Visual Literacy: Cultivation Of The Ability Of Image Reading

Visualized era is already coming, with the digitization of print, video and electron communication technologies as well as the development of digital communication technology. People have to deal with more and more visual information, and they prefer pictures to words at the same time. We are so familiar with seeing that it takes a leap of imagination to realize that there are problems to be solved such as "how tosee".Visual literacy is a branch of visual communication research. It focuses on the important concept, namely, the viewer's awareness of the conventions through which the meanings of visual images are created and understood. It is defined as a learned ability to interpret visual messages accurately, to create such messages and to have their own critical views. This thesis tries to offer a systemic perspective of the way to develop the ability of understand visual messages, and also presents the signification and importance of critical viewing. The last part of the thesis points out that all studies of visual literacy should be applied in education.