VISUAL AIDS FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 95
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 18, 2000
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 1, 1954
• Content Type: OPEN

Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
RACHEL MARSHALL GOETZ
forthe PUBLIC SERVICE
Public Administration Service
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Visual Aids
for the Public Service
By Rachel Marshall Goetz
Illustrations by Cissie Peitz
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION SERVICE
1313 East 60th Street, Chicago 37, Illinois
1954
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
The Lakeside Pess, R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company
Chicago, Illinois, and Crawfordsville, Indiana
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Preface
VISUAL AIDS are being used increasingly to supplement the printed and spoken
word as a means of conveying ideas and information. A major impetus for this in-
creased use of visual aids was the experience of the armed forces training pro-
grams during World War II. Today the armed services employ films at the rate of
seventy million training hours annually. Industry and education have also come to
use films, filmstrips, and graphics with increasing skill and effectiveness. But, with
some notable exceptions, public administration-federal, state, and local-has not
employed these new tools of communication to the same extent for the provision
of better training of public servants, for the improvement of public relations, and for
greater citizen understanding of the problems of modern government.
As an experiment in the improved use of these tools of communication in the
public service, Public Administration Clearing House conducted a two-year pilot
project. With the cooperation of associations of public officials and agencies-
primarily those headquartered at 1313 East 60th Street, Chicago, Illinois-it was
able to bring to the attention of hundreds of officials and agencies the existence
of films and other media in their fields and to transmit some practical recommenda-
tions in the effective use of these visual aids.
The pilot project, which has now been completed, was conducted by Rachel
Marshall Goetz. It demonstrated among other things the need for a continuing
center constantly supplying information on visual aids for public officials and for
citizens' groups.
In the concluding stages of the project Mrs. Goetz prepared this manual of
Visual Aids for the Public Service which Public Administration Clearing House is
pleased to sponsor. It is our hope that the manual will aid government officials, as
well as members of citizens' organizations, in presenting more effectively the proc-
esses of democratic government and in improving the techniques for the training of
its servants.
HERBERT EMMERICH, Director
Public Administration Clearing House
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Contents
Let's Define Our Terms: A Glossary of Visual Aids .
1. New Tools For Public Management .
Visual aids and government's three-way communication job
Visual aids meet the public
Visual aids in service .
II. Visual-Aids Know-How: Uncommon Common Sense . .
The first steps are easy
Titles can make or break .
Lettering: the cornerstone of a good visual
Why good design pays
Clarity is the key
Check list of what a good visual should be
Words of caution .
III. Tips on Displays
Good displays in ten easy steps.
Display boards and backing
Putting the lowly easel to work
Mounting printed material .
Poster making
Flip charts .
Have you tried a peg board? . .
Felt board: black magic
IV. Graphics .
Types of graphics
The knotty question of scale
Titling charts.
Page
. 11
12
15
16
. 19
20
21
. 22
26
. 27
28
. 29
. 30
33
. 33
36
. 37
. 41
. 41
44
. 46
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
IV. Graphics-Continued
Prefabricated graphic materials .
46
Try king-size graphics . .
48
Methods of reproduction .
49
Lettering for reproduction . .
52
When you buy pictorial graphics .
54
V. The Rich Field of Films .
57
What films can and cannot do . .
57
Films in government .
61
It pays to borrow from business . .
63
Finding a suitable film .
65
Locating the screen and the projector .
70
Where to get a projectionist
71
To produce or not to produce . .
72
VI. Variations on the Film Theme: Films Strips, Still Projectors, and Show-
manship .
74
Film strips in the ascendancy
74
Where to get film strips and projectors .
75
What it takes to make a film strip .
77
Opaque versus overhead projectors .
79
Showmanship helps: engineering a film showing .
83
The language of visual aids .
88
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Let's Define Our Terms:
A Glossary of Visual Aids
BLACK OR WHITE BOARDS:
Slate or composition boards that will take colored or white chalk.
BULLETIN BOARDS:
Display areas of cork, celotex, fabric, or other composition mate-
rials on which objects can be mounted.
CELLS OR TRANSPARENCIES:
Mounted acetate slides (usually 31/2" x 4" but occasionally as small
as 2" x 2") for use in projectors.
EASEL CHARTS:
Charts mounted on easels, desk size or larger.
FELTBOARD: (Sometimes called flannel board or wool board.) Composition board
covered with cotton or wool felt to which lightweight objects backed
with sandpaper, abrasive, or felted materials will stick without
visible means of support.
FLASH CARDS:
Brief messages on poster board cards (usually 10" x 12") momen-
tarily displayed to emphasize a point in a presentation.
FLIP CHARTS: Charts fastened together at the top, mounted on an easel so that
they can be flipped over as the presentation progresses.
KINESCOPE: A television program that has been recorded on film and re-
projected.
LIVE TELEVISION:
Telecast where the audience sees the picture of an actual program
or event as it occurs.
MOCK-UP: Three-dimensional scale replica.
MONTAGE: Pattern of illustrations or printed items which are superimposed one
on the other.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
OPAQUE PROJECTOR:
A projector which will project blown-up images of a printed page,
maps, photographs, or other opaque materials.
OVERHEAD PROJECTOR:
A projector where the image is projected from a transparency or
slide back over the operator's head as he stands facing his audience.
OVERLAYS: One transparency laid over another; used to build up presentations.
PEGBOARD: Composition board perforated at regular intervals (usually 3/a")
into which pegs supporting display materials are fitted.
-PLATTER: Phonographic disc, which may be either a recording or a transcrip-
tion, depending on the process by which the sound is transferred
to the record.
POSTERS: Simple illustrated messages, generally mounted on cardboard,
legible at some distance. Posters vary greatly in size; some are
smaller than the car cards that abound in street cars, buses, and
commuter trains; others are as large as highway billboards.
P.A.: Public address system, using a microphone and amplifier. Most
motion-picture projectors are equipped with P.A. jacks or plug-ins.
SLIDEFILM OR FILM STRIP:
Two-inch x 2" slides in series re-photographed on a strip of film.
SOUND MOTION-PICTURE PROJECTORS:
These may be either 16 millimeter or 35 millimeter, depending on
the size of each picture or "frame." Projectors now appearing on
the market can reproduce sound from magnetic tape which can be
stripped directly on the film.
SOUND-SLIDE FILM:
Slide film accompanied by a commentary on a record.
STRIP TEASE POSTER:
A device whereby successive portions of the presentation are re-
vealed piecemeal.
TAPE RECORDER:
Machine which records sound on tape and reproduces it.
WIRE RECORDER:
Machine which records sound on wire and reproduces it.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
1. New Tools for Public Management
Visual aids are here to stay! They
have demonstrated that they can add
a new dimension to the communications
process. Officials at every level of govern -
ment are learning to use them with telling
effect. This manual is designed to help
the public servant-any public servant
-surmount the obstacles that bar the
way to this new field of communication.
