viscom: reading/ anatomy of a visual message

the Dondis reading described the three different ways of communication: representational, symbolic and abstract. i learned that ways can be used in a variety of ways including with each other to create a more complex meaning.

representational is factual or more related to real life while symbolism and abstraction are more conceptual. symbolism is used by representation in an object. in order for a symbol to be effective it must not only be "seen and recognized but also remembered and reproduced". unlike symbolism, abstraction requires reduction of visual detail to its minimum.