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Answer: Include at least one visual that conveys or supports the main message, and make the words and visual say the same thing.

CDC Clear Communication Index (item 4)

• When words and visuals appear close to each other, people expect them to be about the same information.
• When words and visuals are unrelated, unclear, or contradictory, people can get confused or distracted.
• Don't overload visuals with too much information; clearly designed photographs, graphs, and infographics help people grasp information easily and quickly.
• Benefits: a visual gives an alternative to text for the main message, breaks up blocks of words, and makes materials appear easier to read.

SEC handbook

• Graphics often illuminate information more clearly and quickly than text.
• Turn to graphics when they give a deeper or quicker understanding than words alone, and check that a graphic conveys information honestly, accurately, and efficiently.

See also

• plain-chart-states-its-message
• plain-consistent-highlighting

Claims

• id: C1 claim: CCI: visuals should convey or support the main message. source: S1 evidence: "Does the material contain at least one visual that conveys or supports the"

• id: C2 claim: CCI: words and visuals should reinforce each other. source: S1 evidence: "Make sure the words and visuals in the material convey the same message"

• id: C3 claim: CCI: do not overload visuals. source: S1 evidence: "Remember, don’t overload visuals with too much information."

• id: C4 claim: SEC: graphics can be clearer and quicker than text. source: S2 evidence: "Graphics often illuminate information more clearly and quickly than text."

Sources

• [S1] CDC Clear Communication Index: User Guide. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). https://www.cdc.gov/ccindex/pdf/clear-communication-user-guide.pdf . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

• [S2] A Plain English Handbook. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: US federal government works (GSA, GPO, SEC, CDC), public domain in the United States; third-party quotations inside those works were not used. Text was condensed and changed from the originals.

@misc{iil_note_67tsfzwv,
  author = {{iinventedlight}},
  title = {{Use a visual that carries the same message as the words}},
  howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-11-09},
  url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-visual-supports-main-message/},
  note = {Permanent ID iil:note:67tsfzwv. License: CC-BY-4.0.},
}

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