An Investigation Into the Role of Visual Rhetoric and Ethos in Corporate Visual Identity Jennifer R
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Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2009 More than decoration: An investigation into the role of visual rhetoric and ethos in corporate visual identity Jennifer R. Veltsos Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, and the Rhetoric and Composition Commons Recommended Citation Veltsos, Jennifer R., "More than decoration: An investigation into the role of visual rhetoric and ethos in corporate visual identity" (2009). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 10643. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/10643 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. More than decoration: An investigation into the role of visual rhetoric and ethos in corporate visual identity by Jennifer R. Veltsos A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Rhetoric & Professional Communication Program of Study Committee: Charles Kostelnick, Major Professor Lee Honeycutt Barbara Blakely Margaret LaWare Debra Satterfield Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2009 Copyright © Jennifer R. Veltsos, 2009. All rights reserved. ii DEDICATION To Noah, who was with me at the start of this journey. To Nikolas, who was with me at the end of it. And to Chris, who was beside me all the way. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables .............................................................................................................................................. iv List of Figures .............................................................................................................................................. v Abstract ....................................................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Introduction: Visual Communication and Professional Communication Intersect ..... 1 Understanding “Corporate Visual Identity” ......................................................................... 2 Visual Identity and Visual Rhetoric ........................................................................................ 6 Why Study Corporate Visual Identity? .................................................................................. 8 Corporate Visual Identity, Start-ups, and Ethos ................................................................ 10 Chapter 2: Literature Review & Theoretical Framework: The Role of Visual Rhetoric and Ethos in Corporate Visual Identity .................................................................................................................... 15 The Importance of Establishing Ethos ............................................................................... 17 The Role of Rhetoric in Visual Communication ................................................................ 21 Visual Rhetoric and Professional Communication ............................................................ 24 A Need for Design Heuristics ............................................................................................... 28 Chapter 3: Research Methodology: Analyzing Corporate Visual Identity ........................................ 30 Qualitative Research Methodology ...................................................................................... 32 Research Philosophy .............................................................................................................. 33 Research Participants .............................................................................................................. 34 Data Collection........................................................................................................................ 35 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 40 Chapter 4: Results of Interviews: How Organizations Create Corporate Visual Identity.............. 44 Voices of Experience ............................................................................................................. 45 Voices of the Novices ............................................................................................................ 50 What the Interviews Reveal About Creating Corporate Visual Identity ........................ 61 Chapter 5: Results of Document Analysis: The Methods and Techniques Behind Corporate Visual Identity ............................................................................................................................................ 65 The Elements of a Corporate Visual Identity ..................................................................... 65 Use of Typical Design Techniques in the Corporate Visual Identities ........................... 78 Using the Visual Techniques in Concert ............................................................................. 85 What the Techniques Imply About the Novice Designers .............................................. 92 Chapter 6: Conclusion and Implications: Visual Rhetoric in the Professional Communication Classroom ................................................................................................................................................... 95 The Link Between Ethos and Visual Identity ..................................................................... 96 Design Methods Used by Entrepreneurs ............................................................................ 97 Design Techniques in the Professional Documents .......................................................... 98 Implications for Visual Rhetoric & Professional Communication Pedagogy ................ 99 Suggestions for Future Research ....................................................................................... 102 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 104 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................ 105 Appendix A Prospecting Letter ........................................................................................................... 114 Appendix B Sample Interview Questions .......................................................................................... 117 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ 120 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Summary of data collected from participants. ....................................................................... 41 Table 2 Analysis codes developed from interviews with the nine participants. .............................. 41 Table 3 The continua of visual techniques used to evaluate sample documents............................. 43 Table 4 A categorization of the visual techniques described by Dondis (1973).. ............................ 79 Table 5 A suggestion for teaching students how to experiment with visual techniques ............. 101 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 The icon used by Sebastien’s university. ................................................................................ 66 Figure 2 Emily's pet services logo .......................................................................................................... 67 Figure 3 Emily's secondary icon. ............................................................................................................ 67 Figure 4 Sarah's new logo featuring her main puppet. ........................................................................ 68 Figure 5 The photograph that functioned as Sarah's former logo. .................................................... 68 Figure 6 Two versions of Susan's logo.. ................................................................................................ 68 Figure 7 An imitation of Scott's logotype. ............................................................................................. 69 Figure 8 Photos of Scott's facility featuring actual clients ................................................................... 75 Figure 9 Sarah's new photo.. ................................................................................................................... 75 Figure 10 Emily's pet taxi graphic........................................................................................................... 77 Figure 11 Predictability, regularity, sequentiality, and singularity. .................................................................. 80 Figure 12 Balance and symmetry ................................................................................................................. 81 Figure 13 Complexity , fragmentation , and intricacy ...................................................................................... 82 Figure 14 Boldness , neutrality , and accent . ................................................................................................... 83 Figure 15: The typical "quadrant" business card layout.