Extended Abstract: Re-thinking the Role of the Visual in Professional Communication: the Case for a Liberal Arts Core

Abstract

As professional communication roles have continued to expand, and the technologies that support our work have become more complex, a disconnect between thinking and making has become more possible. This is particularly true for visual communication, which is inextricably tied to technical skills. If pedagogy focuses on design principles and tool skills, we risk preparing makers who may not understand the ways visual information wields power, shapes perceptions, and reflects deeply embedded social practices. Re-envisioning the position of liberal arts in professional communication curricula can foster the foundation needed to craft effective visual rhetoric for a diversity of users and communication problems.