Visual rhetoric and basic design principles

At its core, rhetoric is a scientific field deeply rooted in communication. The historical development of rhetoric is linked to the evolution of human civilization. In fact, rhetoric, which emerged in ancient Greek civilization as a literary definition, was adapted to visual arts in the 20th century and the concept of visual rhetoric emerged. The primary aim of visual rhetoric is to create an emotion, convey a message to individuals and persuade the audience. Realizing that visual language is more effective than auditory language, people started to use visual communication in modern life by using rhetorical methods. Today, visual rhetoric is used in many fields of communication. In visual rhetoric, a message is effectively conveyed through visual elements, and the message is expected to elicit and trigger an emotion in the audience. Visual rhetoric creates a situation that leads the audience to accept and respond to a communicated message. This is achieved through the use of rhetorical techniques and the strategic use of colors, shapes, lines, composition and typography for a specific purpose. Each visual element is meticulously selected and organized to elicit a specific emotion or cognitive response. By utilizing basic design principles and techniques, designers both convey the intended message to the audience and expect it to create an emotional and cognitive impact. Therefore, visual rhetoric emerges as a powerful tool for communication. Especially in the context of the digital age, graphic designers skillfully use these principles to facilitate interactions between brands and individuals. In this scientific research, we examine the beginnings of rhetoric, its basic concepts, the adaptation of rhetoric to visual rhetoric by designers, and the methodologies and guidelines used by these designers. This study was undertaken to examine and understand the implications of the basic design principles used by designers and their impact on visual rhetoric. Qualitative research methodologies were used in this study.