233 TIPS ON GRAPHICS AND VISUAL DESIGN Keep a folder on your hard drive or in your inbox where you can store images so that when you need that picture of a sandcastle, for example, you know where to find it. However, make sure not to date yourself too much, especially with online content you want to use over and over. You want timeless images that you can use year after year. Jennifer Beech, University of Memphis We are in a culture where images and graphics are telling us stories. The imagination is a fascinating thing. Don’t insult your viewers with too many words on a page. Give your viewers credit for filling in the gaps when they are looking at your material. The heavy part of the content can often be created as a clickable link from your graphic to a PDF, video, or website. Learners need to connect what they see to what they already know, and then follow those visual links to address gaps they may have in their learning. Good graphics give them a chance to guide their own learning; use your graphics to tell a story that relates to the information they need to know. This is important for building blocks of understanding. As your visuals tell the story, it will open up an opportunity for them to become more excited about learning, and when they become excited to learn, they will take a stronger personal initiative to do so. Laura Schroeder, Georgia State University I have grown bored of buttons, and now use circles and flat icons to organize and present information. Salicia Pultz, OpEx Now 13 www.eLearningGuild.com