Visual aids and government's three-way communication job
Communication is essential in democratic government. The process works three
ways simultaneously. Citizens must communicate their wishes, their suggestions,
and their criticisms to government, if it is to function as an instrumentality of the
people. The wishes, suggestions, and criticisms must be communicated throughout
the governmental organization in the form of policies, program objectives, and
operating standards. At the same time, government must translate itself to citizens
in order to enlist their participation and cooperation. The result of this three-way
process is the molding of government into an efficient institution that can perform
its functions with a minimum of public cost and a maximum of public satisfaction.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Public administration, like indus-
trial management, is aware of the
supreme importance of communica-
tion to efficient operation. Whether
lines of authority are simple and
direct, flowing easily from level to
level,, or whether they interlace staff
functionaries and interdepartmental
committees, communication channels are the life lines that tie the whole structure
together. When communication breaks down, the entire structure is imperiled.
Communication plays its part in the everyday operations of every govern-
ment department; its importance is not limited to the levels of high policy decision.
It works its purposes through oral as well as written communications and even
takes such forms as a lifted eyebrow or a curled lip. The field of human relations,
now in the forefront of administrative thinking, focuses attention on the blockages
to communication created by the vagaries of human nature and aggravated by
poor administrative practices.
Visual aids are good tools of communication because-potentially--they are
able to break through such blockages. They provide understandable, orderly,
and attractive ways of presenting facts and their relationships.
The advertisers pioneered the audio-visual field. Hot on their heels have come
the educators, the businessmen, and, more recently, churches and trade unions.
No self-respecting school system is now without its visual-aids experts. Hard-
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
headed business management has used visuals to the tune of 150,000 films. Church-
es own tens of thousands of projectors. A number of the big unions have well-
developed film programs. The galloping growth of television is the latest testi-
monial to the potentialities of audio-visual aids.
Government has trailed in the audio-visual field for various reasons:
to new items in government budgets, public suspicion of government "propaganda,"
bureaucratic inertia in big governments, and limited resources in little ones. In
spite of these difficulties, visual aids are being used with increasing effectiveness
at every level of government. They are on their way to becoming fully respected
tools of public management.
World War II did much to stimulate the use of visuals. The need to speed
military training and defense production forced experimentation with every sort
of training aid. Audio-visual techniques came through with flying colors and dug
themselves deep into defense training and communications procedures. They have
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
spread into the other branches of federal , ,
government and won their diploma of recog-
nition in state and local government. Audio-
visual aids now serve government as:
aids to public information programs
tools for -reporting and administra-
tive communication
in-service training aids
Visual aids meet the public
Every agency meets the public in a variety
of ways. Visual aids can help those en-
counters become more memorable and more
rewarding. If an agency provides direct pub-
lic service, it can step up the -usefulness of
those services by using such visuals as maps,
road signs, instructional flyers, and leaflets.
Every agency on occasion reports on over-all operations or special projects.
It may use annual or periodic reports, budget proposals, or other statements.
Visual aids can help attract and hold favorable interest, convey facts, relate
them significantly, and focus attention on issues needing decision.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Often it is part of the job of government to
help the public understand the nature of the
l
d
ea
.
problems with which it expects government to
These problems in their sweep cover the wide fields
of foreign and domestic policy, bearing sometimes
on substantive issues and sometimes on considerations of methodology. Motion
pictures, television and radio programs, as well as the more static charts, posters,
displays, and publications, can be used-indeed have been used-to build public
understanding.
Frequently the success of a government operation depends on enlisting active
citizen cooperation. Audio-visual aids can go beyond the unadorned printed
word in sparking public interest and moti-
vating citizen action. Whether the issue is
compliance with regulations or voluntary
cooperation with programs in the public in-
terest-defense bond drives, civilian defense
programs, traffic safety campaigns-these
new communication tools can sharpen the
public attention and trigger citizen response.
Visual aids in service
Within the administrative framework of government, visual aids have a sig-
nificant, though perhaps less spectacular contribution
to make. Charts and diagrams are helpful reporting
tools in recording new data, in highlighting meaning-
ful relationships, and in crystallizing conclusions and
giving them added significance.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
At all levels of administration, there are mountains of applicatiion blanks,
memos, and reports whose usefulness can be heightened by concern for visual
impact.
AT THE AUDIO LEVEL
tape and wire recorders can preserve the spirit as well as the facts of key
meetings. Problems of interagency communication also present important challenges
to these new media. Graphics, special layouts, and typography can help bridge
the gulfs that separate departments, even within the same agency.
Visual aids rise to the zenith of their usefulness in in-service training. Here
all stops are pulled. Visuals are used to:
Demonstrate
Know-How
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Training starts with the orientation of new employees. By the use of visual aids,
the office manual and organization charts can be made to highlight instructions,
increase employee understanding, and arouse program enthusiasm.
Audio-visual techniques may be used to tie orientation in with special training,
as they are in the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or they may be directed toward
creating a favorable working climate. The Federal Personnel Council's truth-about-
government campaign uses television, motion pictures, and graphic presentations
to increase the prestige of the public service with employees and the public.
Supervisory training specialists enlist elaborate audio-visual support in a num-
ber of agencies, including the National
Statistics, and the Federal Civil De-
fense Administration. Interviewers for
the 1950 Census were trained with
the use of television and an as-
sortment of film presentations. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics used a felt-
board presentation to add a new
dimension to its interviewer training
program.
Manual skills are widely
taught with the assistance of
mock-ups and models, training
films, and illustrated manuals.
Some of the most favorable re-
ports concerning the impact of
visual aids on learning have come
out of the skill-training experience of the armed forces.
Production Authority, the Bureau of Labor
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
The potential usefulness of audio-visual aids in government is virtually unlimited.
The controlling factors are the enthusiasm and ingenuity of the user. Often he is
needlessly deterred by misconceptions concerning the difficulty of using or the
expense of producing visual aids. Anyone with little or no budgetary leeway
can learn to use the simpler of these new communication tools to make the
rest of his job easier.
This manual charts a visual aids course which any willing public servant
can follow.
10
`*
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
II. Visual-Aids Know-How:
Uncommon Common Sense
i (j I / I irractical prob-
e" lems loom forbid-
-~~/ dingly large in the
mind of every new
user of visual aids.
The plunge once
taken, however, the
enterprising indi-
vidual will discover
that visuals can be-
come increasingly
useful tools of public management. The initiate will find himself in possession of
a rich collection of devices that can make a real contribution to public employee
training and to the taxpayer's understanding of government activities and services.
People generally assume that the use of vis-
ual aids presupposes a great artistic talent or a
lush art budget. Nothing could be farther from
the truth, although either or both are naturally
assets. A little imagination and/or the tempera-
ment of a "doodler" can work wonders. What
public servant, ridden by harassments, budget-
ary or otherwise, does not take out his frus-
trations like this?
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
The first steps are easy
Stick figures, such as that drawn by our harassed "doodler," are a long way
up the visual-aids scale. To start, it is quite enough to be able to use a blackboard
and chalk or paper -and crayon to:
LIST ideas or a series of points. This is an outline.
EMPHASIZE key points or relationships by underlining, spacing,
capitalization, or color. This could be an organization chart.
COMPARE in terms of size, space, or time. This is a chart.
