16.4.2.5.1. Graphics. Saunders (1994) identifies nine categories of graphics: “symbols (pictographic or abstract),
maps, graphs, diagrams, illustrations or rendered pictures (realistic to abstract), photos (still or moving), three-dimensional models, graphic devices and elements (may also be considered as symbols, and composite graphics made up of two or more of the other types)” (p. 184). At first glance, two of those categories seem questionable, those of photos
and 3-D models. However, Saunders explains that she refers to photos that have been digitized and are capable of artistic
manipulation and to models constructed through computer graphics and animation. These then all fit within her definition:
“Graphics may be simply defined as a prepared form of visual message or a visual form of communication” (p. 184).
As noted previously, Alesandrini (1984) classified graphics much differently under three rubrics: representational, analogical, and arbitrary. Her classification has been widely used in the research literature.