Use Illustrations
Illustrations — charts, graphs, tables, photographs and other images, animations, audio clips, and video clips — can expand on or demonstrate points made in the text of your document. They can also reduce the amount of text needed to make a point, help readers better understand your points, and increase the visual appeal of your document.
Photographs and other images. Photographs and other images, such as drawings, paintings, and sketches, are frequently used to set a mood, emphasize a point, or demonstrate a point more fully than is possible with text alone.
Charts and graphs. Charts and graphs represent information visually. They are used to make a point more succinctly than is possible with text alone or to present complex information in a compact and more accessible form. They frequently rely on numerical information.
Tables. Like charts and graphs, tables can present complex information, both textual and numerical, in a compact form.
Other digital illustrations. Digital publications allow you to include a wider range of illustrations, including audio, video, and animations, which bring sound and movement to your document.
As you work with illustrations, keep the following guidelines in mind:
- Use an illustration for a purpose. Illustrations are best used when they serve a clear function in your document. Avoid including illustrations simply because you think they might make your document “look better.”
- Place illustrations near the text they illustrate. In general, place illustrations as close as possible to the point where they are mentioned in the text. If they are not explicitly mentioned (as is often the case with photographs), place them at a point in the document where they are most relevant to the information and ideas being discussed.
- Include a title or caption that identifies or explains the illustration. The documentation system you are using, such as MLA or APA, will usually offer advice on the placement and format of titles and captions. In general, documentation systems suggest that you distinguish between tables and figures (which are all other illustrations), number tables and figures in the order in which they appear in the document, and use compound numbering of tables and figures in longer documents (for example, the second table in Chapter 5 would be labeled “Table 5.2”). Consult the documentation system you are using for specific guidelines on illustrations.