This week we are discussing visual elements in technical writing. A visual is any pictorial representation that is used by the writer to clarify, explain, and/or support an idea.
There is a wide variety of visuals, which are effective for different purposes. They can be divided in two major categories, functional and motivational.
Functional – Used to support or enhance an understanding of a topic. They can be subdivided into four categories.
Graphs – used to show relationships and patterns over time
Charts – used to represent parts of a whole or relationships
Tables – used to display and organize large amount of data, usually numerical
Illustrations – used to show how something looks or works
Motivational – used only to get the reader’s attention and motivate him/her to read the document by making it more visually attractive. They can be anything from text formatting to stunning images.
For your discussion this week, select a news or magazine article with NO VISUAL ELEMENTS. Include a link to the article in your post. Explain what types of visuals (orientation, illustration, simplification, corroboration, etc.) would be most effective for your article and why. Make sure you justify your opinion.
When responding to your peers’ discussion post, be sure to include your perspective of the visual they have chosen include how and why it influenced you.
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