Visual Rhetoric
Visual rhetoric is a term that has been used often in the past 10 years to describe a whole host of innovations, both theoretical and practical, in how to convey information in visual rather than textual forms. Visual rhetoric differs from graphic design in that it concerns how visual imagery is used in connection with written text to express cultural meaning and information, not just visual aesthetics. In this regard, it is closely related to information design, an earlier trend within technical communication.
Regardless of how you define, visual rhetoric is an increasingly important field of study for technical communicators, and as you begin work on your final information design products, take a moment to explore the following resources about visual rhetoric available on the web.