MIL Reviewer

Text Information and Media

Text is any piece of writing.

Generally, there are four types of text: descriptive, informative, instructive, and persuasive. These
types differ depending on the objective of the information.

Descriptive Text - This is a text that aims to have the reader picture of what is being described.

Informative Text - Based on its root word “inform”, informative text’s primary purpose is to advise or tell
the reader about something.

Instructive Text - This instructs or tells a reader how to do something.

Persuasive Test - This is a text that seeks to persuade a reader to believe in or do something.

Information that is communicated through text is called TEXT INFORMATION.

Everything that has text written on it is a TEXT MEDIUM, or a vessel that communicates text information
to a receiver.

Selection Criteria: Text Information and Media

Relevance - The problem with many people these days, especially the youth, is that they lack the
eagerness to read.

Triangulation (validity, reliability, accuracy) - Before you believe any information presented in a text
medium, you must first know who its source is, and if that source is valid, reliable, and accurate.

Point of View - Does the information sound biased? Does the analysis come from only one perspective?
Are there flaws in the author’s logic?

Medium Used - Educational materials that underwent rigorous processes of studies and editing are
examples of good media.

Audience - In selecting information, you must look for one that is appropriate for your needs and
comprehension.

Writing Style - The writing style of the source should also be taken into consideration in selecting
information. If it has numerous grammatical errors, chances are that it has not undergone editing and
might contain subjective analysis of data.

Providing Structure and Simplicity

As Pettersson described, people remember more of what they read when the text is logically organized.
Thus, it is important to provide a good structure for your text information. Equally essential as the
structure is the simplicity of a text. A good text information is direct but delivers all the necessary
information it wants to convey.

Internal Text Structure - Pettersson refers to internal textual structure as the “techniques used to
organize, sequence, and provide an internal framework for helping readers understand a prose
content.” First, choose what you like your text type to be so you could decide what medium to use.
Then, develop and maintain a clear structure for the content.

Generally, there are five structures which you can use in producing text information.

Sequence, Problem and Solution, Compare and Contrast, Description, Cause and Effect

The most important thing to consider in internal textual structure is the use of grammar and
punctuation. It is difficult to believe an information written with poor grammar, especially if you aim to
make your text information formal-looking.

External Text Structure - The techniques used to organize text with linguistic and typographic cues make
up what Pettersson calls the external textual structure. These include the usage of indention, spacing,
blocked text, italicized text, boldfaced text, lines or colors to divide pages, paragraphs, or sections, etc.

Elements:

Legibility - Good typography has strong contrast and distinctive patterns, which makes the text legible to
read. Horton and Lynch said that typography is the tool a person uses to “paint” patterns of organization
on a page.

A. Alignment and Space - This involves the use of margin and spacing that provide visual relief and
delineation from text blocks.
B. Line Length - The eye span of acute focus is only three to four inches wide. A long line may cause
the reader to lose track of the next line.
C. Type Color - This pertains to the font manipulation, line spacing, and paragraph organization. It
involves kerning, tracking or letterspacing (adjustment of the overall spacing of a group of
letters), and more.

Emphasis - It is significant to put emphasis to terms or words that need to be highlighted. There are
several ways to do emphasis in text.

a. Italics d. Color

b. Boldface e. CAPITALS

c. Underline
Visual Information and Media

Symbols, pictures, icons, signs, and others that communicate with one’s sense of sight are called visual
media.

Ideogram - These are graphical symbols that represent ideas. Examples of such are signs, logos, and
symbols.

Statistical Visualization - This refers to the study and creation of data using visual representation.
Includes charts and graphs.

Picture - Photography, painting, drawing, and the like all fall under pictures. It is used widely by people to
express their ideals, opinions, and sentiments.

Graphic Design - The art of combining text and pictures to communicate information. Infographics,
posters, and graphic advertisements are considered graphic designs.

Video - If graphic design is the combination of text and pictures, video is the combination of motion and
picture; or of motion, picture, and audio.

3D Image - A three-dimensional visual medium can be a sculpture, an architecture, a real-life object, or a

person. Information conveyed through a sign language is considered a visual information.

Visual Information - The information that a person gets form these visual media.

Visual Communication - When you stop before crossing a road because you saw that the traffic light was
blinking green, it is because you have received the information to “stop crossing” form the medium (the
traffic light). This process of giving and receiving visual information through media.

Evaluating Visual Information and Media

What/Who is the source of the Information?

Always do a background check and look for the identity of the information source. For infographics, trust
only valid, reliable, accurate, and non-profit-based institutions for sources. As with other information, do
not forget to fact-check the information.

What is the Medium Used?

If found on textbooks, journals, and newspapers, the visual information is more likely valid, reliable, and
accurate. Visual information on the internet, depending on the source, is more difficult to rely on since
anyone can post on it.

What is the reason behind showing this information to the public?

Always be wary of the information source’s purpose in releasing the visual information to the public.
What will be its effect to the information source?
How is the visual information made?

It is advisable that in evaluating the quality of a visual information, one should always be reminded to
assess its visual language. Visual language pertains to the system of communication that uses visual
elements (i.e., dots, lines, color, form, etc.)

Similar to the selection criteria for text information, one must keep in mind.

Relevance, POV, Audience, Visual Quality, Medium Used, Triangulation.

Producing a Visual Information

Providing Clarity - The first rule in making your visual information legible is to make the content stand
out from the background. In his book, Pettersson (2015) listed a number of guidelines which he has
compiled from the perspectives of other scholars.

1. For pictures, Wileman (1993) formulated a number of guide questions:

A. Are the words and images large enough to see?
B. Are the words and images bold enough to see?
C. Is there good contrast between figure and ground?
D. Is the visual appropriate for the intended audience?
E. What visual devices are used to direct the viewer’s attention?
F. Does the visual contain only the essential information?
G. Does the visual contain only the essential information?

2. For Symbols:
A. Use distinct colors and simple graphical elements to design symbols that will function in any
size
B. Design solid figures with a distinct contrast to the background.
C. Use characters and graphical elements that are bold, distinct, and large enough.

3. For Maps:
A. Use bold and distinct symbols in a consistent size.
B. Restrict the number of typefaces and complexity of patterns.
C. Provide distinct contrast in form and dimensions.

Providing Simplicity - Remember that your primary objective in producing visual information is to
inform. Pettersson (2015) enumerated a number of guidelines to make a visual message simple and easy
to understand.

1. For Pictures:
A. Write captions to explain pictures.
B. Choose illustrations carefully and use visual sequencing techniques to present complex
ideas.
C. Leave out unnecessary elements and avoid excessive detail.
 2. For Symbols:
A. Use color, position, size, and shape.
B. Use a combination of pictographs and words.
C. Use a combination of pictographs and words.

3. For Maps:
A. Restrict the number of visual symbols on maps.
B. Keep it simple.
C. Be consistent.

4. For Color:
A. Use color to express a certain emotion.
B. Use color to emphasize or play an element down.
C. Use color to show differences or similarities.
D. Use color to show differences or similarities.

Providing Emphasis - According to Pettersson (2015), emphasis in a visual message is achieved by

highlighting the most essential element and reducing the less essential ones. Sample manifestations of
this is light against dark, bold elements against a light space, change in size, directionality, etc.