Unit 3: Rhetorical Analysis Application
This assignment asks you take a close look at visual designs and make observations about the rhetorical strategies that different designs use. In analyzing these strategies, you can start thinking about the rhetorical decisions you want to make in your own application. The end product for this project is a 1,000-word explanation and mock design of an application. The details are found below.
Feeder 3.1 –due 4/9
Collect 2 designed texts from at least 2 genres of design (so 4 designs total, 2 per genre). By “designed texts” I mean a mix of words and/or images that are intended to stand alone and to serve some particular purpose. Consider using advertising, splash screens, pages from textbooks, trailers, book covers, political ads, DVD covers, menus, etc. By “genre” I mean some category of design that makes sense to you–consider things such as watch ads, soup labels, university websites, hip hop artist teeshirts, etc.
Next to each design, closely read each one, what sort of strategies and aesthetics does the form take? Do the design strategies work to create an ethical appeal (ethos)? a pathetic appeal (pathos)? or a logical appeal (logos)? (or a little of each?) HOW do they work to create this appeal? Who is the audience for these designs, what ideologies are at play for this audience, and why might these types of appeals work?
You will write down your observations of the strategies used in the categories you’ve identified in a brief analysis of 450-750 words.
Feeder 3.2–due 4/16
By the end of our second week together for this unit, you should have two genres of design, and a list of the rhetorical strategies you noticed in each genre of design
Pick ONE genre from your designs and find at least two strategies that genre uses in order to be persuasive. Then, you will prototype your own application from that genre. Consider audience and rhetorical situation when thinking about what application you want to develop. Then in 450-750 words, describe how you will design your application and what will your application do?
Unit 3 –due April 23rd
You will design an application mockup using Adobe XD and write at least a 1,000 word paper on your design of the application
It is key that you do the following:
- Include a clear thesis statement
- Explain the genre
- Describe the purpose of your application
- Describe the audience of your application, thinking about what ideologies circulate for this group.
- Describe what type of appeals are at play within your category. Do other applications within your category use the same appeal? Why might this be? Are there outliers? Why might this be?
Requirements:
- At least 1,000 words (excluding works cited)
- must cite and reference your evidence
- works cited page
- At least 3 designs ATTACHED to the paper (can be in PDF)