Training in Visual Communication in the framework of the PhD program in Communication Studies: Technology, Culture and Society

“Visual Communication/Visual Syntax. How to study or analyze images? What are the principles of visual language?” was the theme of the most recent training course of the FCT doctoral program in “Communication Studies: Technology, Culture and Society”.
By the morning, Francisco Mesquita, professor at Fernando Pessoa University, addressed issues such as visual communication over time; visual representations – drawing, photography and infographics – and elementary elements and principles of Visual Communication.
After lunch, the training went to a point dedicated to the methodologies of the design and the use of the image as a graphic resource. “A participatory discussion was fomented based on several examples of the communication and the contemporary art, from the graphic arts and publicity to the plastic arts”, explained Helena Pires, one of the organizers.
Finally, there was time for a practical work with basic exercises about image and the visual syntax. According to Helena Pires, “the objective was to offer an opportunity to consolidate knowledge and skills related to visual literacy in their articulation with their various research projects within the area of communication”.
The training counted about twenty students, coming from the PhD in “Communication Studies: Technology, Culture and Society” and other courses of the second and third cycles of the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Minho.

Text: Sofia Gomes