Amazon.com (ISBN 189263709X, Paperback)

Uh-oh, McLuhan was right. As our information stream meets a confluence of new media, our language has changed accordingly. Stanford scholar Robert E. Horn lays it all out for us in Visual Language, incorporating visual elements with writing to show and tell simultaneously. Reminiscent of Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, the book thoroughly explains how we recognize and interpret this new language; rather than teaching us how to read or write, it lays the groundwork for better use of the still-evolving communication tool.

Simple clip art and occasionally confusing text boxes amply demonstrate that this language is unfinished and even uncomfortable for some readers--but the power of combining graphics and words still shines through. Complex issues and wide ranges of opinion can be grasped quickly and particular problems can be highlighted for greater scrutiny. (It's no accident that Horn is best known as a pioneer of hypertext.)

Sections cover the basic units and form, semantics, and pragmatics, exploring all elements of advertising, comics, static multimedia, and other uses of visual language. Anyone who is involved in advertising or uses PowerPoint professionally--or just wants insight into the new directions our language is taking--should read Visual Language carefully for clues to the future of communication. --Rob Lightner