Pairing a picture with the words
A visual and its accompanying words should communicate the same information in forms suited to the reader. The relationship changes when the image becomes the primary medium, as it may on social media.
Visual support for text
In papers and blogs, visuals should support the writing by explaining its content in an easier form, while readers are still expected to read the words. The information in an image should also be expressed in writing to help readers take it in. When everything in a figure is described in the text, readers can choose to skip the figure.
Describing an image in words can also help when AI summarises a paper for another reader.
Form and purpose
The visual form should match its task:
- Infographics convey key points and processes.
- Charts show data.
- Diagrams explain mechanisms of action, machine parts or instrumentation.
Images as the primary medium
On social media, the image may be the main way scientific information is conveyed rather than support for a written passage. In that case, the image should be self-explanatory, and the accompanying text does not necessarily need to describe it.