Four aspects of graphic communication

Information theory, while having a limited direct impact on the study of graphic communication, left a metaphor for communication that, reflecting the transient nature of electronic signals rather than the permanence of the printed media, is, it is argued, unhelpful and somewhat misleading. The metaphor is adapted to draw attention in particular to four aspects of the relationships of the originator and the user to the communication medium: the problem of encoding information in graphic form; diagrams as tools for enquiry and thought; illustrations as aids to learning; and illustrations as aids to problem-solving.