About Us

The International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA) is a not-for-profit association of researchers, educators, designers, media specialists, and artists dedicated to the principles of visual literacy.

Our Objectives

IVLA was formed for the purpose of providing a forum for the exchange of information related to visual literacy. We are also concerned with issues dealing with education, instruction and training in modes of visual communication and their application through the concept of visual literacy to individuals, groups, organizations, and to the public in general.

Our Members

Our members represent a wide range of disciplines including the arts, sciences, education, communication, business, videography, photography, instructional technology, health, and computer applications. We invite you to join us in the lively debates of our field, and we look forward to forming lasting professional and personal friendships.

Our History

The International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA) was founded by John Debes of Kodak and Clarence Williams of the University of Rochester.  Lida Cochrane, an early and long time member, recalled that Debes was writing programs at Kodak expounding the ideas that “visuals are a language … in order to use and create pictures … you are using a language and…visual literacy then came into being.” In 1968, Debes and Williams, along with a selected group of people interested in various aspects of visuals in education and communication met to plan a conference on visual literacy. This group initiated IVLA with the first conference in March, 1969, when about 350 people from many disciplines gathered in Rochester to present papers and discuss their theories and applications of visuals.

Since then, the association members and participants have traveled the world. Symposia and then conferences have been held each year and starting in 2001, the annual conference became truly international when it began to travel outside the US every third year. Conferences have been hosted in England, Sweden, South Africa, Cyprus, Brazil, Canada, among others, and many states in the U.S.

The first publication of the IVLA was called, simply, Newsletter, and was edited by Dennis Pett of Indiana University. Following this, the Journal of Visual/Verbal Language was established and published from 1981-1988. Since 1989, the Journal of Visual Literacy has been the official scholarly journal of the IVLA. It is now the oldest international journal in the field of visual literacy. Additionally, each year a Selected Readings is published featuring outstanding articles from the conferences.

In 1988, the Visual Literacy Collection was established at the Hayden Library of the Arizona State University and contains the collections of John Debes, Joel Benedict, Lida Cochran, Priscilla Hardin, Barbara Seels, Ron Sutton, and many IVLA members. It was dedicated the ‘Joel and Irene Benedict Visual Literacy Collection’ in 1994 to honor the generous financial grant from the Benedicts.

The IVLA celebrated its 50th Anniversary in November, 2018 and the organization has maintained its multidisciplinary focus and its global reach. Membership has included educators, academics, artists, museum experts, practitioners, and others. The conferences and journal continue to attract a multidisciplinary group dedicated to sharing new ideas, research, and activities to expand our understanding of visual creation, meaning, interpretation, and the best ways to improve visual communication.

(Quotation is from DeVaney, Ann (2018).  IVLA remembrances. JVL 37, 3-4, pg. 240.)

Become an IVLA member today and connect with experts from around the world. You can also find out more about our Governance and Board or Contact Us with any questions.