Wei-Chen Hsu

Department: Information Design

THE FRAMES OF MERCY

WHAT
A study of the visual language used by charities to convey the value of mercy. Ishtar (Wei-Chen) Hsu takes the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation as a case study. This Taiwanese NGO has over 10 million members in 47 countries.

WHY
The foundation has a highly successful global communication strategy. By analysing its methods, it is possible to understand how the foundation is able to engage so many people.

HOW
Ishtar (Wei-Chen) Hsu uses the sociological concept of ‘collective action frames’ to study the foundation’s television documentaries. She colour codes the characters, classifies the metaphors used, as well as gestures such as giving, and signs of cooperation. The colours help to expose what is happening in each image.

QUOTE
By cataloguing communication methods, you understand what works.