Effective Visualization of Information					March 2008

Laura E. Ray, MA, MLS, Educational Programming Librarian
Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Library

Visual aids are universally utilized in instructional sessions to engage audiences and graphically communicate information.  Unfortunately, almost equally pervasive is the general ineffectiveness of many visual aids.  As a member of an audience, have you heard a speaker state “I know you can’t read this slide, but....”  Or, while giving a presentation yourself, have you struggled to maintain audience attention during the communication of complex substantive information?  This guide reviews principles of the audiovisual enhancement of learning, as well as outlines basic standards for creating effective visual aids.

AudioVisual Enhancement of Learning and Communication
	
Visuals and Sounds influence "ways" one remembers events -
	Recall of events inseparable from visual images of them.

Visual images communicate information difficult to impart by words alone -
	Visual images more vivid and detailed than written word.

Visual aids guide audience through communication process -
	Outline/highlight information.
	Provide logical progression of thought.
	Stimulate discussion.

Potential Impact Of Visual Aids

“Platonic” CAVES -
	Clarity - Present key information.
	Attention - More incisive and memorable than simple lecture.
	Variety - Provide change of pace.
	Equality - Help ensure minimum level of comprehension.
	Speed - Expeditiously present information.

Increase information recall and retention -
	Verbal and visual presentations improve overall and verbatim recall.
	Color influences learning.
	Yet, remember, information relevance tempers impact of visuals.
Aid group consensus.
Decrease meeting length.

Common Problems Of Visual Aids

Overcrowding
Inappropriate Size -
	Too big / Too small
Inappropriate Color -
	Lettering indistinguishable from background
Illegible Text or Graphics
Bad Projection (eg, Keystoning)
	Projected light should strike screen at right angle
	Use high enough stand to avoid excessive angling
	Line up projector front evenly with screen	

Design Considerations For Visual Aids

Design should guide eye to information - foreground, middle ground, background.
“Envision” information.
Develop theme.
Create impression and atmosphere (eg, consistent layout, type/font/text, color, logo).
Create uncluttered layout.
Keep design simple.

Content -
	Determine audience level.
	Determine presentation's objective(s).
	Write presentation outline.
	Highlight key points only.

Arrangement -
	Follow presentation outline.
	Highlight key points.
	Only one main idea per image.
	If possible, alternate text with graphs, illustrations, etc.
	Again, use consistent layout, type/font/text, color, logo.

Text/Font/Type -
	Combine upper and lower case.
	Need high contrast between text and background.
	Consider “polarity” -
		Positive - dark text on light background.
		Negative - light text on dark background
	Sans Serif fonts (eg, Arial) good for titles, headlines, and body text.
Serif fonts (eg, Times New Roman, font used in this handout) great for body text in print (which often printed at 600 dpi), but can look grainy on computer screen (because of text 96 dpi resolution). [dpi - dots per inch]
	Avoid excessive underlining, as well as excessive use of bold and italic fonts.
	Avoid multiple text colors.
	Production Techniques -
		Personal Computer
		Rub-Down Transfer or Vinyl Lettering
		Hand-Drawn

Color -
	Use high contrast colors.
	Use 3-5 colors.
	Action - warm colors (eg, red, orange, yellow)
	Relaxation - cool colors (eg, purple, blue, green)
	Strength - dark colors
	Calm - pastel colors
	Emphasis - bright colors  [Note:  Brightness contrast greater than color contrast.]
Avoid combining red/green and blue/green combinations (ie, for potential colorblind problems).
	Colors at short wave length end of spectrum (ie, violet, blue, green) tend to "spread."
	Use white space.

Graphics, Illustrations, Images -
	Again, use white space.
	Lines can effectively separate or bring together information.
		Horizontal - relaxation
		Vertical - activity
		Angled - tension, urgency
		Curved – illusion of movement
	Use simple diagrams and pictures.
	Avoid ambiguity and inaccuracy.
	Consider copyright-free clip-art.

Number of Needed Items -
	Only one main idea per image.
	Highlight key points only.
	Consider sequential highlighting (eg, bullets, shading).

Optimal Amount of Information For Visual Aids

Text Slides - 7,7,7 Rule
	Up to 7 words in title
	Up to 7 lines of text
	Up to 7 words per line
Chart/Graph Slides -
	Up to 6 columns
	Up to 3 lines/curves
Transparencies -
	25-30 characters per line
	6-8 words per line
	6-10 lines
Posters -
	5-15 lines per panel
	Text visible from 10 feet
	6-10 panels

Web-Based Resources

Edward Tufte – envision information!	http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/
Creating Effective Poster Presentations	http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/
color information				http://www.colormatters.com/colortheory.html
font and font information			http://www.fonts.com/
Online Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms	http://www.symbols.com/
AAAClipArt.com				http://www.aaaclipart.com/
Absolute Web Graphics Archives		http://www.grsites.com/webgraphics/
Barry’s Clipart Server			http://www.barrysclipart.com/
Classroom Clipart				http://classroomclipart.com/
Clipart Connection				http://www.clipartconnection.com/
Microsoft Clip Art			http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspx
sounds					http://www.findsounds.com/
videos						http://findvideo.us/