Visual Persuasion

Paul Messaris is Lev Kuleshov Professor of Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. He teaches and does research in the area of visual communication and digital media. Recent publications include: The Visual Rhetoric of Social-Cause Photography? (Visual Communication Quarterly, 2012), Visual Literacy in the Digital Age? (Review of Communication, 2012), and How to Make Money from Subliminal Advertising and Motivation Research? (International Journal of Communication, 2013). He was the recipient of the National Communication Association's 1996 Diamond Anniversary Book Award for "Visual Literacy: Image, Mind, and Reality" (Westview Press). His film "The Harmful Effects of Violent Movies," a satirical portrait of academic research, was nominated as Best Feature Film at the International Film Festival of England in 2008.

Introduction A Theory of Images in Advertising PART ONE: IMAGE AS SIMULATED REALITY Pictures and Reality Visual Form and Style Can Pictures Bridge Cultures? PART TWO: IMAGE AS EVIDENCE Visual Truth, Visual Lies PART THREE: IMAGE AS IMPLIED SELLING PROPOSITION Editing and Montage Showing the Unspoken Epilogue Ethics of Visual Persuasion