ILLUSTRATE to make your presentation "stick." This could be pic-
torial graphics.
Any device that appeals to eye or ear or both with more effect than just
words is an audio-visual aid.
A good visual can SET THE STAGE AND FOCUS ATTENTION.
It can REINFORCE WORDS that might otherwise fall on deaf ears.
It -can HOLD ATTENTION by the use of color, by arrangement, and, best of
all
b
i
,
y mot
on.
It can CONVEY ATTITUDES as well as facts.
It can TOUCH THE WELLSPRINGS OF HUMAN EMOTIONS.
Cartoons, comic strips, and posters-as well as motion pictures-
can use a human situation to put an idea across.
Visuals actually speed up learning. According to army
studies, people get 75 per cent of their impressions through
their -eyes and retain half again as much of what they see
as of what they hear.
12
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Big or little, simple or complex, homemade or expensively packaged, visual
aids are devices for:
AROUSING ATTENTION AND HOLDING IT
CONVEYING INFORMATION
ORGANIZING IDEAS
MOTIVATING ACTION
Like any other skill, effective use of audio-visual aids takes a bit of doing.
There are always hurdles to take before any new technique can be used with facility,
but visual-aids know-how snowballs rapidly. The worst hurdles are actually illu-
avI 7. Inc uwcaviiic a.vala vI F I WIuwur.II.. vm.cl -
tising have seemed-but only seemed-to
take visual aids out of the reach of the small
operator. The fact is that a core of easily
acquired know-how can accomplish much even
on the slimmest budgets.
The "open sesame" to successful use of visual aids in support for any program
is constant awareness of the value of attractive packaging as contrasted with
the dogged and flat-footed presentation. The business of making information
palatable, digestible, and memorable
carries no price tag. One can indeed
learn much-for free-from the com-
mercial promoters, who bolster cold
logic with appealing supports. The ad-
vertisers engineer impact by skillful use
of color, arrangement, illustration, emo-
tionally toned words, and other powerful symbols, but none of these is copyrighted
property.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Purveyors of ideas of every sort can profit by an awareness of the poten-
tialities of such presentation ideas as:
SPACE
ARRANGEMENT
-EMPHASIS
TYPE STYLES
COLOR
ILLUSTRATION
The first four take time and imagination rather than money, but even color
and illustration are not per se costly, though they may, of course, -be very -costly
indeed. It is usually just as easy and cheap to use colored paper or ink as black
and white. Generally, though not always, the use of
color does increase the effectiveness of the visual. Nor
is it necessary to be an artist to illustrate your message.
Cut-outs from advertisements and other free materials
or enlarged photographs can be used with satis-
factory and almost professional effects.
Even where color and illustration appear impracticable, good spacing, careful
arrangement, and the imaginative use of typestyles can do much to step -up the
impact of straight text. The important thing is never to forget that the appearance
of a report, a poster, or a chart can be an extra asset in putting any message
When visuals become a state of mind, the effec-
tiveness of every publication and every display will
be enormously increased and the courage necessary
for their production will not be missing.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Titles can make or break
In any visual presentation, no matter what its form, good titling is a priceless
jewel. Titles should always be:
Brief-two lines (preferably one).
Accurate-saying no more and no less than intended (and, to be
sure, this is difficult).
Arresting-the emotional punch of a visual can be heightened by
the use of appealing word symbols to reinforce the message.
Leave little or nothing to the viewer's imagination, and especially don't leave
him puzzled and confused. Amateur visuals frequently
misfire because they fail to be self-explaining units.
Written or oral descriptions can amplify a visual's
message and can point up certain of its conclusions,
but they should not be required to make it intel-
ligible. Before it "jells" try out the visual on some-
one who has not been in on the planning.
The first requirement of all titling is legibility in terms of the particular circum-
stances in which the visual is to be used. Legibility is not simply a function of size.
It has to do with spacing between letters, their thickness or thinness, spacing
between lines, and arrangement of the different parts that make up the whole.
It has, in fact, to do with the total effect of attractiveness and clean-cutness
which will make an audience want to grasp the message. Legibility also
depends on color. White and black read well; orange and black provide sharp
contrast. Elaborate color schemes, however attractive, may reduce legibility and
may therefore require larger letters.
15
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Very small changes have an enormous effect on the legibility, attractiveness,
and impact of the final product. Titles can be larger or smaller; type styles can
be bolder or more delicate, shorter or taller, thinner or fatter. Colors can be
harsher or more pleasant; borders can be broader or narrower; spacing can
be gracious, congested, or blank.
FRAMING OR
MOUNTING CAN
MAKE THE VISUAL
MORE NOTICEABLE
Lettering: the cornerstone of a good visual
Lettering can also make or break any visual presentation. If it appears likely
that a lot of lettering is to be done, a brush or the speedball pen, used by
someone who knows how, is fast, cheap, and flexible. Most draftsmen are good
letterers, and artstudents are well trained in freehand lettering.
It is also possible to acquire the art with the aid of
a good manual. Visual Aids: Handbook for Trainers,
International Harvester's Education and Training Division,
spells out the technique of lettering in such detail that
anyone with patience can learn. Any library should be
able to uncover equally good instructions.
Lettering brushes are inexpensive and come in a wide range of sizes. Speed-
ball pens come in sizes up to 9/4 inch and cost about 100 per point; an assortment
of points will cost about $1.25. India ink or lettering ink works best with both
pen and brush. Brushes, speedball pens, lettering ink, and lettering manuals can be
obtained at any artists' supply store and at most office-supply stores and stationers.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Good effects can be had by tracing suitable letters from newspaper and
magazine advertisements. Letter stencils also serve many a useful purpose. Stencils
come in a wide variety of sizes and styles. Cardboard stencils, like children use,
are available in toy and ten-cent stores. Much more elaborate and durable
plastic ruler-like stencils can be obtained in local art stores. The cardboard stencil
lettering sets, including both letters and numbers, come in 1 %2", 1", 3/a", and /2"
heights and are generally available from 150 up to $1.00 per set.
An ingenious variation of the stencil is the Varigraph. This gadget will produce
letters in a variety of styles and sizes (.075 inch to .725 inch). It has adjustments
that permit any one of a number of styles to be made taller or shorter, fatter or
thinner. Such devices, however, are relatively expensive-costing about $100-
and are not, therefore, practicable for small or occasional visual-aids operations.
Prefabricated or cut-out letters offer an easy solution to a considerable number
of lettering problems. Unless you start to figure out what your time is worth, the
use of prefabricated letters is apt to be more expensive than drawing the letters
yourself or cutting them out of magazines or other publications. The difficulty of
cutting letters from published materials will be recognized immediately by anyone
who has tried it: the problem of locating a sufficient number of the right letters
of the desired style and size.
