positioned in the bottom right corner, leading the reading path to the lower part of the text
where the city is depicted. The highly suggestive picture displays a night firework scene in
Valletta, depicting the imposing Maltese architectural heritage. As already mentioned, the
enlightened city occupies a lower, horizontal section of the image, while the upper twothirds
of the space feature the dark red sky. On the central extreme right is the firework
ball light, the light source for the whole scene and the starting point of the circular
reading path that ends at the black tower in the lower left corner. No people appear in
the image, as if to invite the viewer to enter the depicted space (Dann, 1996b). Coherently,
the adoption of a subjective perspective between high and eye angle and middle distance
invites the viewer to admire the festa lights from a close viewpoint.
To sum up, the visual text can be seen as playing a pivotal function in image destination
formation. In the MTA brochure, it seems to fulfil ideational, interpersonal and textual functions:
it introduces the core values, captures the viewer’s attention and frames a recognizable
and cohesive layout. By themeans of interpersonal devices like angle, size of frame, social distance,
Malta is visually represented as a welcoming site. However, these assumptions need to
be checked, through a closer examination of the verbal text. In fact, visual design more effectively
performs meaning when co-occurring and interplaying with writing (Kress, 2009).
Figure 4. The brochure cover.
# MTA. Reproduced with permission
Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change 349
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