Considering Visual Elements

\Seurat, Georges. "Gray Weather" 1888
Public Domain

Below, I discuss the importance of visual elements in a writing piece, as they pose as a means to draw in the reader and keep interests active. I will also be answering questions regarding the use of visual aids from the Writing Public Lives readings.

• How might I vary the fonts in my project for emphasis?

I will vary the fonts for headings and subheadings to indicate a change in ideas or to highlight a significant concept.

• How might I vary the fonts used in my project for emphasis, such as in the title and body of my project?

1. The fonts should not be too frequent and only used when emphasizing a crucial point in your article.
2. The title font should be larger than the normal text to indicate the overall issue address in the piece as well as grab the reader's attention.

• Is the feeling or tone that the image invokes appropriate to the visual-rhetorical tone of my argument?

1. The image I plan on using will be relevant to my issue. Most likely a snap shot of the gene sequencing process or a portrait of a prominent figure in the gene mapping industry. If I use this type of image, the tone will be more academic or civil; therefore, being similar to the tone I will use throughout the piece. 

• Is the image in close proximity to the argument that it is emphasizing or illustrating?

1. I will most likely use only one picture for my piece, since the magazine I am imitating in my work usually has one large image atop of the main body paragraphs.
2. The use for multiple pictures my take away the credibility of my work, since my main goal in this article is to give statistical data as well as a position argument supporting the Pro-sequencing stance on the debate.

• If your project contains large blocks of text, could they be broken up more efficiently using text boxes, lines, headings, or images?

1. I plan on keeping each paragraph brief and readable. So the use of multiple pictures will not really fit in this type of genre. The use of many headings and subheadings may confuse the reader or overwhelm the idea with many trivial points.

• If you are calling your audience to take action, are the consequences of not taking action and the benefits of taking action clearly expressed?

1. My genre isn't formatted to entice my audience into "taking action" on the issue, rather informing the audience of a specific issue in the medical field, discrediting the attacks made on the gene sequencing technology, giving the reader reasons why I support the use of gene mapping technologies in a hospital setting, and allude to the benefits of gene mapping in society in terms of job growth and personalized healthcare. 

Reflection: 

After reading the posts made by Morgan and Kelly, I now feel more confident writing in a format style that strictly keeps with the logistics and ethical argumentation of a issue. The idea of using multiple pictures or an frequent use of heading/subheadings seems excessive. My genre is purely an informative text that addresses an issue regarding the medical field of study, discredits the opposing argument by noting its ethical and statistical inconsistencies, and leaves enough article "room" to present my position on the issue. I want my article to be readable and and easy to comprehend to a large general audience, therefore the use of complex rhetoric or extensive research analysis would be ineffective.