed to deceive the receiver.
• It is a form of propaganda.
• Spin uses exaggeration, inaccuracies,
half-truths, and excessive emotional
appeals to persuade an audience.
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9. Example
• Edward Bernays (known as the father of spin)
was paid by the American Tabaco Company to
promote cigarette consumption by women.
• In 1929, Bernays staged an event that helped to
overturn the cultural taboo against women
smoking in public.
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10. How the Event was Staged
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A woman named Bonnie Hunt notified reporters
that she and her friends were planning to protest
the taboo against women smoking in public by
lighting up cigarettes during the New York Easter
Parade. Hunt called their cigarettes “Torches of
Freedom”
The press took pictures and Hunt’s protest went
viral, changing public perceptions about women
and smoking.
But the event was a fake protest that was staged
by Hunt’s employer: Edward Bernays.

11. Take-Away
• The take-away from this historical example of spin is that
verbal and visual messages are complicated by ethical
and moral concerns.
• For this project, you will be creating a public service
announcement for a billboard or poster.
• The goal should be to create a message that is aimed at
changing public attitudes or behavior using an ethical
message frame.
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12. Creating a Public Service
Announcement
• Decide if you want to create a billboard or
a poster.
• Remember the topic for the PSA: cell
phone etiquette
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13. Creating a PSA continued
• Remember that you’re working for Kirchmeier
Industries, and that you’ve been assigned to
create a PSA for ASUI
• Remember that your target audience is students
at the University of Idaho
• Decide the specific message and how you will
frame it for this target audience.
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14. Creating a PSA continued
• Be certain the message is one you can visualize
with a minimum amount of text.
• Decide if you can create the visual yourself or
will need to choose images (see links to image
resources in Bblearn).
• If you are using statistics, be certain they are
from a valid source and current.
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15. Your PSA message may be serious.
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16. Or inspirational.
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17. Or goofy.
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