International Visual Literacy Association

What International Visual Literacy Association does

The International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA) is a not-for-profit professional association founded in 1968 by John Debes of Kodak and Clarence Williams of the University of Rochester. Headquartered in Chicago and operating with 51-100 staff and volunteer leaders, IVLA functions as the principal international forum on visual literacy — the study of how humans derive meaning from images and visual environments. Its core offerings are knowledge products rather than technology products: the Journal of Visual Literacy (the oldest international journal in the field, published since 1989), the peer-reviewed annual Book of Selected Readings, the online publication Visual Literacy Today, and the flagship Annual Visual Literacy Conference, which since 2001 rotates internationally outside the U.S. every third year.

IVLA serves a multidisciplinary membership of educators, academics, museum and library professionals, artists and designers, healthcare practitioners using methods like PhotoVoice, and graduate students spanning institutions in the U.S., UK, Sweden, South Africa, Cyprus, Brazil, Canada, and Australia. Membership tiers, conference registrations, journal subscriptions, member discounts, research grants, and scholarships constitute the operating revenue model; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Supporting programs include annual juried art exhibitions (e.g., 'Art and Memory' 2025, 'Illuminating Perspectives' 2024), a member directory, conference recordings, a virtual symposium, and a historical research archive housed at Arizona State University's Hayden Library.

The organization is governed by a seven-officer executive committee plus an 11-member board, all serving staggered terms; the 2025-2026 Executive Committee is led by President Dana Thompson. IVLA does not operate traditional enterprise sales channels or proprietary software platforms, and its growth is driven by community-led, event-driven go-to-market motions anchored by the annual conference and the scholarly journal.

Name

International Visual Literacy Association

Legal name

International Visual Literacy Association

Website

https://ivla.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA) is a 1968-founded Chicago-based nonprofit professional association that operates as a global forum for visual literacy research, scholarship, and education. It serves educators, academics, museum and library professionals, artists, and graduate students through a peer-reviewed journal, an annual rotating international conference, publications, exhibitions, grants, and scholarships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Information & Media Literacy (Evaluate Sources, Misinformation) (EDAAAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

AI & Emerging Technology Literacy (EDAAAIAJ)

Keywords

• Visual literacy research
• Professional membership association
• Scholarly journal publishing
• Academic conference services
• Interdisciplinary education

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: IVLA generates revenue through annual membership fees, offering members access to peer-reviewed publications, the annual conference, exclusive members-only content, professional development opportunities, and a global community of professionals.
2. Conference Fees: Revenue generated from annual conference registrations, including the 58th conference hosted by The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC.
3. Publications and Journals: Revenue from the Journal of Visual Literacy (official scholarly journal since 1989), the annual Book of Selected Readings, and books by IVLA members. The Journal of Visual Literacy is the oldest international journal in the field of visual literacy.
4. Member Discounts: IVLA offers member discounts on various products and services including journals and publications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA) is a non-profit membership association founded in 1968 that serves as the premier international organization for visual literacy research, education, and practice. The organization offers scholarly publications (Journal of Visual Literacy, Book of Selected Readings, Visual Literacy Today), an annual international conference, juried art exhibitions, and various member services targeting educators, researchers, artists, designers, museum professionals, and librarians worldwide.

Product overview

The International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA) is an interdisciplinary not-for-profit association of researchers, educators, designers, media specialists, and artists. Rather than a unified software platform, IVLA operates as a professional organization offering a portfolio of scholarly products and services centered on visual literacy. Its core offerings include the Journal of Visual Literacy (the oldest international journal in the field, since 1989), the annual Book of Selected Readings (peer-reviewed conference papers published since 2014), the online publication Visual Literacy Today, and the Annual Visual Literacy Conference. Supporting services include art exhibitions, a member directory, conference recordings, newsletters, research grants, and scholarships. The association connects professionals from diverse disciplines including arts, sciences, education, communication, business, photography, instructional technology, health, and computer applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Journal of Visual Literacy: The official scholarly journal of IVLA, the oldest international journal in the field of visual literacy
• Book of Selected Readings
• Visual Literacy Today

