Beata Langer
This paper examines the concept of the artefact as a unit of information architecture in the visual communication of cultural institutions, using the text–image relationship in posts published on the British Library’s Instagram account as an example. The aim of the study is to demonstrate that individual posts can be analysed as visual-textual units of information architecture, in which the image of the artefact serves as the primary carrier of information, whilst the text layer organises interpretation and provides contextual meaning. The research material comprises posts published on the British Library’s account (selected either purposefully or chronologically). The unit of analysis is a single post, understood as a whole comprising a visual representation of the artefact and a text caption. The study will employ qualitative content analysis based on Philip Mayring’s model, modified to include elements of visual analysis and analysis of the relationship between the image and text layers. For the purposes of the analysis, a coding scheme has been developed covering, among other things, the type of artefact presented, the informational function of the image, the dominant function of the text caption, and the nature of the text–image relationship.
It is anticipated that the results of the study will enable the identification of recurring models of artefact-based visual communication, in which the image serves as an entry point to information, whilst the text organises its interpretation, provides historical context and directs the viewer’s attention. A preliminary analysis points to the existence of a coherent information architecture characteristic of institutions that collect and make knowledge resources available in digital environments.