A gap exists between the fields of visual rhetoric and newspaper graphic design caused by three factors: the historic division between words as communication tools and design as artistic effect, the relative youth of visual rhetoric, and the recent evolution of newspaper design as a visual language. This thesis establishes one bridge between visual rhetoric and newspaper graphic design by defining the rhetorical function of newspaper graphic design. Using case study methodology, this report focuses on the rhetorical role of newspaper design in an attempt to further understand how people extract meaning from the newspapers they read. By engaging readers with various newspaper pages and requiring them to comment on their direct interaction with the content, this research illuminates the role of newspapers' visual elements by exploring the following questions: What role do visual elements (i.e. pictures, graphics, color) play in a newspaper reader's meaning making processes? How do page layout and the presentation of story packages affect a reader's understanding and opinions of the information at hand? / Department of English