Products and services

• Journal of Visual Literacy Scholarly peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to visual literacy research and theory, published since 1989 as the oldest international journal in the field. Targeted at researchers, educators, and practitioners in visual literacy.
• Book of Selected Readings
• Visual Literacy Today Online publication providing accessible content on visual literacy topics for the broader membership community and interested professionals.
• Annual Visual Literacy Conference IVLA's flagship annual international conference bringing together researchers, educators, artists, designers, and practitioners in visual literacy, with associated conference fees and registration.
• Annual Art Exhibitions Annual juried art exhibitions typically held in conjunction with the IVLA conference, showcasing works by member artists and providing exhibition opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members have access to the oldest international visual literacy journal (since 1989)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Arizona State University - Hayden LibraryminorOthers · 1 January 1988The Visual Literacy Collection was established in 1988 at Hayden Library, Arizona State University. The collection contains materials of John Debes, Joel Benedict, Lida Cochran, Priscilla Hardin, Barbara Seels, Ron Sutton, and many IVLA members. Dedicated as the 'Joel and Irene Benedict Visual Literacy Collection' in 1994 following a generous financial grant.
• Toledo Museum of ArtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Toledo Museum of Art partnered with the University of Toledo on an interdisciplinary faculty-led effort to bring visual literacy into the entire university curriculum. The museum provided visual literacy exercises and resources, and the partnership included presentations at faculty meetings, workshops, and open houses.
• The Gibbes Museum of ArtcoreOthersThe 58th IVLA conference will be hosted by The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina. This represents a conference hosting partnership between IVLA and the museum.
• Visual Literacy Today (co-development with Dana Statton-Thompson)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisual Literacy Today is a general-interest online publication exploring visual literacy for both academic and non-academic audiences. Co-developed with Dana Statton-Thompson, it incorporates an extensive bibliography of visual literacy resources.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Educational Research Association (AERA): AERA is the largest interdisciplinary educational research association in the world. As a broad incumbent, it publishes journals and hosts annual meetings that draw from many of the same academic researchers who participate in IVLA.
• National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE): NCTE is a large professional association for literacy educators that has expanded its definition of literacy to include visual, digital, and multimodal literacies. As a broader incumbent in literacy scholarship, it overlaps significantly with IVLA's educator-academic audience.
• College Art Association (CAA): CAA is the principal scholarly association for historians, theorists, and practitioners of the visual arts. While its focus is art historical, it covers many of the same university-based members and visual culture topics as IVLA.
• International Communication Association (ICA): ICA is the leading international academic association for communication studies, including visual communication research divisions. It is a broader incumbent covering many of the same scholars who publish in IVLA's Journal of Visual Literacy.

Emerging players

• International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE): ISTE is a membership organization for educators focused on educational technology. Its standards on digital citizenship and visual/digital communication partially overlap with IVLA's interests in visual communication technology.
• Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL): ACRL has increasingly emphasized visual and information literacy through its Framework for Information Literacy. It represents an adjacent professional community (academic librarians) that intersects with IVLA's visual literacy librarian members.

Direct peers

• Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT): AECT is an interdisciplinary association of instructional designers, educators, and technologists focused on using media and technology in learning. Its emphasis on visual communication and instructional technology aligns with IVLA's technology-oriented member work.
• Visual Studies Association (VSA): VSA is a UK-based international association for researchers working in visual culture, visual methods, and visual sociology. It is a direct peer in scholarly visual studies with overlapping audiences and similar interdisciplinary scope as IVLA.
• National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE): NAMLE is a U.S.-based nonprofit association advancing media literacy education across formal and informal settings. It directly parallels IVLA's mission with a stronger emphasis on media (rather than visual) literacy, making it the closest direct peer.
• National Art Education Association (NAEA): NAEA is a professional association for visual arts educators, serving K-12 and higher education art teachers. It overlaps IVLA on art-and-curriculum integration, school-delivered visual instruction, and museum-based programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VisualLiteracyA
• Facebookfacebook.com/internationalvisualliteracy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Visual Literacy Association