Language Level 4: Graphology

Graphology is the analysis of the physical characteristics and patterns of handwriting.
It can be considered as the ‘visual aspects’ of the written language which includes typography, layout, and other visual features, and how they contribute to meaning within a text.
It is a level of language that is often used in conjunction with other levels to depict meaning and context.
Elements that come under graphology include typeface (font), and formatting elements, such as size of text, spacing, underlining, italics, bolding, and use of capital letters.
Graphology also considers visual images as part of texts, including logos, illustrations, and emojis as many of these can carry symbolic meaning.
Page layout is another important aspect in graphology, this could be the placement of images and texts, text columns, headlines, and bullet points.
In printed texts, consideration may also be given to the colours used, use of lines (straight, wavy, etc.) to divide sections of text, or to draw attention towards or away from particular pieces of information.
When analysing digital texts, hyperlinks, use of multimedia (visual, aural, spatial), icons, buttons, and menus can also be topics for consideration.
Graphology is particularly significant in advertising and media texts, but can be observed in all types of written communication.
When interpreting or creating texts, it’s important to consider how graphological choices can impact perception and interpretation.
Practical applications of graphology focus on understanding the writer or targeted readership, especially with regards to understanding how differing visual layouts or styles can impact readability and reader engagement.
Finally, keep in mind that graphology is not an isolated level of language. It always interacts with other language levels and should be considered in combination with lexical, grammatical, semantic and phonological features for a comprehensive textual analysis.