In order to learn the skills of visual literacy, students can practice how to “read” an image. To do this, they need a “language” to understand the different types of graphic tools.
Just as students move up in grade levels, enjoy more complex literature, and solve harder math problems, they also steadily encounter more advanced graphic representations. The skill of graphicacy incorporates clear methods and tools, just as linguistics and mathematics have their own terms and structures.
For example, in the “Taxonomy of Graphs” (Figure 8), Danos groups different types of displays based on Fry’s descriptions (“Graphical Literacy,” Journal of Reading, February 1981). In the taxonomy, the visual tools become increasingly complex, moving from literal to abstract:
- Lineal graphs show sequential data, such as story lines, timelines, flow charts, sports playoff brackets, or genealogy charts
- Quantitative graphs display numerical data, such as line graphs, bar or pie charts, or supply and demand curves
- Spatial graphs reveal area and location, such as floor plans, road maps, or contour renderings
- Pictorial graphs rely on visual concepts, such as realistic paintings, cartoons, or abstract drawings
- Hypothetical graphs address the interrelationship of ideas, such as theoretical models or sentence diagrams
- Omitted graphs intentionally leave out explanatory details, such as essay outlines, corporate logos, statistical tables, religious symbols, or decorative designs