Niger Power through Word & Image

                                                                                         (image from www.reunir.asso.fr)

          
          You encounter collaborations of word & image everyday, but most of the time you don’t stop and notice their powerful interaction, their dialogue, and mutual collaboration. Between verbal and visual languages, the relationship between word & image provides an alternative language. Whether its an advertisement, campaign, album cover, catalog, etc. the way word and image interplay can create greater meaning used together then by themselves. And because we live in such a visual generation, the power of image will always enhance meaning of words.

            Words can get people to take action, change their belief, hold a viewpoint, inspire, motivate, believe... An image holds “a thousands words” and can make someone laugh, cry, remember, think, contemplate, feel… So is the difference between them, emotion vs. intellect? Maybe together, they complement and form one emotional intelligent thought. Take the power of successful advertising. In the field of advertisements, one of their biggest strengths is how they utilize the power of word and image. If someone told you to help support the children of Niger, what would motivate you to give money, volunteer, or help out? For most, this isn’t that powerful. But what if someone said instead, “Would you care more if it happened on your own doorstep? Help children of Niger.” These words have a bit  more power. How about an extremely emotional image, one that portrays a skeleton-like, starved child, along with that quote. With each by itself, it is somewhat effective, but when put together, produces a powerful communication. Looking at the advertisement itself, the words are tiny compared to the image, revealing that the intense image is meant to show greater significance for the visual literacy that the words cannot portray. The image pulls the viewer in, but the words keep them pondering the matter. Because we can interact the two, advertisements for any industry can make a change, and bring people to take action, all because of the power of abstraction.