All sorts of prefabricated letters that can be glued into place are now on the
market. There are three-dimensional letters that come in cork, composition, card-
board, and felt. Flat paper letters come in many weights of paper, in all standard
colors, in black and white, silver and gold. There are also letters of shiny mystic
material (like mystic tape) which theoretically will stick without glue to roughish
surfaces. They are less durable than cardboard letters, and are more expensive
than plain cut-outs, but they can frequently be used more than once. Two-inch
mystic letters cost about $4.50 per set of 100.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Most prefabricated letters come in a wide
selection of -sizes, ranging from r/2 inch to
9 inches. They are not too easy to locate,
but art supply stores, display houses, educa-
tional supply or office-supply houses may be
able to help you. Sources for letters include:
Mitten's Letters, Redland, California
Harry Mich Company, 216 West Ontario Street, Chicago, Illinois
(mystic and other letters)
Redikut Letter Company,
6519 West Boulevard, Inglewood, California
Tablet and Ticket Company,
1021 West Adams Street, Chicago, Illinois
With a supplyof ready-built letters on hand, anyone can produce workmanlike
posters, displays, and charts with relative ease and on short notice. Letter storage
boxes, with compartments for each letter, are of great practical use in working
with, as well as in storing, cut-out letters. It will save time and money to use a few
standard sizes and a limited range of colors.
Good spacing is essential to satisfy-
ing lettering results. One experienced user
suggests that fat letters should be no more
than four times the width of a capital "I,"
that spacing between lettersshould be one
"I" width, and between words four "I"
widths.
18
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Why good design pays
The qualities of arrangement, spacing, color, and over-all attractiveness are
visual elements that are used to convey the message. Together they build the
design of the visual. These design elements are to be found in every kind of
visual, whether it is a graphic presentation, diagram, organization chart, poster,
bulletin board, or other display. Expertness in combining them attractively accumu-
lates rapidly, since experience in any of these fields is broadly transferable from
one kind of visual to another.
Good design is functional, not arty. Design can come high, but it does not
have to if the person responsible for the visual will take the trouble to train his
own eye. This he can do by the simple expedient of becoming aware of visuals
whenever he encounters them, and by giving himself practice in finding out
what kind of presentation he likes and why. Almost anyone can produce an at-
tractive visual if he pushes the elements of visualization around until he has
achieved the best possible arrangement of what he has to work with.
19
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Clarity is the key
GOOD
VISUALS
TAKE
SHARP
THINKING
Visual aids cannot be used successfully unless the user knows exactly what he
wants to say and to whom he wants to say it. The central idea must be simplified
until) the bones of its meaning are laid bare. Subtleties must take second place;
they must not obscure the central message. Check and recheck to be sure that all
nonessentials are pared away and that the remaining bony structure of the idea
is well enough articulated to carry the weight of the message. Then figure out
how to express and reinforce that idea visually. This kind of streamlining calls for
sharp thinking, which is absolutely essential if a visual is to read well, easily, and
convincingly.
20
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Check list of what a good visual should be
A GOOD VISUAL SHOULD BE CLEAR
It should be accurate.
Its message should be simple, direct, and pointed.
It should not try to say too much.
It should be legible in terms of design, size, contrast and color.
A GOOD VISUAL SHOULD BE COMPELLING
It should attract attention.
It should spark audience reaction.
Its message should stick; color, design, symbolism, phraseology,
all can contribute elements of indelibility.
IT SHOULD BE EASY TO USE
It should be selected for the person who is to use it, in light of
his experience and his surroundings.
A GOOD VISUAL SHOULD BE APPROPRIATE
Its form should reflect its purpose.
Its form should be closely tied to its content.
Its form should be determined by its use, taking into considera-
tion probable number of showings, proposed method of repro-
duction, and available equipment.
Its form should reflect the character of the organization using it.
A GOOD VISUAL MUST BE WORTH WHAT IT COSTS
It should fit the budget, both of time and money.
It should be produced as economically as possible; this pre-
supposes knowledge of the different media and their costs.
It should produce the desired results. The most painful costs are
the costs of false starts; careful planning and familiarity with
the media can practically eliminate these.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Words of caution
Don't expect a
visual to do something
that the particular de-
vice is not able to do.
This is the point at which
haste really makes
waste.
Visual aids are TOOLS, not magic.
No audio-visual device can stand alone-not even the most elaborate ad
man's dream can perform miracles.
No visual can take the place of practice in acquiring a manual skill.
None can produce -synthetic motivation.
Visual aids offer no magic formula. Badly used, they can be distracting,
confusing, deceptively simple, cumbersome, or disproportionately expensive.
Properly used, they can become valued tools for learning.
22
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Any visual, to be effective, must be aimed at a particular audience for
a particular purpose. This means that the user has to be sure exactly what
his purpose is; and determining this is in itself one of the very valuable dividends
that come through the systematic use of visual aids.
The business of trying to decide what visual to use, where and when, starts
with these questions:
What are you trying to get across? To whom?
What can you hope to accomplish in your particular situation-
taking into consideration such very practical matters as time,
space, money, and background?
Only after putting oneself in this state of preparation does it make sense to try
to settle for any particular device. Plans and tools have to be tied very firmly to
realities. This is the point at which the problems of planning, or acquiring know-
23
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
how and of buying equipment begin to swirl dizzily about the neophyte. This is
the point where eagerness to use the new techniques may evaporate in a wave
of weariness. This phase should be endured lest a fog of discouragement black
out a truly amazing array of communication tools.
It will prove heartening to get a foretaste of things to come from visuals about
visuals. The -following films, although directed toward the schoolroom situation,
have useful lessons for all would-be users of visual aids.
Accent on Learning. 16mm, sound, black and white, 30 minutes. Designed to acquaint
teachers at the college and university level with audio-visual techniques presently being used
by teachers at Ohio State University. Sponsored by the Audio-Visual Materials Committee of the
university. Audio-Visual Center, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. Rental $4.50.
Instructional Films-The New Way to Greater Education. 16mm, sound, black and white,
15-minute and 25-minute versions. Demonstrates how audio-visual teaching saves time in presenting
24
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
complex ideas. The importance of proper selection, integration, and administration of an educa-
tional film program under an audio-visual director is also stressed. Coronet Films, Coronet Building,
Chicago 1, Illinois. Price: 15 minutes, $25; 25 minutes, $50. Available on free loan.
Sight and Sound. 16mm, sound, black and white, 11 minutes, 1949. Shows the value of
audio-visual aids and stresses their value in education, using examples of classroom activity.
Canadian National Film Board, 1270 Avenue of the Americas, New York 20, New York. Rental $1.50.
New Tools for Learning. 16mm, sound, black and white, 18 minutes, 1949. Demonstrates
new and better ways of using films in a schoolroom situation. Produced in cooperation with the
Audio-Visual Materials Center, University of Chicago. Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, 1150 Wil-
mette Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois. Rental $4.50.
Audio Visual Aids to Learning. 16mm, sound, black and white, 11 minutes, 1951. How an
eighth-grade teacher uses audio-visual materials to enrich a study unit on Japan. Designed for
use in occupied areas. United World Films, Inc., 1445 Park Avenue, New York, New York. Sale
price $14.97.
The standard educator's textbooks are: Preparation and Use of Audio Visual Aids, by
K. B. Haas and H. 0. Packer, Prentice-Hall, Inc., New York, 1950, $4.65; and Audio Visual
Methods in Teaching, by Dale Edgar, Dryden Press, New York, 1946, $4.25.
