Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Chapter 8 Visual Rhetoric and Technical Communication

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Visuals  Pictorial representations other than written text (words) used to convey meaning and information to an audience  Can be classified as “graphics” or “images,” although all three terms are often used interchangeably

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 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 / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Images  Visuals that are photographic or realistic- looking visuals, such as photographs, screen captures or moving images like video clips or animations

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Visual Rhetoric  Refers to the way visuals communicate meaning to readers  Creates questions about:  The kinds of visuals writers should use  What those visuals should look like  Where those visuals should be placed  How written and visual elements will interact

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Using the Problem-Solving Approach with Visuals  Plan by identifying stakeholders and the information to be presented  Research how to produce the visuals  Draft, being mindful of design and persuasive strategies  Revise based on feedback and usability  Distribute after checking file size

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Communicating with Readers  Visuals increase comprehension:  By clarifying difficult or abstract information  By illustrating relationships between information  By organizing information for clarity and access  Visuals gain attention:  By emphasizing key information  By highlighting specific information

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Communicating with Readers  Visuals establish authority:  By evoking a sense of accuracy and professionalism  Visuals communicate with a broader audience:  By being understood by diverse groups

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Types of Graphics  Icons  Graphs  Charts

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Icons  Icons are visual metaphors because they denote more than what is literally present.  In the workplace, icons can:  Represent brands or logos  Represent emotions  Alert or emphasize

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Guidelines for Making an Icon  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 / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Graphs  Are diagrams that represent the relationships among quantifiable information  Depict information along two axes, each of which represents one component of information  Generally come in three types:  Bar graphs  Line graphs  Pictographs

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 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 / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 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 / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 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 / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 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  Generally come in three types:  Pie charts  Flow charts  Organizational charts

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 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 / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Flow Charts  Depict a process or a procedure  Can be useful for solving problems  Use symbols to identify points within a process

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 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 / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 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 / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Tables  Are lists of data presented in a system of rows and columns  Are comprised of rows and columns of individual cells

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 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 / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Types of Images  Photographs  Screen Shots  Video  Animation

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 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  Screen Shots are useful when describing a computer process or showing software features or applications.

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Video & Animation  Video  Provides a good method for showing readers/viewers exact processes  Conveys information quickly  Animation  Can be used to depict processes that can't be shown or that don't exist yet  Adds eye-catching and professional touches to web pages and e-manuals

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Finding Visuals  In databases, usually for a fee  With Web searches, usually with permission  Using clip art, from previously printed materials

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Your Own Visuals  Simple paint and draw programs allow anyone to manipulate digital photos and other images.  Understand important differences between print and electronic visuals:  Different color schemes (CYMK vs. RGB)  Different file sizes  Different pixel densities

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Graphics Software  Bitmap (raster) graphics store information by bits  Allow the user to add color and texture, alter typography, and work in multiple layers  Vector graphics are based on lines, points, and paths  Give the user control over lines and complex shapes  Popular among architects and engineers  Spreadsheet programs can transform data into graphs, charts, and tables  Word processing programs allow users to create diagrams and basic shapes

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Using Color Effectively  Use color to:  Identify a particular part of a document or kind of text  Highlight or draw attention  Improve the aesthetic and professional quality of your document  Use color appropriately by:  Establishing a consistent color scheme  Creating contrast  Avoiding overuse

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Guidelines for Using Visuals  Make them relevant to the text  Consider appropriate size  Keep them simple and uncluttered  Consider transnational audiences  Consider visuals during revision

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Ethics and Visuals  Manipulation  Not acknowledging changes can have serious repercussions  Permission  Be aware of Fair Use guidelines  Citation  Always identify the source of an image  Accuracy  Evaluate images during the Review phase  Representation  Consider image quality

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Ethics and Visuals  Obfuscation  Use the correct format for the data presented  Concealment  Be careful to retain important contextual information  Clarity  Be attentive to size, readability, and resolution  Access  Be attentive to visual formats and compatibility issues