Not only do people encounter multimodal texts every day, but they also create them every day. Personal photo albums with captions, slide shows with images and audio voiceover, social media posts with images and words—these are just a few common genres of multimodal composition. Different genres afford a composer different opportunities for sharing and shaping a message. For example, someone who wants to provide categories and subcategories of information might build an informational Web site, especially if the material doesn’t need to be viewed in a particular sequence. If the order of information is essential, the composer might choose instead to create an informational video, to ensure that no one views the material out of order. When you’re analyzing multimodal compositions, identify the genre and ask yourself why the composer chose that genre. The following chart shows common genres of multimodal compositions.
GenreDescription
| Informative Web site | Informative Web sites usually present statistics, research data, definitions, or other factual information. The Web site format allows composers to provide a large amount of information in manageable categories. A public transit Web site might, for example, have separate pages for timetables, maps, and policies. |
| Artistic video | Composers use artistic videos to present ideas on personal, political, environmental, and other themes. The video format allows composers to control the sequence of ideas. |
| Instructional video | Instructional videos often demonstrate steps for learning, creating, or installing something. A furniture manufacturer may, for example, provide an informational video to demonstrate the step-by-step assembly of a chair. |
| Slide presentation | Composers typically use slide presentations to present ideas and information in small chunks and in a particular sequence. A presenter might use slides to show how a proposed business plan could lead to corporate growth, for example. |
| Print advertisement | Print advertisements often occupy all or part of a page in a magazine, journal, or newspaper and can be used to promote products, services, or events. Because their space is limited and most readers won’t spend more than a few seconds looking at them, print advertisements need to present key information at a glance. |
| Television commercial | In general, television commercials promote products, services, or events. Usually less than a minute long, commercials often rely on jingles and slogans to engage the viewer and convey their message in a quick, memorable way. |