Picture This

Abstract

Corporate documents increasingly rely on visual rhetoric to complement text. Although previous studies have indicated that companies’ local culture may be reflected in the images they employ, scholars have never systematically investigated the use of visual rhetoric as it is used across different business cultures. This study analyzes visual rhetoric using a new model of visual metadiscourse—a set of devices that designers use to convey meaning in order to influence the audience’s interpretation of the text. The study compares the visual metadiscourse in photos used in English management statements in the annual reports of Dutch and U.K. companies. The results show that metadiscourse is inherent not only in the written text of a corporate document but also in the visuals that a design team chooses to include. The results also indicate that despite some similarities, Dutch-based and U.K.-based statements contain differences in their use of visual metadiscourse. Several of these differences can be attributed to cultural differences between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The study underlines the applicability of the new model and warns international text designers not to overlook cultural differences in visual metadiscourse.

A review and analysis of impression management with photographs in sustainability reporting

“…Also, ConocoPhillips’ (2017, p. 12) sustainability report depicts oil and gas refinery utilities at mid-ocean, reflecting the company’s efficient operations. These exterior visualizations, suggesting size and grandeur, may give users of these reports the feeling of awe in relation to a company’s identity (De Groot et al , 2016). Further, depictions of beautiful interior architecture may also elicit awe.…”

Metadiscourse in the Digital Academic Poster: Examining the Textual and Visual Metadiscourse in the Construction of Persuasion

“…Early work on metadiscourse in the construction of persuasion focuses on linguistic realisations. Only a few studies have examined the use of metadiscourse in multimodal documents such as in corporate annual reports (De Groot, Nickerson, Korzilius, & Gerritsen, 2015), community service announcements (Džanic ́ & Berberović, 2021), and social media advertisements (Al-Subhi, 2022).…”

But then something happened: A critical multimodal genre analysis of corporate image repair videos

“…These are exploited by text/genre producers often in deliberate ways, for example, when certain resources are chosen over others to convey particular meanings. In business contexts in particular, semiotic choices are not arbitrary but carefully selected, checked and monitored at various levels of organisational hierarchy to ensure that they align with organisational agendas, values and priorities (de Groot et al, 2016); they can therefore be considered indexicals of corporate values and ideologies.…”