The New Visual Language

In a recent interview, author and renowned "information chunking" pioneer, Bob Horn, speaks of the growth of a new "visual language" in today's society. He says this emerging language "follows what appears to be happening in the culture and in our educational and training processes. That is, words and visuality are becoming far more integrated, and often each small chunk of information is centered around a visual element, small or large."

"We are really living in a visual culture," says Horn. "People have developed a lot of intuitive sense from just the thousands of images that we see everyday from magazines, TV and advertising about what words and visuals do best when they are working together. There is a kind of visual literacy that's developing in the culture."

Every day, our society bombards us with graphic images - in movies, on television, in printed media and on the Internet. Until recently, however, as a technical communicator, I have primarily thought of myself as a writer, and have overlooked the impact of visual media on our culture. Visionaries such as Bob Horn have helped me realize that to excel in the Twenty-First Century, I must be willing to re-invent myself to meet the evolving needs of a visually oriented society.

As our world becomes increasingly complex, creative use of graphics will undoubtedly be a key factor in our ongoing struggle to maintain effective communication. Graphics can instantaneously convey information about structure and relationships that would be difficult to communicate effectively in text- only circumstances. Graphic elements can breathe life into our ideas. They can give shape to our concepts and help us arrange and classify data in an efficient, user-friendly manner. Without the aid of graphic elements, readers must analyze page after page of text and attempt to categorize content as they read in order to store the information into memory in an effective, retrievable fashion.

Horn envisions an exciting future for technical communicators who are willing to embrace our society's fascination with visual media. "I think that visual language will be a dominant way that textbooks and multimedia will be presented in the next century. We are already seeing it ó the rapid integration ó and I think it will make people more creative and more expressive than when they are working in words or working in visuals separately. That is the kind of richness of texture that you can achieve in advanced visual language. Visual language will also work in a very complementary way with hypertext in the World Wide Web to show layers of detail, layers of complexity and layers of context that are just impossible to do any other way. So, we have a wonderful new communication tool, and a wonderful future ahead of us."

The Multimedia Revolution

Multimedia computing has been an important factor in changing the way we communicate. The ability to combine text and graphics with interactivity, sound, video, digital photography, animation and 3D virtual- reality imaging has opened up new possibilities for enhancing the learning process. Dr. Kristina Hooper-Woolsey, of Apple Computers, Inc., explains, "Multimedia computing allows both students and teachers to have materials available 'from the world' that are not typically available, including classic speeches, pictures of far-away places, microscopic images, dramatic reenactments, etc. These materials, coupled with the basic computing environments, can allow teachers and students to become full partners in exploring the world of ideas and events."

Our culture is only beginning to tap into the enormous potential of the new communication tools at its disposal. Each year we bear witness as technology becomes more deeply embedded into everything we do. In their book, Making Money with Multimedia, David Rosen and Caryn Mladen forecast that while "today multimedia is an industry unto itself, in the future there will be no multimedia industry. Instead, multimedia will become integrated into everyday life. Multimedia will become such an integral part of entertainment, education, business and life that we will take it for granted. Just like desktop publishing and database management-once considered fringe or separate markets within the computer industry-multimedia will be absorbed into the mainstream."

Assuredly, changes in the way our culture chooses to share information will affect the role that professional communicators play in the process. Domenic Stansberry, writer for the Mill Valley Film Group of Marin, Calif., and teacher of the course "Writing for Multimedia" in San Francisco State University's Multimedia Studies Program, elaborates, "As the technology develops so that it is more accessible to everyone, the writer will be someone who can put together graphics with text to create a statement. In truth, people are not that interested in text in multimedia. They want to move to the next image. The goal of the whole production determines the extent of the writing."

Surviving as a writer in the world of multimedia requires adaptability and a wide knowledge base. Stansberry advises, "There are different things that are useful for a writer to know. For example, one should know how to write an audio/visual script, which is a video technique. A writer should be able to put together a treatment or proposal. He or she should know how to write different things for different occasions. If you want to be a writer in multimedia and you want to maintain some control over your work, you need to familiarize yourself with as much of the entire process as possible."

There are many niches for a writer to fill within the multimedia industry. "One role will be to simply copyfit words to the screen design," says Stansberry. "Another role will be that of a researcher, someone who finds background information about a topic. The researcher would decide what's relevant and then rewrite the copy. Without a doubt, there's a role for the writer in the funding process, because a well-written proposal gets you in the door. The proposal contains the inception of the creative process. From there, if you know things about scripting and how to write dialog, you can be much more involved in the creative process than you would otherwise."

Cross-Media Communication

Despite the current popularity of multimedia computing, and the suitability of visual language to an online environment, the future of effective communication does not lie solely in electronic realms. Publisher Donnie O'Quinn advises that, "the massive hype surrounding the Internet would have you believe that the buying public is eager to deal electronically, enabling companies to forego costly print-based marketing and branding in favor of an online presence. But this isn't simply an Internet revolution, it is a cross-media one. Even the best company Web site is not a standalone solution; it doesn't replace existing strategies any more than television pulled the plug on radio. The Web has become another tool to wield in the struggle for market share, but not the only tool. In the most successful models, Web- and print-based efforts work side by side to attract and retain customers ... integrating the Web with traditional marketing

This means that there is a growing demand for creative people who are experienced at working with a variety of media types. Customers need to be able to fully exploit their available communication channels without duplicating efforts. "Our clients that have traditionally been in print are looking for ways to repurpose their assets for the Web, and they're asking who can do it for them," attests Jose Andrade, Manager of Creative Technologies for one of New York's top ad agencies, Foote, Cone & Belding. To be prepared for the future, a professional communicator needs to be able to deliver a message effectively in both electronic and printed formats.

Maria Guidice, owner and director of San Francisco's HOT Studio, also stresses the importance of a wide base of experience and skills. "The greatest challenge in cross-media creation is in understanding and accepting the very different processes required to create for print and the Web." She adds that effective communication requires a rare balance of talents in order to handle the unique challenges and amazing potential of modern cross-media communication.

Preparing for the Future

Today's professional communicator must possess skills that were unheard of a few short years ago. An ongoing commitment to education is necessary to maintain familiarity with the latest tools and methods. Although I have been involved in the technical communication industry since the late 1980s, it became obvious to me that I needed to make a concerted effort to stay abreast of new communication opportunities. On-the-job experience is not enough anymore; there are so many new tools available today. I finally realized that the best route for me was to return to school and update my skills. Now, with new graphics and multimedia development applications in my arsenal, I'm discovering new ways to present information on the Internet, in videos, on CD-ROM and in print. I've learned to communicate more effectively, and to adapt my message to various media formats.

While there is no lack of opportunity for excellent technical writers today, this is no time to rest on our laurels. We must be willing to learn, grow, and adapt to the needs of an ever-evolving audience. Change is a constant in modern technological society. As the ideas we share with one another become more complex, our means of sharing them must adapt to compensate for these changes. Such are the challenges of a technical communicator in the Twenty-First Century.

Mitch Klink is a 13-year veteran of the technical communication/publication industry. He earned his Associate of Applied Science Degree in Technical Illustration and Publication from Portland Community College, in Portland, Ore., where he resides with his wife, Kelly. He is also a graduate of PCC's Technical and Professional Writing Certification Program, and recently completed the PCC Multimedia Certification Program. He works as a contract technical writer, illustrator, Web page developer and multimedia programmer. He can be reached at Mitchklink@aol.com.