Boiled down and capsulated, there is much in this new field of communications
that can be put to immediate use in every governmental office.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
I1-I.Tips on Displays
The easiest start in the visual-aids field is with displays; the display visual is
also one of the most broadly useful. Every agency and every department of
every agency uses or could use periodic displays. There is always literature to
be spotlighted, directions to be posted, reports to be made, teaching to be done.
Displays, posters, and mounted charts
are so useful that, except for the hurdle,
"We have no artist," they would be
used much oftener than they-are. The
fact is, however, that without an artist
anywhere on the premises useful dis-
plays-even impressive displays-are
completely practicable.
A display is, quite simply, any compact, purposeful arrangement of mate-
rialls designed to focus attention on some range of information or area of
activity. It is the easiest kind of visual to develop without professional services,
because it can generally be put together from pre-existing materials.
Symbols, models, photographs, cut-outs, or publications, well mounted and
made attractive by judicious use of color, and tied together by intelligible titling,
can do wonders for small dollar outlay. Of course, any display involves planning
time costs.
2.6
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Good displays in ten easy steps
* Decide what the display is to do-for whom.
* Plan where it is to be used. Determine size, considering matters of legibility, lighting, and
appearance.
* Collect your materials.
* Select a theme and a title. Make it simple; stick to one or at most two ideas.
* Plan schematic arrangements; first things should hit the eye first. Consider size, color,
and contrast.
* Keep the display uncluttered. Give it balance and interest. Give it unity by means of
arrangement, connecting lines, or color repetition.
* Use color and more color, but not unless you can use it well.
* Have the display ready well in advance-completely ready if possible.
* Keep it in good condition. Don't let it become shabby, disorganized, or out of date.
* Take it down when its job is done.
Ohio State University has produced an excellent color filmstrip setting forth
practical display principles:
How to Keep Your Bulletin Board Alive, available with mimeo release for $2.50 from the
Teaching Aids Laboratory, Bureau of Educational Research, Ohio State University, Columbus.
The simplest display is an arrangement of objects, publications, or what have
you, on a table or desk surface. Table-top displays have at least the merit of
practicality since card tables and desk tops are generally available. They have
certain disadvantages, however. Most of the items making up the display cannot
be seen from any distance and are
eclipsed by even a small crowd. More-
over, it seems that people cannot resist
the temptation to pick up and disarrange
displayed materials, with the result that
any prearranged pattern soon becomes
meaningless. Also there is considerable
danger of losing the books, pamphlets,
or other objects.
27
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
A better bet, more visible, more impressive, less likely to
be disturbed-and using less floor space-is a display
mounted on a wall, a bulletin board, or an easel. Such
displays should be arranged at a legible height (2'/2 or 3
feet off the floor and not more than 6 or 7 feet over-all,
unless they are to be the backdrop in a large hall).
Display boards and backing
The first requirement for an effective
display is a background which focuses atten-
tion and provides an organizational frame-
work for the materials to be presented. Any
surface that makes possible attractive con-
trast and to which objects-can be easily attached will serve the purpose.
Fabric backgrounds such as denim, burlap, and felt are satisfactory for
pinning up sheets of paper, pamphlets, or other lightweight objects. A fabric
provides a textured quality and generally looks much more opulent than it really
is. Display houses and department stores have all sorts of backdrop materials
that will stand alone. There are also felted papers in an array of strong and subtle
colors. They look like velvet and are very useful for background or trimmings.
A pointer is a great help when a commentary is to
accompany an exhibit. It achieves emphasis by focusing
audience attention and can be used without turning one's
back to the audience and without blocking out part of
the message. It is much more definite and dignified than
a finger-point. Classroom pointers are generally available, but a band leader's
small baton, costing approximately 35j, is easier to store and just as pointed.
28
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Permanent display areas deserve good
color, framing, and special attention to lighting.
Daylight is cheapest, but inexpensive bullet
spotlights are not difficult to rig up. Many com-
mercial display boards have their own lighting
fixtures. Since most store-made bulletin boards
and display boards are made of cork or com-
position boarding, they can usually be painted.
Putting the lowly easel to work
To hold temporary or even permanent display boards, various sorts of in-
expensive easels are quite suitable. With a cache of eight cheap wooden easels
($2.25 apiece) impressive room-size exhibits have been developed.
There are few gadgets that have more all-round
usefulness than an easel. It is portable, adaptable,
and storable. It can be used with equal effect in
simple or in elaborate presentations. It holds displays
at legible heights in convenient, commanding, or un-
obtrusive positions as desired. Most hotels will loan
easels for use under their own roofs.
Easels can be as simple and unpretentious as three sticks of stained balsa
wood held together by screw bolts and equipped with a screw-on shelf, or as
elaborate as ornamental custom-designed aluminum structures with all sorts of
trick gadgets. All display houses and art stores carry easels. It is even possible
to rent them in many cities.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Another species of easel that is extremely useful is the desk easel. With its
assistance, a series of flash cards (poster boards with simple messages written
large) can build up a point-by-point visual outline, or emphasize key ideas. Desk
easels, if sturdy enough, can also hold fair-sized charts, posters, pamphlets, and
books, any or all of which can be used to add visual reinforcement to a verbal
presentation. Sheet music holders will do very well for this purpose. Chants between
poster board covers, spiral bound at the top, will stand alone.
Mounting printed material
Probably the most common subjects for display
in government circles are publications and other
printed materials. These come in all sizes and
shapes. Usually they are grimly businesslike in ap-
pearance, for few printing budgets will allow for
anything but the cheapest reproduction. Chances
are, therefore, that most of the raw materials for visuals for training courses, and
even for public information programs, are likely to be
black and white mimeographed, planographed, or
printed without illustration. Solid pages may be inter-
spersed occasionally with simple charts and tables. All
such materials can be displayed to advantage and
with real dignity on black poster boards.
Practically every homemade visual starts with poster board. This useful ma-
terial comes in a variety of weights and almost every conceivable color, black
and white, and even gold, silver, and copper. Poster boards usually come in sizes
22 inches by 28 inches or 28 inches by 44 inches. These retail from 15? up. The
bigger the display, the heavier the boarding that is needed so that the display
will not buckle under its own weight.
30
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Glue is the most permanent adhesive; rubber cement is the easiest to use-
since the excess will rub off most surfaces without smearing. Black ten-cent-store
elastic 1/2 inch wide stapled around a display board will hold large sheets in
place without damage, or the material itself may be stapled to the board.
Thumbtacks of the inconspicuous black or white variety or boldly colored map
tacks can also be used.
Four-foot by six-foot display boards have proved to be of the size most use-
ful for displaying publications. These need 3-inch letters for the titles if the message
is to carry in a large hall, and 2-inch letters in most rooms. If closer inspection is
invited, the subtitles may be smaller, but preferably not less than 3/4 inch.
On black backgrounds white prefabricated cardboard or felt letters are very
striking. The most widely useful combination is 2-inch black prefabricated letters
mounted for contrast on strips of white cardboard 4 inches or 5 inches wide.
