OVERVIEW OF VISUALS

One look is worth a hundred reports.--Japanese proverb

We live in a visual society. With the advent of television and the increased sophistication of a variety of other visual media, we have become conditioned to accessing and acquiring information in visual form.

We cannot ignore this reality if we expect to communicate effectively within today's society. Our writing must include visuals if we are to gain and hold our readers' attention.

The Visual Advantage

Visuals are effective. Certain types of information are much easier to understand in visual form. Rather than encoding complex technical concepts in abstract words that are subject to misinterpretation, we can employ concrete visual representations that are more easily read and less likely to be misunderstood.

Visuals are efficient. Using them, we can quickly transmit data and ideas in ways that cannot be done with text:

• Tables display data concisely and effectively.
  
• Charts quickly reveal how data compare or
  contrast.
  
• Graphs efficiently define changing data
  relationships.
  
• Illustrations show configurations that would be
  difficult, if not impossible, to describe in words.

Visuals are dramatic, revealing, and stimulating. They focus attention and enhance our readers' abilities to understand, interpret, and remember information.

The Communications Challenge

In today's media-conscious society, our written documents must literally compete for attention. If we expect to communicate effectively in writing, words by themselves are no longer sufficient. We must also use visuals. Our text and visuals must work in harmony to ensure that our message will be heard.

Most people learn 80 percent of what they know visually--the remainder is acquired through the other senses.

The purpose of writing, especially technical writing, is to communicate accurately and efficiently. Visuals are ideally suited to that function.

Whoever controls the media--the images--controls the culture.--Allen Ginsberg