Image and Word: Fies' Lecture

Graphic novelist Brian Fies delivered a lecture based on his comics Mom's Cancer and Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow where he spoke about the relationship of image and word and how they work together to create an experience for the reader/viewer. He talked about how our memories work and how they are actually a lot like comics. When you think in your mind your basically talking to yourself and creating the narrative while your mind is producing images that correspond with each memory. Combining words and images can help communicate ideas or feelings in ways that obviously just words or pictures alone can't. There are always times when words fall short of what we really mean and often times there is too much room for interpretation in an image alone. In comics and graphic novels words and images and equally important in creating a specific moment or feeling or idea. I feel like using words and images together is necessary when there is less room for interpretation and when someone really needs to communicate something clearly and concise so that the viewer/reader has the best possible chance of understanding what the author/creator is feeling/saying. For example when you look at an image by itself it may or may not have a narrative but you can certainly give it one after looking it over and giving a quick analysis. And if you're reading a book it may be descriptive but your mind still produces its own images that are most likely different from some one reading the same book. But when you combine words and images they create a more complete picture that has more restrictions in terms of interpretation. While I was searching for an example of Fie's comic I found this, http://www.brightoutcome.com/brightoutcome_patients.html where a healthcare provider used his comic to show the lack of communication between the doctors and patients.

Even the healthcare system understands that using words and images together is a great way to clearly communicate important ideas and information. In terms of design there's no question of whether the use of words and images is a good thing or a bad thing, more of whether or not its appropriate in the given situation and successfully delivers the author's message.