Just about everyone has stumbled over a confusing passage in a textbook, only to have clarity restored thanks to "See Fig. A." Visuals, graphics, and charts can concentrate and present information in a way that sticks. Skill in visual communication has become nearly as indispensable as clear, compelling writing.

1. Nobody reads You're probably not reading this sentence. If you are, you probably didn't even read this article through the first time. You scanned the headlines and the quotes, and maybe you're skipping through the short paragraphs now. Since that's true, why do we write instructional text?

A practical step-by-step guide You may have read our announcementon the Campaign Monitor blog that email campaigns created with our Email Builder now render beautifully across all major devices and clients. This includes the Gmail and Yahoo! Mail apps on Android and iOS.

The fascination with tubes, or pipes, was introduced to the digital realm with the 1993 release of Windows NT. Included in the OS was what would become one of its most enduring designs, the "3D Pipes" screensaver, which would remain in the OS until Windows XP.

The visual design of an application or website is not just a happy accident. Often the client and the designer sit together to discuss and define a specific look and feel for the product. After drafting one or several proposals, attending some review meetings, and receiving the go-ahead from the management, everybody in the project team is convinced about the visual design.

When iOS 7 was first previewed to the public at WWDC 2013, it seemed Apple was obsessed with extending its devices' thinness to its software. Fonts were ultralight, barely legible against semitransparent backgrounds, neon color themes, and bright-white toolbars.

The first time I baked a cake was for my family’s Christmas Eve party. I volunteered to make dessert, choosing a fancy Andes Mint Chocolate Cake recipe. How hard could it be? After all, I am a designer.