It is an easy matter to introduce color and texture into the simplest display by
the use of colored letters and small colored felt circles, squares, and triangles,
which, incidentally, come prefabricated. Construction paper, which comes in a
multitude of colors and costs only a few cents a sheet, makes effective mountings.
It pays to spend a good deal of time moving the printed or other materials
around until an arrangement emerges that is interesting but does not appear
cluttered or confused.
31
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
One learns rapidly to appreciate
THE SOOTHING EFFECT OF JUST PLAIN SPACE
and to provide generous borders-at least 4 inches and preferably more-
and ample area between displayed items.
Three-dimensional effects, whenever practical, add much interest. Three-
dimensional letters are a first step. These also come prefabricated in cork, card-
board, and plastic. Books and other items
standing in front of a display are also
easily arranged; so are standing cut-outs-
illustrations mounted on poster-board models.
Working models and dioramas-three di-
mensional miniature scenes-are most effec-
tive attention-getters.
It is important that displays in groups should be tied together, either in form
or color or arrangement, so that they look as if they belong together. Otherwise
the whole will look disorganized and cluttered. Even with very mixed subject
matter, the use of the same color background, although it be simply black or
white, will.produce a unified, dignified, and attractive effect.
32
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Poster making
Posters are the most widely used visual and are good attention-getters. They
take more doing than the simpler displays but they can be done by an amateur.
color scheme, some cut-outs or other illustrations,
and prefabricated letters, anyone can make a
good poster. The standard poster size is 22
inches by 28 inches. One and one-half-inch
letters are legible at some distance; one-inch
letters are suitable for posters that are viewed at closer quarters. Two-inch letters
are more impressive if your message is brief enough or the poster is oversize.
Flip charts
The principle behind flip charts is the building of a presentation step by step.
At its simplest, the flip chart is a series of messages on successive sheets of
a large pad of paper. The pad of paper is mounted
on a wooden tripod so that the sheets can be flipped
over the top. One after another, charts or items of an
outline are flipped over to reveal and emphasize the
next idea. Cartoons, diagrams, and illustrations add a
great deal, if they can be developed and utilized in
the presentation, but simple phrases will give real im-
pact even to an outline.
An effective poster is simply a brief mes-
sage you can read as you run and that
you will read while you run. With careful plan-
ning, a message of not more than six words, a
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
The flip chart is peculiarly well adapted to the training situation. It is portable,
legible, flexible, and practically guarantees an orderly presentation. It can be
used in ways that a blackboard cannot, and obviously can provide a greater
total) writing area. The flip chart actually has most of the advantages of a black-
board and plus dividends because it rivets attention to successive parts of a
presentation without losing by erasure such pearls of wisdom as might have future
use.
The preparation of a flip chart is really quite easy, but it does take careful
planning to keep its mechanics unobtrusive and its service meaningful. Pads of
newsprint ($1.00 per 100 sheets) or heavy paper, technically known as heavy
detail, can be procured in sizes all the way up to 42 inches by 42 inches. The
sheets of paper can be fastened across the top by strips of wood or metal tightly
bolted together. It is possible, if a program is not to be repeated too often, to
rely on the glue or stitching which holds a big pad of paper together. The wooden
or metal bar holding the block of paper can be mounted at the top of an easel,
or, spotted, can be set at the top of a spear-headed standard. Display houses can
provide a packaged product if you are willing to pay-for it.
THE FLIPPING-OVER PROCESS
_34
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
The flipping-over process can best be engineered by using a pointer to lift
the sheets of paper. Flip charts have many of the advantages of all so-called
"strip tease charts." They sharpen attention by revealing the presentation piece-
meal, and the process of turning big pages also rivets attention. Charts drawn on
window shades which can be pulled down at the psychological moment can ac-
complish the same thing.
A flip chart prepared in advance can provide a comforting skeleton on which
to hang a lecture; it can also be used extemporaneously to anchor a discussion
as it proceeds. This latter use requires more savoir-faire on the part of the in-
structor, but it makes the visualization follow rather than precede the discussion.
A fat grease pencil, an industrial fountain brush (like a fountain pen), crayon,
or cotton pledgets rolled to cigar dimensions and dipped in ink (India ink or poster
ink) make flip-chart preparation easy. India ink messages, allowed to dry, can be
swabbed with color-a painless way of introducing color. A lettering brush or
speedball pen in experienced hands will, of course, produce a more finished
message, but this is not essential in most teaching situations.
35
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Have you tried a peg board?
Two new versions of the display board
are taking the visual-aids field by storm-
the peg board and the felt (wool or flannel)
board. The peg board is an ingenious de-
vice for displaying a wide variety of items
of various sizes and shapes. Basically, it is
a sheet of composition board with holes punched all over it, generally 3/a inch to
1 inch apart. Pegs, much like golf tees (wooden or plastic tees will, in fcict, work),
fitted into these holes will support papers, pamphlets, and odd-shaped objects.
Peg boards were developed by advertisers to display products and sales
literature, and all sorts -of ingenious hooks, handles, and shelves have been -de-
signed to go with them. They can be painted any color or used in their natural
wood-brown state. They can be hung on the wall,
mounted on a stand, or used with easels. They come in
sizes ranging from 24 inches by 36 inches to 48 inches by
96 inches, double or single, mounted or unmounted, painted
or unpainted, framed or unframed, with or without special lighting fixtures, and
boxed or unboxed for shipping. Little metal mountings in which they can be stood
are also available. Peg Board is a trade name but similar boards are available
through display houses across the nation. Recently there has appeared on the
market a packaged display kit (retailing around $45) which includes ci mounted
2-foot by 4-foot peg board, a set of legs, shelves, and a variety of gadgets.
This useful combination is widely used by book stores, libraries, and professional
organizations.
It is possible to try out the peg board in a conservative way at little cost.
A "raw" piece 4 feet by 6 feet by '/s inch in the natural color costs around $10.00.
36
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
It can be set on a pair of easels. Two shelves 53/4 inches by 113/4 inches (95? each),
one shelf 53/4 inches by 353/4 inches ($1.85), and six special metal shelf supports
($1.25) plus price ticket holders ($1.75 per hundred) are all that are necessary
for a very satisfactory display. Books, cards, posters, and pamphlets can be
anchored by these price ticket holders, which may be inserted horizontally or
vertically, as best fits the materials to be displayed. Picture hangers ($4.50 a
hundred) also are useful for holding objects as diverse as canned reels of
motion-picture film and cloth-bound books.
Titles for use with the peg board can be quickly
improvised with 2" or 3" prefabricated letters mounted
on 6" strips of cardboard which in turn can be pegged
to the board with some of the price ticket holders.
Felt board: black magic
The felt board-wool or flannel-can serve both as a display board and as
the basis for a unique kind of presentation. It is simple in theory but startling in
effect. All sorts of light-weight objects, pieces of paper, phrases, numbers, laid
against a board covered with felt (which has been mounted slightly off the vertical)
will adhere to it without visible means of
support. Actually, each such object is
backed with strips of sandpaper, emery
paper, Flok-tite (a trademarked felted
paper), or simply sand in dried glue.
