Louder Than Words

The field of public relations is changing – the look of a message is now just as important as the message itself. Louder Than Words is the first book that presents the fundamentals of visual communication to public relations practitioners. Whether you're a just starting out in the field, or have experience using social media platforms with graphic design tools built in, the information offered in this book will give you the knowledge you need to make your designs have the kind of impact that speaks louder than words.  Louder Than Words describes fundamental theories of public relations principles, layout and graphic design fundamentals, and case studies that illustrate how messaging and storytelling have shifted in public relations over the last twenty years with an increasing emphasis on the visual quality of communication. This book is the first of its kind in uniting public relations theory and graphic design, two areas that have historically been taught in separate departments at the university level (Department of Communication vs. Department of Art/Graphic Design—one is theory based and the other is practice based). For future students and practitioners, Louder Than Words demonstrates the potential for more in-depth discussions on the need and significance for this kind of interdisciplinary approach to visual communication.

Table of Contents:
preface introduction American Origins of Public Relations Swaying Early Adopter The White Paper The Press Release Timeline/ Public Relations: Into the Digital Age 01 / public relations: Theories & Strategies in Brief Diffusion of Innovation Theory Adopter Categories Agenda Setting & Agenda Building Theory Timeline / The Power of Agenda Building Two-step Flow Model Framing Theory Situational Crisis Communication Theory PESO: Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned Media RPIE: Research, Planning, Implementation & Evaluation 02 / logic & magic Bridging the Gap The Shift 03 / graphic design Graphic Design tells Stories Storylines Outline/The Narrative Arc Who are you Designing for? 04 / design layouts The Grid System History Types of Grids Rule of Thirds Rule of Odds The Golden Ratio Notable Designers 05 / typography What is Typography? What does Type do? Hierarchy Categories of Type Pairing Type Emphasizing Type Putting Type in a Box Kerning & Leading Typesetting Guidelines Widows & Orphans 06 / composition Principles Proximity Alignment Contrast Repetition Balance Proportion Space Movement 07 / color Color Wheel Color Theory Subtractive Additive Color Themes Complementary Split Complementary Analogous Triadic Monotone/Monochromatic Other Terms Warm vs. Cool Putting Colors Together CYMK & RGB