Chapter 10 of Kolin's Successful Writing at Work

CHAPTER 10
Designing
Clear Visuals
Philip C. Kolin
University of Southern Mississippi

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 10 | 2
The Purpose of Visuals
 Visuals arouse readers’ immediate interest.
 Visuals increase readers’ understanding by
simplifying concepts.
 Visuals are especially important for non-
native speakers of English and multicultural
audiences.
 Visuals emphasize key relationships.
 Visuals condense and summarize a large
quantity of information into a relatively small
space.
 Visuals are highly persuasive.

Figure 10.1 A Line-and-Bar Chart
Comparing Market Shares

Choosing Effective Visuals
 Use visuals only when they are relevant for your
purpose and audience.
 Use visuals in conjunction with—not as a
substitute for—written work.
 Experiment with several visuals.
 Always use easy-to-read visuals.
 Be prepared to revise and edit your visuals.
 Consider how your visuals will look on the page.

Table 10.1 Types of Workplace
Visuals

Figure 10.2 A Visual Used in
Conjunction with Written Work

Ineffective Visuals: What Not to Do
(slide 1 of 2)
 Avoid visuals that include more details than your
audience needs.
 Never use a visual that distracts from your work.
 Never use a visual that presents information that
contradicts your work.
 Never distort a visual for emphasis or
decoration.

Ineffective Visuals: What Not to Do
(slide 2 of 2)
 Be careful that you do not omit anything when
you reproduce an existing visual.
 Never use visuals that stereotype.
 Do not use a visual that looks fuzzy, dotted, or
streaked.

Figure 10.3 Ineffective Visual: Too
Much Information in One Graphic

Generating, Scanning, and
Uploading Visuals
 You can easily generate charts, graphs, or
tables through the templates in your software,
such as Microsoft Word or Excel.
 With a scanner you can produce a high-
resolution digital copy of an image or a
document.
 You can upload visuals into documents or
presentations, often with just a few short clicks,
with the right software.

Inserting and Writing About Visuals
(slide 1 of 2)
 Identify your visuals. Give each visual a number
and caption that explains what the visual
illustrates.
 Cite the source for your visuals. If you use a
visual that is not your own work, you must
acknowledge the source.
 Insert your visuals appropriately. Place visuals
near but not before where they are mentioned in
the text, size appropriately, and center them.

 Introduce your visuals. Refer to each visual by
number, and if necessary, mention the title as
well.
 Interpret your visuals. Help readers understand
your visual and explain what is significant about
it.
Inserting and Writing About Visuals
(slide 2 of 2)

Table 14 Travel Time (in minutes):
Automobile versus Vanpool

Tables
The parts of a table include:
 The main column. A column that encompasses two or
more sub-columns.
 The sub-columns. Columns which together gather the
information described in the main column.
 The stub. The first vertical column on the left side.
 A rule. Line across the top of the table the separates
the headings from the body of the table.

Table 10.2 Parts of a Table

Figures
 Pictographs. Charts that use picture symbols to
represent differences in statistical data.
 Maps. Representations of roads and/or specific
geographical features.
 Photographs. A photograph’s chief virtues are
realism and clarity.
 Drawings. Types of drawings often used as
figures include cutaway drawings, exploded
drawings, and clip art.

Graphs
Graphs transform numbers into pictures with
shapes, pattern, and shading. There are three
types of graphs:
 Simple line graphs consist of a vertical axis, a
horizontal axis, and a line that plots data points
according to the values on both axes.
 Multiple-line graphs have multiple lines to show how a
number of dependent variables compare with one
another.
 Area graphs show relationships without providing the
exact numerical documentation.

Figure 10.4 Simple Line Graph
Showing Amount of Snowfall

Figure 10.5 Multiple-Line Graph
Showing Sales Figures

Charts
 Pie charts are circular figures that divide
numerical data into percentages.
 Bar charts are a series of vertical or horizontal
bars that indicate comparisons of statistical data.
 Organizational charts depict the chain of
command in a company, beginning with the chief
executive down to the employees.
 Flow charts use boxes connected by arrows to
show the stages in which something is
accomplished, develops, or operates.

