A Time of Fear & Gratitude

Hello, Visual Communicators! 👋

Welcome to the first official issue of Learn Visual Communication! I’m excited to help you explore ways to enhance your visual skills for both work and home.

This is A Time of Fear and Gratitude—with Halloween just behind us and Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s the perfect moment to explore emotions in visual communication. Let’s dive in and discover how evoking all kinds of emotions in your audience can enrich your visual messaging!

In this issue:

• Halloween, the World Series, and the Election 😱🙏

• The Emotion Thesaurus 🧳

• Visual Gratitude Journaling ✍️

• and more! ➕

Let’s explore!

🧘 Mindful Design

Halloween, the World Series, and the Election 😱🙏

Last week, several events unfolded simultaneously in my little corner of the world—Halloween, the World Series for baseball, and election season. Each one can evoke strong feelings of fear or gratitude, depending on your perspective.

So, how does this relate to visual communication, you might ask? The ability to evoke particular emotions in your audience is a key skill and I think it is a good idea to begin paying attention to it.

A few tips:

• Use colors intentionally—red for urgency, blue for calmness.

• Select images that resonate with the desired emotion, such as somber visuals for fear or uplifting images for gratitude.

• Choose fonts that match the tone; bold fonts can convey urgency, while softer fonts create warmth.

• Pay attention to your composition. A chaotic layout can evoke anxiety, while a balanced one fosters peace.

• Incorporate narratives to stir empathy and connect emotionally with your audience.

When to evoke emotions in your visuals:

• Marketing: Cultivate trust and evoke feelings of safety, inspire excitement and curiosity, and foster a sense of community, all of which encourage deeper engagement with your audience.

• Presentations: Engage your audience with emotional visuals to reinforce your message.

• Social Causes: Mobilize support by evoking compassion or urgency.

• Artistic Expression: Use emotions to express your unique voice and connect with others.

How will you start using emotion to enhance your visuals?

🧳 Interesting Find

The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression
by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi

I recently discovered this fantastic resource—and it’s not just for writers! If you enjoy drawing stick figures or minimalist figures like I do, this book is a gem. It breaks down emotions with detailed physical cues, facial expressions, and body language.

Embracing these emotional nuances can elevate your work, making even the simplest figures striking and impactful. In visual communication, capturing an emotion in a stick figure with precision can often be more powerful than a detailed illustration that lacks feeling.

Begin to notice facial expressions and body language in people.

✨ The Creative Process

Visual Gratitude Sketching

It can be challenging to feel grateful when things don’t go as planned. On those days, I turn to visual gratitude journaling—not only to cultivate appreciation for the little things but also to practice my drawing skills.

I sketch simple moments, like my morning cup of coffee or the horizon. It helps me shift my perspective and embrace creativity, even when gratitude feels hard to find.

If you’re feeling inspired, try sketching something you’re thankful for today—small or big, it’ll help bring a fresh perspective to your day!

Thank you for joining me on this small adventure! Hitting 'send' was a little scary, but I’m so grateful you’re here. More insights, tips, and insider tricks to come—until then, keep creating!

Best,
Eva 💛