The audience invariably is fascinated
by the spectacle of a speaker picking
up an object, nonchalantly pressing it
against the board, and having it stay
there.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
There are-few more effective ways of building up a story. Poster-board cut-
outs can be added piece by piece somewhat in the way that a jigsaw puzzle is
built. The felt board has been used in kindergartens for a long time; only recently
has it been rediscovered by the advertisers. Currently it is having quite a vogue
and television has adopted it with telling effect.
Industrial trainers have taken over the felt board and its use has spread to
governmental circles. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has developed a training
course for supervisors of the interviewers for the cost-of-living index, using felt
boards and "doll" kits of cardboard titles, numbers, and cut-out figures. This
visual aid cut the training time on the concepts of the composition of the family
and family budget from two days to one-half day. Dollar costs were cut in half
even after allowing for the production cost of the felt-board presentation.
Such savings, of course, presuppose very large numbers of trainees and re-
peated training sessions, but the felt-board idea can make its contribution in any
teaching situation where it pays to prepare sand-backed objects in advance. A
very effective presentation can be worked out with prefabricated or speedball
lettering, or even free-hand script, on strips of cardboard of any suitable color,
with appropriate illustrative cut-outs.
When a training course
is to go into several sessions,
it usually pays to engineer a
change of pace by using a
number of different types KVA
of presentations. At this point
the felt board is particularly
useful; it will arouse even the most flagging interest.
38
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Felt boards obviously require careful planning and real preparation but they
also can be homemade. A display house or an artist can work up a presentation
with sand-backed objects, but so can the determined amateur. Anyone can build
an eminently satisfactory felt board by stapling felt to composition board and
mounting the whole on an easel. Wool felt in colors as well as in black is available
from manufacturers of industrial textiles or possibly from department stores.
Seventy-two-inch felt retails at about $4.00 a yard. Cotton flannel, at a fraction
of the cost of wool, is less satisfactory but will do in a pinch.
Again 4 feet by 6 feet is an eminently practicable size for a permanent felt
board. Smaller felt boards are more usual for traveling displays and can be
purchased packaged in a traveling case from a number of the leading display
houses.
The felt board pays extra dividends as a
fine display background when it is not in use
as a part of a regular board presentation. All
sorts of literature, cardboard, and pictures can
be thumb-tacked to its surface with striking effect
and without damage to the black felt nap.
Titled with 3-inch white and colored felt letters,
the felt board serves as a valued display asset.
There is a film which spells out the use of the felt board in the school room:
The Felt Board in Teaching. 16mm, sound, color, 10 minutes. Excellent presentation of the
use of felt board in teaching children. Most of the suggestions are entirely adaptable to
other audiences. It is produced by Wayne University, Detroit, Michigan, and rents for $3.00.
Whether the initial step in visual aids is to be a simple poster, a bulletin board,
or one of the new and exciting peg-board or felt-board presentations, it is
worth remembering that it is possible to experiment with any of these at a very
modest dollar investment. The big cost is not the time it takes to plan and to exe-
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
cute the plan; it is the mind-stretching that goes with an exploration into-new fields.
But, as is usually the case, the first time is the hardest, and a voyage of discovery
into the world of displays need not seem too venturesome if the course here
charted is followed.
40
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
IV. Graphics
The next step up the visual-aid scale is the large and rewarding field of graphics.
The simplest of graphics, particularly if tied in with imaginative layout, can trans-
form a manuscript from a forbidding block of solid print into an attractive presen-
tation that invites attention and makes itself understood.
The phrase "dull as a
government report" can lose
its sting -as indeed it is al-
ready doing-as government
agencies learn to present the
people's business in the ar-
resting light it deserves. Good
use of type styles and spac-
ing will help, but the possi-
bilities of meaningful graphics are almost limitless. What's more, no eager public
servant need wait for a budget increase to capitalize on many of these possi-
bilities. Anyone can make simple charts, graphics, and diagrams, and make them
so that they can be satisfactorily reproduced.
Types of graphics
Graphics are lineal descendents of the well-known statistical graph. They can
be schematic, illustrative, or pictorial.
Bar diagrams are most commonly used to
compare quantities at different times or under
different circumstances. Their components are
measured blocks of color or symbols placed
along a clearly marked scale.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Bar diagrams are usually two dimensional, al-
though it is considered very advanced to make
them look like this:
Line charts are an outgrowth of bar dia-
grams. Points which represent measured quan-
tities are joined together to make a continuous
line. Such charts are particularly valuable for
showing trends and growth.
Pie diagrams are used to show how parts
make up the whole. Slices of the tax dollar pie
Diagrams are good for spotlighting relationships. In this category are
organization charts which are simply schematic presentations of relationships
which exist, are supposed to exist, or ought to exist within an organization.
The fact of relationships can be indicated by connect-
ing O p
fl1 '
lines. Types of relationships can be indicated by
FAQ j~
? ao
different kinds of lines-broken lines, lines with arrows,
lines in color-whose significance is described in a
legend, code, or key.
Flow charts are diagrams which are used to show sequence in time, logic,
process, or what have you. One or more visual elements are employed to carry the
eye along from one point to another.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Flow charts can be created most simply by the use of connecting lines which, in
the European-American tradition, read from left to right and from top to bottom.
Flow can also be conveyed by build-up or diminution of size, by color, or by any
device that indicates direction and continuity.
Pictorial graphics employ pictures, cartoons, illustrations, and symbols to con-
vey statistical quantities and to give facts more punch. The simpler bar, line, or pie
charts present literal comparisons of precise quantities, telling a factual story in
a direct manner. There are, however, many stories that do not lend themselves
to a strictly measurable approach. There are other occasions when the impact
of data can be heightened by a more imaginative presentation. Here is where
pictorial graphics make their unique contribution. Through the use of visual sym-
bolism they can release a fountain of memory and association; in consequence on
the consciousness of the viewer
THEY ETCH THEIR
MESSAGE DEEPLY
Well-illustrated graphics, therefore, tend to be more noticeable, more
memorable, and more action-stirring than unadorned facts.
43
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
The knotty question of scale
When making any kind of chart, the key decision is the determination of how
many units each inch or other unit of measure is to represent. Sometimes this is
very easy; the total amount of available space can simply be divided by the
largest number of units that are to be charted and the result sets the scale. But
often the problem is not so simple. Suppose the problem is to chart the cost of
some governmental service which puttered along unobtrusively for a generation
or two, and then in the last five years grew enormously. If
the scale covers 100 years, all the action in the chart will be
concentrated in something less than '/2 inch at the extreme
right.
fYSo -we a the space to the period you
are most interested in.
Suppose, on the other hand, that you want to draw attention to the range of
fluctuations rather than to the time element in which these fluctuations occurred.
Changing the scale-in this case the scale which is measured along the vertical
axis--will produce impressive results. Compare the following two charts which
record exactly the same data.
Such a chart provides a fine historical perspective. But
suppose that you wish to highlight the period of accelerated
activity. A chart based on a 100-year scale is not much help.