Figure 10.6 3D Pie Chart Showing
a Proposed City Budget

Figure 10.7 A Vertical Bar Chart

Figure 10.8 A Horizontal Bar Chart

Figure 10.9 Multiple-Bar Chart
Showing Preferred Social Media

Figure 10.10 Segmented Bar Chart
Representing Travel Expenditures

Figure 10.11 Multiple-Bar,
Segmented Bar Chart

Figure 10.12 Organizational Chart:
Critical Care Nursing Services

Pictographs
Pictographs use picture symbols to represent
differences in statistical data. When using a
pictograph:
1. Choose an appropriate, easily-identifiable symbol for
the topic.
2. Indicate the precise quantities each icon represents by
placing numbers after or at the top of the visual.
3. Increase the number of symbols rather than their sizes
because differences in sizes are often difficult to
construct or interpret.
4. Avoid crowding too much information into a
pictograph.

Figure 10.13 A Flow Chart for
Ordering Products Online

Figure 10.14 Pictograph Showing
Financial Details

Figure 10.15 Map Showing Water
Filter Plants and Pumping Stations

Figure 10.16 A Photo Showing
What Equipment Looks Like

Maps
Maps are representations of roads and specific
geographical features. Follow these steps:
1.Always acknowledge your source if you did not
construct the map yourself.
2.Use dots, lines, colors, symbols, and shading to
indicate features.
3.If necessary, include a legend, or map key, explaining
dotted lines, colors, shading, and symbols.
4.Exclude features that do not directly relate to your
topic.
5.Indicate direction.

Photographs
 Take the photo from the most appropriate
distance.
 Select the correct angle.
 Include only the necessary and relevant details
for your purpose.
 Provide a sense of scale.
 Make sure you consider lighting and resolution.
 Obtain permission before photographing people
and private property.

Figure 10.17 Perform a Procedure
and Compare Sizes and Shapes

Figure 10.18 Gasoline versus
Electricity for an Automobile

Figure 10.19 Removing
Unnecessary Details from a Photo

Figure 10.20 A Poor Photograph—
Taken from the Wrong Angle

Figure 10.21 Effective Photo to
Show Size and Function of a Truck

Drawings (slide 1 of 2)
 Cutaway drawings: drawings that reveal the
interior of an object
 Exploded drawings: drawings that separate the
parts from an object as if exploded to show how
the parts interrelate.
 Keep your drawing simple.
 Clearly label all parts so that your reader can
identify and separate them.

Drawings (slide 2 of 2)
 Decide on the most appropriate view of the
object to illustrate.
 Keep the parts of the drawing proportionate
unless you are purposely enlarging one
section.

Figure 10.22 Schematic Drawing
Showing Smoke Detectors

Clip Art
Clip art refers to ready-to-use electronic images.
When you use clip art, follow these guidelines:
1. Use simple, easy-to-understand images.
2. Use clip art functionally.
3. Make sure the clip art is relevant for your audience
and your message.
4. Make sure your clip art is professional.

Figure 10.23 Cutaway Drawing of
an Electric Car

Figure 10.24 Exploded Drawing of
a Notebook Computer

Figure 10.25 Examples of Clip Art

Figure 10.26 Example of an
Infograph

Using Visuals Ethically
 To ensure that your visuals are ethical, they
must be accurate, honest, complete,
appropriate, easy to read, clearly labeled,
uncluttered, and consistent with convention.

Figure 10.27 An Unethical Graph
and Misleading Interpretation

Figure 10.28 An Ethical Revision of
Figure 10.27

Figure 10.29 An Unethical Bar
Chart that Misrepresents Key Data

Figure 10.29

Figure 10.31 Unethical Pie Chart
with Inappropriately-Sized Wedges

Figure 10.31

Using Appropriate Visuals for
International Audiences (slide 1 of 2)
 Do not use any images that ethnically or
racially stereotype your readers.
 Be respectful of religious symbols and images.
 Avoid using culturally insensitive or
objectionable photographs.
 Avoid any icons or clip art that international
readers would misunderstand.
 Be cautious about using images or photos
involving hand gestures.

Using Appropriate Visuals for
International Audiences (slide 2 of 2)
 Do not offend international readers by using
colors that are culturally inappropriate.
 Be careful about using directional signs and
shapes.
 Avoid confusing an international audience with
punctuation and other writing symbols used in
the United States.

Figure 10.33 Internationally
Recognized Icons

Table 10.3 Different Cultural
Meanings of Various Gestures

Chapter 10 of Kolin's Successful Writing at Work

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