Chapter 14. Creating Graphics © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's1 Graphics Are Important in Technical Communication Because They Can: Help you communicate information that is difficult to communicate with words Help you clarify and emphasize information Catch the reader's attention and interest Help nonnative speakers of English understand the information Help communicate information to multiple audiences with different interests, aptitudes, and reading habits

Chapter 14. Creating Graphics © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's2 Graphics Offer Benefits That Words Alone Cannot: Graphics are almost indispensable in demonstrating logical and numerical relationships. Graphics can communicate spatial information more effectively than words alone. Graphics can communicate steps in a process more effectively than words alone. Graphics can save space.

Chapter 14. Creating Graphics © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's3 Characteristics of an Effective Graphic A graphic should have a purpose. A graphic should be honest. A graphic should be simple and uncluttered. A graphic should present a manageable amount of information. A graphic should meet the reader's format expectations. A graphic should be clearly labeled.

Chapter 14. Creating Graphics © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's4 Integrating Graphics and Text Place the graphic in an appropriate location. Introduce the graphic in the text. Explain the graphic in the text. Make the graphic clearly visible. Make the graphic accessible.

Chapter 14. Creating Graphics © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's5 Four Aspects of the Document to Consider as You Plan Graphics Audience Purpose The kind of information you want to communicate Physical conditions

Chapter 14. Creating Graphics © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's6 Principles of Using Color in Graphics and Page Design Use color to emphasize particular items. Use color to create patterns. Take advantage of any symbolic meanings colors may already have. Use contrast effectively. Don't overdo it.

Chapter 14. Creating Graphics © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's7 Basic Kinds of Graphics Used to Display Numerical Values Tables Bar graphs Pictographs Line graphs Pie charts

Chapter 14. Creating Graphics © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's8 Creating Effective Tables and Graphs Indicate the units of measure. List the items being compared. Arrange the data clearly and logically. Do the math. If possible, begin the quantity scale at zero. Use tick marks—marks along the axis— or grid lines to signal the amounts. If you did not generate the information yourself, indicate your source.

Chapter 14. Creating Graphics © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's9 Creating Effective Pie Charts Restrict the number of slices to six or seven. Begin with the largest slice at the top and work clockwise in decreasing-size order, unless you have a good reason to arrange them otherwise. Include a miscellaneous slice for very small quantities that would make the chart unclear. Label the slices (horizontally, not radially) inside the slice, if space permits.

Chapter 14. Creating Graphics © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's10 Creating Effective Pie Charts (cont.) To emphasize one slice, use a bright, contrasting color or separate the slice from the pie. Check to see that your software follows the appropriate guidelines for pie charts. Don't overdo fill patterns. Check that your percentages add up to 100.

Chapter 14. Creating Graphics © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's11 Graphics Used to Illustrate Visual and Spatial Characteristics Photographs Screen shots Line drawings Maps

Chapter 14. Creating Graphics © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's12 Presenting Photographs Effectively Eliminate extraneous background clutter that can distract your reader. Do not electronically manipulate the photograph. Help the reader understand the perspective. If appropriate, include some common object, such as a coin or a ruler, in the photograph to give readers a sense of scale.

Chapter 14. Creating Graphics © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's13 Three Advantages of Line Drawings over Photographs Line drawings can focus the reader's attention on desired information better than a photograph can. Line drawings can highlight information that might be obscured by bad lighting or a bad angle in a photograph. Line drawings are sometimes easier for readers to understand than photographs are.

Chapter 14. Creating Graphics © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's14 Creating Effective Graphics for Multicultural Readers Be aware that reading patterns differ. Be aware of varying cultural attitudes toward giving instruction. Deemphasize trivial details. Avoid culture-specific language, symbols, and references. Portray people very carefully. Be particularly careful in portraying hand gestures.

Chapter 14. Creating Graphics © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's15 You Do Not Need to Cite Graphics in the Following Cases: You created the graphic yourself. Your organization owns the copyright to the graphic. You are using the graphic in a document that is written for a course assignment and that will not be published. The graphic is in the public domain and therefore is not covered by copyright laws.