1. CGD 218 ASSIGNMENTS
WEEK 1
Why is Visual Literacy Important
Watch Brian Kennedy’s TedTalk: Brian Kennedy: Visual Literacy and Why We Need It
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OefLEpds5Is), and address the following questions:
1. Compare and contrast Kennedy’s definition of visual literacy with the textbook’s
definition.
2. Explain how visual literacy can be considered a universal language.
3. Examine how visual literacy can impact communication and global understanding.
Your paper should be 1-2 pages in length, excluding title and reference page, and formatted to
APA style.
WEEK 2
Week 2 - Assignment
Final Project- Step Two
Last week, you discussed a possible message to communicate in your final project. For this
assignment, you will develop an outline that clarifies your message and expands upon it, filling
in any gaps that either your classmates identified in the discussion forum, or you identified over
the past week.
Your outline should include the following elements:
A description of your message, and the desired results
A description of the intended audience for your message
A description of the typography you plan to use in your message (e.g., this might include
the font or typeface you plan to use, the tone you want the type to achieve, etc.)
An explanation of how you plan to utilize visuals to support your message
The platform/medium you plan to use to communicate your message (e.g., Word
document, PowerPoint presentation, Web application, etc.)
An explanation for why you selected the platform/medium you did

2. WEEK 3
Week 3 - Assignment
Using Photographs from the Web
Today more than ever, photographs and other visual media are at our fingertips. Whether it’s
through Google Images or Flickr, we have endless visual media available for us to use. Or, do
we?
Watch the video Copyright Basics (http://youtu.be/Uiq42O6rhW4). Then, in a 2- to 3-page
paper, examine the benefits and challenges associated with having so many visuals available to
us today. Describe the possible ethical and legal implications of using these photos, and explain
how these issues can be avoided.
WEEK 4
- Week 4 - Assignment
Final Project- Step Three
You should now have a strong outline for the message you plan to communicate in your
final project, as well as a good idea of how you want to incorporate visuals. This week,
locate at least five possible visuals that you might utilize for your final project (e.g.,
photographs, drawings, video clips, screenshots, etc.), and add them to your existing
project draft. Be sure to reference any visuals that you did not create. Then, 1-2 pages,

3. explain why you selected the visuals you did, how they support your intended message, and
what reaction or results you hope to gain from the use of these visuals.
WEEK 5
Ashford 6: - Week 5 - Final Project
Final Project: Using Visuals to Communicate a Message
Assignment Instructions: Visual media can have significant impact on how effectively a
message is communicated. Appropriate and strategic visuals can inspire the audience, lend
clarity to a message, and, in general, say things that words alone cannot.
For this project, use the concepts you’ve learned in this course to effectively apply visuals to
a business-related message. Below, you will find just a few examples of how visuals can be
utilized to communicate a message in the business setting. Feel free to choose one of these
examples, or select one that is not listed.
Examples of How Each Example Might Look for Your
Business Assignment
Communication
Presentation on PowerPoint slides with visuals, and associated
department speech in the Speaker’s Notes section at the
achievements bottom.
Print advertisement Word document or PDF version of an
for your own advertisement, complete with appropriate
business image(s), composition, typography, and
company logo.
Training materials Word document or PDF version of job
on your job instructions, using typography, composition, and
responsibilities relevant images to promote clarity.

4. Company website Word document, PowerPoint, or PDF “mock-up”
that illustrates what you would want your
website to look like. Complete with appropriate
images, effective composition and color usage,
company logo, and shapes representing where
the buttons would be.
Informational Word document or PDF version of the brochure,
brochure for a containing appropriate visuals; typography;
corporate event effective design, composition, and color scheme;
as well as with relevant information on the event.
Throughout each of the five weeks of this course, you will decide on a message to
communicate, determine the most effective platform or medium for that message, and
select the most appropriate visuals to support the message. Note that each visual should be
referenced.
Then, in week 5, you will finalize your communication piece and submit it along with a 3- to
5-page paper explaining the rationale behind your communication decisions.