Technical Communication Quarterly Aug 2007

Visual Communication in the Workplace: A Survey of Practice

Eva Brumberger

Abstract

This article reports the results of a survey of professional writers about the nature and importance of visual communication in their work. The results confirm the suggestions in the field's literature that visual communication is important to workplace practice and that the role of the professional writer has expanded beyond the domain of the verbal. Visual communication responsibilities are complex and varied, but the practitioners surveyed typically engage in substantial amounts of design-related work and value visual communication abilities. The data suggest that visual communication should be a curricular priority in professional writing programs.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2007-08-29
DOI
10.1080/10572250701380725
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
professional writing multimodality
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (24)

  1. Tham (2026)
    Evolving Information Design: Insights from Senior Experts in Technical and Prof…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Coffelt et al. (2024)
    Which Communication Skills Do I Need? A Multimethod Study of Communication Need…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Griffith et al. (2024)
    A Field Wide Snapshot of Student Learning Outcomes in the Technical and Profess…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Sonnenberg et al. (2024)
    Implementing a Continuous Improvement Model for Assignment Evaluation at the Te…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. Coffelt et al. (2022)
    Measuring Business and Professional Communication Skills
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Show all 24 →
  1. Watts (2020)
    Using Adapted Studio Critique to Teach Peer Review in the Document Design Classroom
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Carnegie et al. (2019)
    Responsive curriculum change: going beyond occupation demands
    Communication Design Quarterly
  3. Weber (2018)
    Seeing like a Rover: How Robots, Teams, and Images Craft Knowledge of Mars
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Watts (2017)
    Beyond Flexibility and Convenience: Using the Community of Inquiry Framework to…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  5. Sánchez (2017)
    The Roles of Technical Communication Researchers in Design Scholarship
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  6. King et al. (2017)
    Drawing strategies for communication planning: a rationale and exemplar of the …
    Communication Design Quarterly
  7. Coffelt et al. (2016)
    Business Communication Practices From Employers’ Perspectives
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  8. Arduser (2016)
    Flipping the Class: A New Media Pedagogy
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  9. Andrews (2016)
    Making the Familiar Strange: Thinking Visually in a Study Abroad Course in Prof…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  10. Spartz et al. (2015)
    Writing Entrepreneurs: A Survey of Attitudes, Habits, Skills, and Genres
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  11. Blythe et al. (2014)
    Professional and Technical Communication in a Web 2.0 World
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  12. Lauer et al. (2013)
    Online Survey Design and Development: A Janus-Faced Approach
    Written Communication
  13. Teston (2012)
    Moving From Artifact to Action: A Grounded Investigation of Visual Displays of …
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  14. Yu (2011)
    Visualizing Banking and Financial Products: A Comparative Study of Chinese and …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  15. Lauer et al. (2011)
    Visuospatial Thinking in the Professional Writing Classroom
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  16. Northcut et al. (2010)
    Resisting the Lure of Technology-Driven Design: Pedagogical Approaches to Visua…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  17. Northcut et al. (2010)
    Resisting the Lure of Technology-Driven Design: Pedagogical Approaches to Visua…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  18. Brumberger (2010)
    Document-Based Decision Making and Design: An Analysis of Medicare Part D
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  19. Cross (2009)
    Presenting Consumer Technology with Pop: A Rhetorical and Ethnographic Explorat…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

References (12) · 7 in this index

  1. Allen et al. (2004)
    TPC Program Snapshots: Developing Curricula and Addressing Challenges
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. 10.2307/357383
     ↗
  3. Blakeslee et al. (2004)
    The State of Research in Technical Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Brasseur L. (1997)
    Computers and technical communication
  5. Dayton et al. (2004)
    Results of a Survey , of ATTW Members, 2003
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Show all 12 →
  1. 10.2307/377272
     ↗
  2. KOSTELNICK (1994)
    From Pen to Print:The New Visual Landscape of Professional Communication
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Olsen (1991)
    Eidetecker: the professional communicator in the new visual culture
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  4. Rainey K. T. (1997)
    Foundations for teaching technical communication: Theory, practice, and program design
  5. Rainey K. T. (2005)
    Technical Communication
  6. Whiteside (2003)
    The Skills That Technical Communicators Need: An Investigation of Technical Com…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  7. Zimmerman et al. (1993)
    Exploring the technical communicator's roles: Implications for program design
    Technical Communication Quarterly
CrossRef global citation count: 31 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Communication Design Quarterly Dec 2025
    Review of "Document Design: From Process to Product in Professional Communication By Derek G. Ross and Miles A. Kimball," Ross, D. G., & Kimball, M. A. (2025). Document design: From process to product in professional communication (2nd ed.). SUNY Press. ↗
    Amber Lancaster
    rhetorical criticism technical communication professional writing multimodality book reviews
  2. Communication Design Quarterly Dec 2025
    Review of "Designing for Social Justice: Community-Engaged Approaches in Technical and Professional Communication By Jialei Jiang and Jason C. K. Tham (Eds.)," Jiang, J., & Tham, J. C. K. (Eds.). (2025). Designing for social justice: Community-engaged approaches in technical and professional communication. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003469995 ↗
    Jung-Hsien Lin
    professional writing multimodality race and writing book reviews
  3. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Dec 2025
    Designing Business Communications in a Disrupted Workplace ↗
    Deborah C. Andrews
    rhetorical criticism collaborative writing professional writing multimodality
  4. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Oct 2025
    Exploring Design Strategies for Student Career Portfolios ↗
    Shyam Pandey
    rhetorical criticism discourse analysis portfolios professional writing multimodality
  5. Pedagogy Oct 2025
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory cultural rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy advanced composition creative writing writing across the curriculum graduate education two-year college service learning teacher development technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions archival research multimodality artificial intelligence literacy studies race and writing gender and writing disability studies literary studies editorial matter