Principles of Text and Graphics:

  • encourage learners to engage in active learning by mentally representing the material in words and in pictures and by mentally making connections between the pictorial and verbal representation
  • learning is better from the words plus graphics that from just the words alone
  • Clark and Maye figure 3.10 points out that 62% of learners learned better using both text and graphics while only 40% of learners learned with just text
  • works best for those who are novices
  • should be relevant visual promotes learning
  • graphics serve as lesson interface
  • graphics should be purposeful and relevant to the instruction and not jut for decorations
  • graphics that are for decorative purposes should be limited
  • graphics that helps promote understanding ( transformational and interpretive ) should be utilized more
  • graphics that organize ( organizational graphics) should also be utilized


Graphics are provided to help stimulate the project and/or presentation. Pictures of any kind help to make the presentation more effective because viewers will pay closer attention if they have something to look at and focus on besides just the text. Sometimes viewers are simply visual learners and those graphics will be how they receive the information effectively. It is important to include graphics in a presentation.
  • Principle of graphics is to engage the learner

  • Graphics emphasize what the words are trying to say

  • Having graphics helps learners who are visually stimulated

  • Pictures, Colors, Designs always make a presentation more eye catching