Back before The Well-read Naturalist abandoned Instagram’s faux-Twitter – or X, or whatever it will be named next month…, I followed an account there named Terrible Maps. (if you don’t have a Threads account, and there’s really no reason you need one, it is also available on Instagram). Not only was it reliable for a quick giggle, it was also often useful for providing examples of how not to present information visually. While the purpose of the site was, of course, jocular, for those who stopped scrolling sufficiently long to give their posted images a bit of thought, it could be quite useful in enhancing one’s understanding of the importance of images in the communicating information – particularly data.
For those whose occupation – or avocation – involves communicating complex information to an audience, be that audience collegial or non-specialist, the ability to create and employ photographs, charts, diagrams, illustrations, and other visual images that support what is being presented is perhaps of greater importance in our modern, highly visual age than it has been since the Middle Ages (photographs excepted, of course) when the Christian clergy greatly relied upon images to communicate core religious dogmata to their largely illiterate congregations.
In furtherance of helping those who wish to improve their understanding and skills in such visual communication, the University of Chicago Press recently established a series named The Visual Elements and in November 2023 published its inaugural volume, The Visual Elements – Photography; A Handbook for Communicating Science and Engineering by award-winning photographer and research scientist in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Felice Frankel.
A second volume, also by Ms. Frankel, has now been added to the series: The Visual Elements—Design; A Handbook for Communicating Science and Engineering. Whereas the previous volume focused on the creation and use of photographs in journal submissions, grant applications, presentations, and posters, this new volume, as the title clearly indicates, draws the reader’s attention to the importance, creation, and use of compelling and informative graphics in these same communication media.
That this new book, as well as its predecessor, should be on the desks of all researchers, engineers, and science communicators should not need saying. However even beyond these groups, the lively, informative, and very interesting examination of images, how they communicate (or fail to) information, and how to assess their effectiveness makes both these books well worth the attention of anyone who wishes to improve their skills in, and understanding of, visual communication.
