How Visually Literate Are You?

While you may see a number of different things in this image, the correct answer should be "a dog drinking water." When there are no clear visual cues between what is in the foreground and what is in the background, we have a hard time identifying what is in the picture. Sometimes our minds will shift between seeing one thing, and then seeing another (look at the FedEx logo and see how your eye switches between seeing the letters and the arrow). Interestingly, once we notice what is supposed to be there (in this case a dog drinking water), we cannot NOT see it anymore. HINT: if you cannot see it, there is a dalmatian whose head is about in the dead center of the image, leaning down as if drinking).

"B" is the correct answer. A design principle called the "Face-ism" ratio suggests that humans interpret more about a person's intelligence, character, and personality when viewing a picture where the face dominates the image. The more the face fills the space in a photo, the higher the face-ism ratio. The smaller a face gets in a photo, the more humans tend to focus on physical characteristics and sensuality. Considering the content of the article and the magazine, an image with a high face-ism ratio would be best.

White is the correct answer. Colors symbolize so many different things in each culture. We tend to use black in America as the color for sorrow when someone dies, but white is used in India. Did you know that in Asia, purple is considered a color for wealth? In the West, green is used for greed and being lucky, but in the East, green suggests fertility.

"C" is the correct answer. According to this ever-popular and widely used principle, pictures and video become much more aesthetically appealing to the human eye when they are arranged in thirds. If you were to divide a picture up into thirds both horizontally and vertically, you would get 9 equal-sized rectangles and four intersections. Pictures that follow the principle best have the focal points right on (or really close to) one of the four intersections. The principle also suggests that a horizon line, if there is one, should land precisely on the lower or upper third line. In image C, the blue material on the boat and the setting sun both land on an intersection and the ocean horizon is right on the lower third line.

The correct answer is "A." Each of these graphics shows an unemployment trend from December 2007 (right before President Obama took office) until June 2010. The data used for each graphic is the same--it came from research provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, graphic 'A' communicates to the viewer that there is a steady and unwavering climb in unemployment with no end in sight. The other two graphics suggest that, for about a year, unemployment slowed and steadied. In a political debate about whether or not President Obama's stimulus packages worked to slow unemployment, which graphic do you think he would prefer?

Ellen Page is the correct answer. Research has shown that humans have a fascinating (and disturbing) natural bias to assume people that have "baby-face" characteristics are more naive, innocent, helpless, and honest (and much less likely to commit a crime!) Baby-face characteristics include a high forehead, large eyes, short chin, lighter skin, small nose, and round features. Based on these images alone, Ellen Page has the most baby-faced characteristics and would likely be stereotyped as being more naive, innocent, helpless, and honest than the other actresses.

Sears is the correct answer. Helvetica, like many other typefaces, can be written in different sizes and weights. But you might be surprised to know that Helvetica can be found in nearly every corner of your life: on subway and freeway signs, on garbage trucks, even on the back of your car. Helvetica is also the official logo font for Toyota, Target, Jeep, Staples, Microsoft, American Airlines, Post-It, and hundreds of other major companies. Why? Helvetica is simple and very easy to read in any culture.

The second answer is the correct answer. I know what you're thinking: not on my monitor! But if you were to take a strip of gray paper that was the same shade as 'A' and lay it across 'A' and 'B,' you would be amazed to see that both squares match. Or, you could take the photo into Photoshop and use the eyedropper tool; you'll get the same shade of gray whether you click on 'A' or 'B.' Your eyes and brain alone will never be able to tell that they are the same color, though. Our brain has a remarkable (and somewhat scary) ability to interpret and change the way we perceive things. So what does all this mean? We never really see what we think we see because our brain makes stuff up! (And if you don't trust this quiz on this one, go to the researcher, Edward H. Adelson's, website: http://persci.mit.edu/gallery/checkershadow.

Golden West Credit Union is the correct answer. Bright, saturated colors are good for grabbing attention and expressing excitement and dynamism but they don't communicate "professionalism" as well. Dark, desaturated colors communicate serious, professional, and expedient but they don't tend to communicate "friendly." TD and Wells Fargo use saturated colors, which don't communicate professional and expedient. JPMorganChase uses desaturated dark colors, which negates friendliness. GoldenWest uses desaturated, bright colors, which captures the four emotional responses asked for in the question.

The last answer is the correct answer. Research has repeatedly shown two quirky things about human beings: we like choices and we don't do well with them. The now famous "jam study" by researchers Iyenga & Lepper proved this. Apparently far more people would stop at the booth with 24 flavors of jam than the booth with 6. But far more people would actually BUY jam at the booth with 6 flavors. Options attract people, but options also make making a decision really hard for people--so hard in fact, most would prefer not to make a decision at all!

In what is known as the rhetorical triangle, there are three primary ways to persuade people: through ethos, through pathos, and through logos. Ethos refers to credibility; people are persuaded by credible sources, in many case celebrity endorsements (like Taylor Swift and Diet Coke--if she'll drink it, it must be good, right?) Pathos refers to emotion; people are persuaded when the feel certain emotions (like feeling sorry for poor and starving children to the point that we want to donate to a cause). Logos refers to logic; people are persuaded by facts and statistics (like providing a list of all the features and price comparison of an Android phone).

Brown is the correct answer. In our freeway wayfinding system in America, brown is used as a background color to inform drivers of cultural and recreational points of interest. Blue is used for traveler services (like hotels, restrooms, food, and phones); white is used for regulatory signs (like speed limit signs, or anything that tells you what you can and cannot do); and green is used for guides and information (like mile markers, exits, and distances).

"C" is the correct answer. Remember: apostrophes are used in our language for primarily two things--possession and contractions. When you say "Merry Christmas from the Nelsons," NELSON is becomes a plural noun, but the Nelsons don't possess anything in this sentence. When a word ends in 's' or 'x,' we pluralize it by adding an 'es' at the end. So, in this instance, the season's greetings should come from the "Curtises." No kidding!

'A' is a gross exaggeration (obviously someone didn't lose THAT much weight THAT fast), or "hyperbole." 'B' personifies (or uses human characteristics on a non-human object) to create appeal. 'C' uses a play on words (and visuals), which is a pun: "light beer." 'D' makes a comparison ("Like a Rock"), which is a simile. There are dozens and dozens of figures of speech in our language. You were probably taught "metaphor" and "idiom," "oxymoron," and "pun" in elementary school. But have you heard of "apposition," "metonymy," "synechdoche," and "antithesis?"As you can see from the images above, advertisers have been very creative about using figures of speech in visual communication as well. In fact, some argue that using figures of speech in your communication will make you more creative. If you haven't heard of these less-known figures of speech, you might take a moment to check them out.