Comparisons can be made using several methods. These methods can be divided in visual and textual. Combining textual and visual comparisons will lead to a better understanding and can result in synergy of image and text.

Figurative language

Figurative language is when you use a word or phrase that does not have its normal everyday, literal meaning.

A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things through the explicit use of connecting words such as like, so, as, than, or various verbs such as resemble. This often creates a new meaning.

Examples:

• There’s no place like home / Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.
• This house is as clean as a whistle.

A metaphor is a figure of speech which makes an implicit or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated though they do have some common characteristics. It is up to the reader to figure out what is meant because it is not explicitly stated.

Examples:

• He was drowning in paperwork.
• My heart is broken.
• It’s raining men.

An analogy is a slightly more complex comparison to show how two different things are similar. Some analogies will be understood by most people that speak the same language. Within small social groups of people, there are often shared analogies that bind the group together. Other analogies are only understood by people living in a certain region or country.

Examples:

• The relationship between them began to thaw.
• I am going to be toast when I get home.
• Just as a caterpillar comes out of its cocoon, so we must come out of our comfort zone.