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Visual communication is the use of visual elements to convey ideas and information which include but are not limited to, signs, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustration, industrial design, advertising, animation, and electronic resources. Humans have used visual communication since prehistoric times. Within modern culture, there are several types of characteristics when it comes to visual elements, they consist of objects, models, graphs, diagrams, maps, and photographs. Outside the different types of characteristics and elements, there are seven components of visual communication: color, shape, tones, texture, figure-ground, balance, and hierarchy.

Each of these characteristics, elements, and components play an important role in daily lives. Visual communication holds a specific purpose in aspects such as social media, culture, politics, economics, and science. In considering these different aspects, visual elements present various uses and how they convey information. Whether it is advertisements, teaching and learning, or speeches and presentations, they all involve visual aids that communicate a message. In reference to the visual aids, the following are the most common: chalkboard or whiteboard, poster board, handouts, video excerpts, projection equipment, and computer-assisted presentations.

Overview
The debate about the nature of visual communication dates back thousands of years. Cave or rock paintings are dated back to prehistoric times and were thought to be made by respected elders or shamans to communicate. Visual communication relies on a collection of activities, communicating ideas, attitudes, and values via visual resources, i.e. text, graphics, or video. The evaluation of a good visual communication design is mainly based on measuring comprehension by the audience, not on personal aesthetic and/or artistic preference as there are no universally agreed-upon principles of aesthetics. Visual communication by email, a textual medium, is commonly expressed with ASCII art, emoticons, and embedded digital images. Visual communication has become one of the most important approaches using which people communicate and share information.

The term 'visual presentation' is used to refer to the actual presentation of information through a visible medium such as text or images. While ‘visual communication’ is the practice of using visual elements to communicate information such as videos and gifs. Understanding the concepts extends our basis on the difference between communication and presentation. Recent research in the field has focused on web design and graphically-oriented usability.

Important figures
Aldous Huxley is regarded as one of the most prominent explorers of visual communication and sight-related theories. Becoming near-blind in his teen years as the result of an illness influenced his approach, and his work includes important novels on the dehumanizing aspects of scientific progress, most famously Brave New World and The Art of Seeing. He described "seeing" as being the sum of sensing, selecting, and perceiving. Seeing is just what your brain is programmed to do but you can select to focus on a specific thing and determine how you perceive it. One of his most famous quotes is "The more you see, the more you know." This quote ties into the idea of being a visual learner. This concept refers to people that comprehend information in pictures and videos very well. Visual broadcasts such as movies and television shows will “aim for the heart” because people will remember how something made them feel more than what was only heard. Seeing something happen and watching the experience for oneself allows the mind to process it and get a deeper understanding than only hearing about something.

Max Wertheimer is said to be the father of Gestalt psychology. Gestalt means form or shape in German, and the study of Gestalt psychology shows emphasis in simplicity, as its properties group visuals by similarity in shape or color, continuity, and proximity. Additional laws include closure and figure-ground principles in studied images are also intensively taught. The theory attempts to explain how the human brain interprets information in a design or image. These principles can quickly elevate a haphazard design that could fight for a consumer's attention and create a seamless interaction for people that is easy to comprehend. The ideas from this theory can also be used to guide the consumer to where you want them to go or what you want them to think from your visual media.