ENGLISH 365

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Chapter 12 Overview:
Creating Graphics

The functions of graphics
The characteristics of an effective graphic
Understanding the process of creating graphics
Using color effectively
Choosing the appropriate kind of graphic
Creating effective graphics for multicultural readers

Graphics serve five functions:

They can catch readers’ attention and interest.
They can help writers communicate information that is difficult to communicate with words.
They can help writers clarify and emphasize information.

Graphics serve five functions (cont.):

They can help nonnative speakers of English understand information.
They can help writers communicate information to multiple audiences with different interests, aptitudes, and reading habits.

Graphics offer five benefits

that words alone cannot:

Graphics are indispensable in demonstrating logical and numerical relationships.
Graphics can communicate spatial information more effectively than words alone.
Graphics can communicate steps in a process more effectively than words alone.

Graphics offer benefits

that words alone cannot (cont.):

Graphics can save space.
Graphics can reduce the cost of documents intended for international readers.

An effective graphic has five characteristics:

It serves a purpose.
It is simple and uncluttered.
It presents a manageable amount of information.
It meets readers’ format expectations.
It is clearly labeled.

Follow these six suggestions

to create honest graphics:

Cite your source and obtain permission.
Include all relevant data.
Begin the axes in your graphs at zero—or mark them clearly.
Do not use a table to hide a data point that would be obvious in a graph.

Follow these six suggestions

to create honest graphics (cont.):

Show items as they really are.
Do not use color or shading to misrepresent an item’s importance.

Follow these five guidelines

for integrating graphics and text:

Place the graphic in an appropriate location.
Introduce the graphic in the text.
Explain the graphic in the text.
Make the graphic clearly visible.
Make the graphic accessible.

The process of creating

graphics includes four steps:

planning
producing
revising
citing sources

As you plan graphics,

consider the following:

audience
purpose of the graphic and the document
kind of information you want to communicate
physical conditions in which readers will use the document

As you plan graphics,

consider the following (cont.):

time
money
equipment
expertise

When producing graphics, choose

one of the following four approaches:

use existing graphics
modify existing graphics
create graphics on a computer
have someone else create the graphics

Use color effectively:

Don’t overdo it.
Use color to emphasize particular items.
Use color to create patterns.
Use contrast effectively.
Take advantage of any symbolic meanings colors may already have.
Be aware that color can obscure or swallow up text.

Use color to establish patterns:

Use color to create effective contrast:

The text is hard to read because of insufficient contrast.

Effective contrast makes the text easier to read.

Lifland et al. (LB) - Slide works fine, but it is not what is shown in text. OK?

Regina Tavani (RT) - Let's keep this since the example in the book is difficult to reproduce legibly at the necessary size.

Choose the category of technical

information you want to communicate:

numerical information
logical relationships
process descriptions and instructions
visual and spatial characteristics

Five kinds of graphics help

illustrate numerical information:

tables
bar graphs
infographics
line graphs
pie charts

Two kinds of graphics help

illustrate logical relationships:

diagrams
organization charts

Four kinds of graphics help illustrate process descriptions and instructions:

checklists
tables
flowcharts
logic trees

Four kinds of graphics help illustrate visual and spatial characteristics:

photographs
screen shots
line drawings
maps

A typical table has these parts:

Follow these nine guidelines

for creating effective tables:

Indicate the units of measure.
In the stub (the left-hand column), list the items being compared.
In the columns, arrange the data clearly and logically.
Do the math.

Follow these nine guidelines

for creating effective tables (cont.):

Use dot leaders if a column contains a “blank” spot: a place where there are no appropriate data.
Don’t make the table wider than it needs to be.
Minimize the use of rules.

Follow these nine guidelines

for creating effective tables (cont.):

Provide footnotes where necessary.
If you did not generate the information yourself, indicate your source.

Horizontal and vertical

bar graphs look like this:

Follow these six guidelines

for creating effective bar graphs:

Make the proportions fair.
If possible, begin the quantity scale at zero.
Use tick marks (marks along the axis) to signal the amounts.
Arrange the bars in a logical sequence.
Place the title below the figure.
Indicate the source of your information if you did not generate it yourself.

This is an effective bar graph:

The basic bar graph has five variations:

grouped bar graph
subdivided bar graph
100-percent bar graph
deviation bar graph
stratum graph

An example of an infographic:

Used by permission of Ivan Cash/Cash Studios.

An example of a persuasive infographic:

Source: Centers for Disease Control, 2012: http://makinghealtheasier.org/newabnormal/.

Follow these seven guidelines for creating effective infographics:

Make a claim.
Use accurate data.
Follow the guidelines for the type of graphic you are creating.
Write concisely.

Follow these seven guidelines for creating effective infographics (cont.):

Don’t present too much information.
Don’t go on forever.
Test the infographic.

Follow these three guidelines

for creating effective line graphs:

If possible, begin the quantity scale at zero.
Use reasonable proportions for the vertical and horizontal axes.
Use grid lines—horizontal, vertical, or both—rather than tick marks when your readers need to read the quantities precisely.

This is an effective line graph:

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2012, p. 13: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/pdfs/climateindicators-full-2012.pdf.

Follow these eight guidelines

for creating effective pie charts:

Restrict the number of slices to no more than seven.
Begin with the largest slice at the top and work clockwise in order of decreasing size.
Put very small quantities together in one slice.
Place a label (horizontally, not radially) inside the slice.

Follow these eight guidelines

for creating effective pie charts (cont.):

To emphasize one slice, use a bright, contrasting color or separate the slice from the pie.
Check to see that your software follows the appropriate guidelines for pie charts.
Don’t overdo fill patterns.
Check that your percentages add up to 100.

How effective is this graphic?

Source: Defense Intelligence Agency, 2003 : www.dia.mil/thisisdia/

DIA_Workforce_of_the_Future.pdf.

Use these four techniques to show action or

motion:

Follow these five guidelines

for presenting photographs effectively:

Eliminate extraneous background clutter that can distract readers.
Do not electronically manipulate the image.
Help readers understand the perspective.
If appropriate, include a common object to give readers a sense of scale.
If appropriate, label components or important features.

Line drawings offer three

advantages over photographs:

Line drawings can focus readers’ attention on desired information better than a photograph can.
Line drawings can highlight information that might be obscured by bad lighting or a bad angle in a photograph
Line drawings are sometimes easier for readers to understand than photographs are.

Line drawings offer a unique

advantage over other graphics:

The basic line drawing has three variations:

Follow these six guidelines for creating

effective graphics for multicultural readers:

Be aware that reading patterns differ.
Be aware of varying cultural attitudes toward giving instruction.
Deemphasize trivial details.
Avoid culture-specific language, symbols, and references.

Follow these six guidelines for creating

effective graphics for multicultural readers (cont.):

Portray people very carefully.
Be particularly careful in portraying hand gestures.