Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Chapter 7 Visual Rhetoric and Using Visuals

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Pictorial representations other than written text (words) used to convey meaning and information to an audience Visuals

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Graphics ‣ Visuals that appear to be “rendered” or “drawn,” such as charts, tables, maps, graphs, and diagrams

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Images ‣ Photographic or “real” visuals, such as photographs, screen captures, or even moving images like video clips or animations

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Deciding when to use visuals, which ones, and where to place them is an important part of rhetorical thinking

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Visual Rhetoric Refers to the way visuals communicate meaning to readers bigfoto.com

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Visuals ‣ Increase comprehension ‣ Clarify difficult or abstract information ‣ Provide examples of written descriptions ‣ Illustrate processes ‣ Depict relationships between information ‣ Emphasize important information

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. ‣ Highlight key points ‣ Gain attention of the audience ‣ Establish authority ‣ Reach a broader audience ‣ Improve organization ‣ Simplify information retention Visuals

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Types of Visuals bigfoto.com

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Graphics

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Icons ‣ Derives from the Greek word eikon, which literally means “image” ‣ Are visual metaphors because they denote more than what is literally present

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Workplace Icons ‣ Represent brands, or logos ‣ Represent emotions ‣ Alert or emphasize

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Guidelines for Making Icons ‣ Understand what you need the icon to represent ‣ Understand the words or words it stands for ‣ Develop a list of all of the terms that need to be represented in a single icon ‣ Sketch ideas for the icon ‣ Make the icon in a graphics program

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Graphs ‣ Are diagrams that represent the relationships between at least two kinds of quantifiable information ‣ Depict information along two axes: each axis represents one component of information ‣ Are generally three types: bar graphs, line graphs, and pictographs

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Bar Graphs ‣ Are also known as histograms ‣ Depict comparisons between similar kinds of information ‣ Emphasize quantity ‣ Are used with numeric information

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Line Graphs ‣ Are also known as frequency polygons ‣ Depict information over a period of time ‣ May represent multiple pieces of similar data to compare changes in multiple situations

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Pictographs ‣ Use pictures or icons to represent numeric information ‣ Are usually easy to read and function much like bar graphs ‣ Are most often used in documents that address general readers

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Charts ‣ Represent information visually ‣ Make it easier for readers to understand data and relationships between various data ‣ Are generally three types: pie charts, flow charts, and organizational charts

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Pie Charts ‣ Are circular charts that represent divisions within a whole ‣ Represent percentages by dividing into representative sections

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Flow Charts ‣ Depict a process or a procedure ‣ Can be useful for solving problems ‣ Have developed as problem solving tools

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Four Primary Flow Charts ‣ Top-down flow charts start at the top and present the primary steps of the process drawn vertically ‣ Work flow diagrams illustrate the flow of work ‣ Deployment flow charts show not only how a process flows, but identify who is responsible for each part of that process ‣ Detailed Flow Charts depict all the steps and sequences in a process, including the relationships between various internal stages of the process

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Organizational Charts ‣ Show the administrative, managerial, and staff structures of organizations ‣ Display relationships between each level and identify paths of responsibility and authority

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Line Drawings ‣ Are simple drawings used to represent objects ‣ Are useful in documents like instruction manuals because they show specific parts or steps within a larger process

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Images bigfoto.com

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Photographs ‣ Can be effective in manuals and instructions by showing the exact objects used in a process ‣ Can be useful in accident and field reports because they depict a scene as the viewer sees it

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Screen Shots Are useful when describing a computer process or showing software features or applications freeimages.co.uk

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Video & Animation ‣ Provide a good method for showing readers/viewers exact processes ‣ Convey information quickly ‣ Add eye-catching and professional touches to web pages and e-manuals

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Find Visuals ‣ In databases, usually for a fee ‣ With Web searches, usually with permission ‣ Using clip art, from previously printed materials ‣ By making your own images and graphics with software, like draw, spreadsheets, word processors, and image manipulators

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Use Color ‣ To highlight or draw attention ‣ To demarcate textual divisions ‣ To identify a particular part of a document or kind of text ‣ To clarify organization and relationships between textual elements ‣ To improve the aesthetic and professional quality of your document

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Using Visuals ‣ Make visuals relevant to the document ‣ Make visuals as clear as possible ‣ Keep your visuals as simple as possible ‣ Use familiar visuals for wider appeal ‣ Sequence visuals from top to bottom ‣ Strive for moderation

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. ‣ Informal documents include a list of visuals and caption ‣ List All numbered visuals in a “Table of Figures” or “Table of Illustrations” ‣ Use call outs — textual highlights provided in a visual to clarify or highlight information — when necessary Using Visuals