Information Design Journal - Volume 14, Issue 2, 2006

The main graphical modes of information presentation, used in technical illustrations to show hidden detail, are identified and some historical precedents for them in the work of Leonardo Da Vinci are reviewed. Research into one particular aspect of graphic representation used in technical illustrations is reported. This concerns the deployment in hand-drawn images of different line thicknesses and their contribution to enhancing the interpretation of what is depicted. Whilst the use of varying line thicknesses has been formally incorporated into some documentation standards, it is not always observed in relevant domains. The case for and the process of replicating this line thickness code in computer-generated imagery, for use in multimedia technical documentation, are introduced.

In this paper, I argue that the analysis of coherence structures of university students’ texts may contribute to text improvement. Furthermore, my results suggest a relationship between various coherence phenomena and the grades students earn for their papers. Based on the analysis of Austrian university students’ texts from three different business and economy-related study programs and interviews with instructors, I demonstrate that due to the often superficial grading practice of instructors, ‘disrupted text spans’ frequently remain unnoticed although they impair text quality. Regarding the relationship between texts’ grades and coherence phenomena, I show that relation-type differences between low and high graded papers seem to be discipline specific, whereas a general tendency exists that high graded papers display a more ‘symmetrical’ text structure and low graded papers have ‘asymmetrical’ structures.

This article outlines a social semiotic approach to analysing the ideational, interpersonal and textual meaning potentials of letter forms, drawing on Jakobson’s distinctive feature analysis and Lakoff and Johnson’s theory of experiential metaphor. Distinctive features are recognized and applied to the analysis of examples: weight, expansion, slope, curvature, connectivity, orientation and regularity.

The critical landscape surrounding PowerPoint is highly troubled. Empirical research is scarce, and commentators share little common ground and have taken highly divergent positions. Often arguments are unnuanced and flawed. This review essay identifies and discusses ten problems that have confused and hindered the study of PowerPoint. Among the problems are these: The lack of terminology for categorizing deck content; the need for a more sophisticated understanding of mediation (how PowerPoint “edits thought”) and the relationship between PowerPoint and organizational culture; the formulation of broad arguments based on a narrow set of presentation genres; the habit of regarding slides as standalone artifacts divorced from the presentation; and insufficient attention to context (the particular circumstances surrounding a presentation) including the personal style of the presenter. If we can achieve a healthier critical landscape, we will see better commentary, research studies, decks, and presentations.