Welcome.

Visual Literacy Today is an ongoing conversation about visual literacy, a field of study and practice that explores how we see and interpret images, how we use visuals to convey meaning and what it means to be literate in a digital age.

We understand visual literacy to be defined as: “an interconnected set of practices, habits, and values for participating in visual culture that can be developed through critical, ethical, reflective, and creative engagement with visual media” – Maggie Murphy, Unframing the Visual: Visual Literacy Pedagogy in Academic Libraries and Information (forthcoming, Fall 2023).

We welcome contributions from all disciplines – within and outside of academia – to help us create a body of content that truly reflects the breadth, complexity and potential of visual literacy today. 

This website is home to Dana Statton Thompson’s Recommended Reads, an extensive, annotated bibliography of visual literacy. Whether you are new to visual literacy or a seasoned expert, this reading list gives an excellent snapshot of research across the field.