My high school art teacher Ms. Wood used to say “Everyone can draw to a reasonable likeness. You have to draw what you see, NOT what you think. It’s really only a matter of moving a pencil or brush in a series of lines, shapes and angles.”

At this year’s SXSW Interactive festival, I heard an interesting panel discussion where a similar point was made:

Go to a classroom full of kindergarteners and ask them to raise their hands if they can draw a picture. Usually just about 95% – 100% of the kids will raise their hand. Then ask the kids how many can read and write. The answer is usually only about 10%.

If you tracked these students down 10 – 15 years later, and asked the same two questions, the inverse will be true.

We are built as highly visual beings. From the start, we respond to bright colors, pictures of animals and people, and take crayon in hand to document the shapes and symbols that are important to us. Eventually, we stop practicing that expression in favor of reading and writing about our experiences. But we all continue to respond to pretty pictures, colors and designs: websites with huge colorful photos and artwork garner our attention.

I think we should continue to promote visual ways of thinking about our content and deliver rich media experiences, but not overlook the power of a good photograph, and in some cases, let the picture do the talking.