1. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 1 Chapter 14 Designing Visual Information Technical Communication, 10/e John M. Lannon

2. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 2 How Visuals Work  Enhance comprehension by displaying abstract concepts in concrete, geometric shapes  Make meaningful comparisons possible  Depict relationships  Serve as a universal language  Provide emphasis  Focus and organize information, making it easier to remember

3. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 3 What Types of Visuals to Consider Graphs display numerical relationships Charts depict relationships Tables display organized lists of data Graphic illustrations rely on pictures

4. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 4 Tables  Tables are used to display dense textual information such as specifications, comparisons or conditions.  No table should be overly complex for the intended audience.  Tables work well for displaying exact values.

5. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 5 Graphs Graphs translate numbers into shapes that are easy to interpret and compare. Types of graphs include  Simple bar graphs  Multiple-bar graphs  Horizontal bar graphs  Stacked bar graphs  100-percent bar graph  Deviation bar graph  3-D bar graph

6. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 6 Line Graphs Line graphs can accommodate many more data points than a bar graph. Types of graphs include  Simple line  Multiple line  Deviation line  Band or area Total Sales Volume Price

7. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 7 Charts  Pie charts  Organization charts  Flowcharts  Tree charts  Gantt and PERT charts  Pictograms

8. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 8 Example of a Pictogram Sales of Pharmaceuticals by Division MidwestWestSouthNortheast $8,000,000 $6,000,000 $4,000,000 $2,000,000

9. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 9 Graphic Illustrations Diagrams  Exploded  Cutaway  Block Maps Photographs

10. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 10 Computer Graphics  Select appropriate designs.  Use clip art wisely and creatively.  Use color to organize, orient, and emphasize.

11. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 11 Avoid Visual Distortion  Present the real picture.  Present the complete picture.  Don’t mistake distortion for emphasis. (An example of distortion is on the next slide.)

12. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 12 Example of Visual Distortion Sales of Beer by Store Avoid this graphic Use this graphic Sales of Beer by Store

13. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 13 Any Questions? For additional help reviewing this chapter, please visit the Companion Website for your text at http://www.ablongman.com/lannon.