The visual world of engineers: exploring the visual culture of engineering as an essential element of communication from design to production

• Autores: E. A. Danilova, Z.J. Pudlowski
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 25, no. Extra 6, 2009, págs. 1212-1217
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • In the 21st Century world visual intelligence is considered to be a crucial and valuable ability. This digital century, with its rampant development of technology and the availability of alternative communication channels, is changing the way in which people think, as well as their thinking patterns, and the speed of communicating and accessing information. There is everyday exposure to various forms of visual representations of information such as timelines, symbols, tables, graphs, signs, spreadsheets, billboards, etc. Visual forms of communication may carry the information more clearly and effortlessly than the written and spoken forms of communication. It is believed that `a picture is worth a thousand words'. Indeed, the amount of information that the human being is surrounded with is overwhelming and visual communication is one of the ways to compact and yet clarify this information. Moreover, visual communication may help to deliver information in a way that transcends language barriers. Therefore, imagery is often preferred in operation manuals, aeroplane safety instructions, danger and caution warnings, etc. Visual intelligence and visual cognitive ability are issues in engineering education that would be defined as critical by engineering educators and reflective practitioners. The nature of the engineering profession requires the specialists in the field to be visually literate. The issues of forming the visual culture of engineers are described and discussed in this paper.