Visual Literacy

Gribbons states that one who is visually literate understands the language of visual forms, creates a communication using visuals, and graphs how visuals affect readers and their comprehension of the information. A visually literate communicator must not only understand visuals and how readers comprehend them, but also be able to master the technology required to create the visuals. Horton thinks we must include visuals in all electronic documents. Technical communicators should learn all they can about using visuals to communicate information. Reviewing graphical design and typography and participating in usability testing helps communicators see which designs works and which one does not. Being able to identify the problem with the visual aspects of a document is a way to find a viable solution to improve the graphical design.

The visual elements of a document greatly affect its potential readers. The visual rhetoric of a document complements the verbal rhetoric. The visual information reinforces the verbal information, helping structure and organize the document. For example, if you compare a printed table of sales figures with a graph of those same figures, trends are immediately evident in the graph. And with the advent of digital photography, pictures can add impact when appropriately used with words. You can write pages of text describing a product or service. You can even use an artist's rendition of the product. However, nothing can describe the product like a photograph. A picture can be worth a thousand words if used properly to convey the message.