Visual+Literacy

The Overproteined Diagram shows how Americans are consuming too much protein. The diagram gives statistics on how many Big Macs Americans eat, the number of chickens that are raised and consumed by Americans, and how many hot dogs Americans are eating. Using the PAT (perception, action, and tools) model, this diagram can be interpreted. As for the perception, the diagram does a good job in showing the breakdown of each protein that is being consumed and even emphasizes the number of each that is being consumed. There are even appropriate pictures, a Big Mac to show the Big Mac numbers, the baby chicken and KFC bucket to represent the chickens, and a picture of a hot dog. This is good to help the reader to visual each protein and to get a good idea of what each square of the diagram represents. The negative part about the perception of this model is that all but the number of chickens is represented in millions and this can be a little confusing for the reader, at first glance. I also think the exact message that is trying to be conveyed is also a little confusing. I believe the message is trying to convey that Americans consume too much protein, but it takes a little while, and some reading to really figure this out. As for the action piece, the emphasis is on the number of each protein is consumed. The numbers are in bold and it appears to show the importance of the numbers, which are important because the diagram is supposed to represent how Americans consume too much protein. I do believe the use of the tools is poor. There are no differences in the font (size or shape), color, spacing, shape, or depth. All of the words (except for the numbers, which are bold) are exactly the same and that makes it a little difficult to figure out which piece is important. In order to improve the overall message that this diagram is trying to convey, I would suggest emphasizing which statistic is most important. Does the number of chickens being raised in America really suggest that America is overproteined as much as the number of chickens being eaten by Americans? The use of different color might make it more visually appealing too. Also the numbers are a little confusing too (like I mentioned earlier, having all but the number of chickens eaten in millions is a little confusing), so maybe changing that particular statistic or using different color or fonts or even a different placement (of each statistic square) might make that a little more understandable.