How to Increase Visual Literacy with Charts and Graphs

We see millions of things a day. Our brain makes sense of the world through our eyes. Visual literacy – the ability to read images – is a crucial skill people need to have in order to understand their daily lives. It is the ability to see, comprehend, think, and communicate in a visual way. Because we are surrounded by images, it is important to be able to look at them carefully and critically.

Images can be anything from photos, paintings, signs, drawings and graphics – to maps, charts, graphs, and infographics. Data visualization is our business here at Infogram, so I’d like to explain why visual literacy matters and how charts and infographics can play a critical role.

Why is Visual Literacy Important?

Visual literacy has become a 21st century requirement in classrooms and offices everywhere. According to Brian Kennedy, director of the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, visual literacy is a necessity. He explains that, “90% of all the info we take in from the world, we take in visually.” Kennedy feels everyone should be able to look, see, describe, analyze, and interpret visuals in order to effectively evaluate the world.

Visual images are becoming the predominant form of communication across a range of learning and teaching resources, and the ratio of visual image to text is increasing. Visual literacy helps you construct meaning from images and requires critical thinking that enhances your intellectual capacity. In order to be successful in school or at work you need to learn the vocabulary and grammar of seeing.

What is VTS?

Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is a specific approach to teacher-facilitated class discussions about art and visuals. It primarily focuses on these questions:

• What’s going on in this picture?
• What do you see that makes you say that?
• What more can we find?

VTS encourages students to think beyond the literal by discussing multiple meanings, metaphors and symbols – thus expanding their visual literacy. The New York Times has a helpful daily VTS blog if you’d like examples.

The Impact of Charts and Infographics

Data visualizations are instant and universal! Graphs and charts condense large amounts of information into easy-to-understand formats that communicate clearly. In fact, verbal presentations using visual content have been proven to be 34% more effective when compared to verbal presentations alone. And, an infographic is up to 30 times more likely to be read than a text article.

The format of charts and infographics makes them engaging and accessible. They contain multiple layers of information and imagery that have proven to be eye-catching, simple to understand, and easy to retain. Data visualizations can help make sense of data that might be confusing of overwhelming for the viewer. This makes charts and graphs a fantastic way to encourage visual literacy.

Let’s go over a few helpful questions to ask when evaluating charts and infographics:

What to Ask When Reading Charts & Graphs

• What does the chart or graph measure?
• If there are labeled axes, what do they say?
• What do the numbers represent?
• Which value is the highest? The lowest?
• Did the author use the right chart or graph to tell their story?
• What is the overall message of the chart or graph?
• Can you explain this chart or graph to others?

What to Ask When Evaluating an Infographic

• Do you see any trends or patterns?
• How are the different elements of the infographic related?
• What is the main message of the infographic?
• How do the words, phrases, and visualizations work together to get the point across?
• Does the infographic do a good job of telling its story?
• Why do you think the author chose an infographic to convey their message?
• Do you feel like you can explain this infographic to others?

Infogram makes it easy to enhance your visual literacy online. You can create your own chart, graph, or infographic in minutes. Quickly download your finished product for any presentation, article, or report – or you can chose to embed them digitally in order to share them on your blog or website.