It would be better to d t II
44
/VVVVI\
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
If you want the reader to go beyond first impressions, to meditate on the
significance of the data you are presenting, let him in on the scale you have chosen,
either by labeling it along the chart axes, both vertically and horizontally,
or by including the scale in the legend, usually
in one corner of the chart. There may be
times, however, when you will want to con-
vey the impression of growth or change as a
kind of background for some point you wish
^""1zO'"a' to make. In such case, an unlabeled chart
Ax%S
which simply climbs or descends significantly
may serve the purpose better than a more forthright presentation of the data.
The key question is: What do you want to say, to whom and why? You may
want your graphic to record facts in such fashion as to make it possible for your
audience to check your conclusions for themselves, or you may wish merely to
set the stage as a basis for further explanation. If the latter is your objective,
don't set the stage with an initial presentation that is too literal. The first approach
is logical and argumentative; the latter is impressionistic. Each serves a different
purpose, but each may be equally valid in proper circumstances. In all events,
it is important that you
DO NOT THOUGHTLESSLY
SCRAMBLE THE TWO TYPES OF
GRAPHICS: YOU WILL CONFUSE
AND ALIENATE YOUR VIEWERS
The good name of visual aids has suffered much from this sort of mishandling.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Titling Charts
Good graphic titling, like the titling of every other visual, is of prime impor-
tance. It may be desirable to go beyond simply naming the graph; subsidiary
spot labels may be required to make the message easy to grasp. On line charts,
for example, high points and low points may some-
times profitably -carry labels even though the scale is
perfectly apparent. Key quantities or striking per-
centages may also gain emphasis by being marked.
Sublabeling, however, can easily be overdone. If
too many special cases are highlighted, or the labeling
is too emphatic, the presentation may seem restless,
confused, and disorganized.
Graphics on standard 81/2 inch by 1 1 inch or legal-size paper need titles at
least a/2 inch tall. Subtitling can be smaller, legends smaller still.
Prefabricated graphic materials
Bar and line diagrams in black and white and
even in color can be made quite easily by
MOUNTING MEASURED STRIPS
OF BLACK OR COLORED PAPER
ON CAREFULLY DRAWN AXES
46
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Special graphic tapes that are pressure sensitive have appeared on the
market. These tapes come in black, white, green, orange, blue, and red, and in
widths from 1/8 inch to '/2 inch. The rolls come in lengths up to 640 inches,
and prices range from 90? to $2.50 per roll. Fine-line tapes make admirable
axes; they can also be curved to make line charts. Rolls of tape imprinted with
arrows, diagonals, and cross-hatching are also available, making it possible to
prepare unusual graphs with very little effort. Rolls of graphic symbols-men,
women, children, dollars, cents, bales, houses, trucks, busses, cars, airplanes, ships,
freight cars-further extend the usefulness of these new charting materials.
Pressure-sensitive rectangles specially designed for organization charts are
available in a wide range of sizes. These may be obtained either in sets or in a
single size.
Plastic charting boards (203/4 inches by 231/2 inches at $13.75 and 103/8
inches by 17'/2 inches at $4.50), which further simplify the charting process, also
have been developed. These boards carry shadowy guide lines which eliminate
some of the more tedious problems of layout. The lines are pale blue and dis-
appear completely in photographs. The boards can be used over and over.
Zip-a-Tone is another product which is very useful in producing interesting
graphics. Zip-a-Tone comes in sheets of paper-thin acetate carrying the imprint of
scores of different patterns of lines and cross-hatchings. Large sheets cost under
$1.00 and can be cut to any size or shape. The cut-outs adhere to paper without
glue. Zip-a-Tone reproduces easily, as witness the shading of the cartoons in
this manual.
All sorts of prefabricated cut-out symbols-stars, dots, triangles, squares, etc.-
with or without adhesive backs are also available. Such symbols singly or in
groups are decorative and will attract favorable attention. In measured units, they
can be used to convey quantities.
47
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Try- king-size graphics
When a large chart or graphic is needed, the least expensive procedure is to
start with a small one and blow it up either photographically or by projection.
Both methods have advantages and disadvantages and their own special costs.
If you want a blown-up graphic that can be hung or mounted, most photographic
houses are glad to oblige for a surprisingly small sum. (One 8-inch by 10-inch black
and white chart was blown up to 40 inches by 48 inches for around $12.)
There is almost no limit to the size to which graphics can be enlarged if the
origiinal is sharply black (India ink) and white, or if a good film negative is avail-
able. Photo murals are generally reproduced from photographic film. Photographic
enlargements can, of course, be done in color, but at much greater expense.
Cartoons and other line drawings can be blown up inexpensively with the use
of the pantograph-a series of arms and levers which will reproduce enlarged
versions of whatever is traced with the guide points.
F=or simple copying, the sterling merits of a big pad of tracing paper should
not be overlooked.
If you have access to an opaque projector (see page 79), it can be used to
blow up charts, line drawings, or even more elaborate presentations. Simply focus
the projector on a piece of paper of appropriate size hung on a wall, screen, or
bulletin board and trace the image either with pencil or crayon, or, if you are
courageous, directly in ink or color.
48
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Methods of reproduction
The questions of whether or not visuals are to be reproduced and by what
method should be faced at the very beginning. Color reproduction in general is
very expensive. Most ordinary visuals, therefore, are produced in black and white.
The contemplated method of reproduction exercises an important control over
the design of a chart or other visual. Some things can be done in an original drawing
that are impracticable if it is to be reproduced by one or another of the usual re-
production processes: mimeograph, multilith, planograph, silk screen, or letter-
press. It is a good idea, therefore, to
HAVE A NOD-
DING ACQUAINT-
ANCE WITH RE-
P R O D U C T 1 O N
PROCESSES IN
TERMS OF AL-
T E R N A T I V E
COSTS A N D
USEFULNESS
Mimeograph, multilith, and planograph processes all start with typewritten
copy. Mimeographing is the least expensive. A stencil is cut on the typewriter; the
stencil, in turn, is run off on the mimeograph. Most mimeograph jobs are limited in
flexibility and attractiveness. There are, however, a few tricks which will give life to
this cheapest of reproduction methods. An electric typewriter, where available,
cuts stencils more evenly; thus the finished page looks evenly black. Titling can be
made to stand out with the use of a Varityper (see page 52). Line drawings or
hand lettering can be done directly on the stencil. Simple charts can be improvised
on the typewriter, as on the next page.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
COUNCIL-MANACR ADOPTIONS
1903
One
1920
XXX
157
1930
XXXX= 388
1940
xxxlcxxxiLX 521
1950
977
1951
1,037
1952
1,099
Careful spacing and arrangement make a difference both from the point of
view of attractiveness and readability, and the
use of colored or textured paper can perk up
the simplest job. Mimeograph and multilith pa-
pers come in a wide variety of textures and
colors, but professional advice is needed in
IN ~~- N '? selecting papers for the different processes.
Multilith, a type of offset lithography, provides greater flexibility in illustrations,
titling, and so forth. It is about twice as expensive as mimeograph for relatively
small quantities. Althoughdirect printing from a typed paper or aluminum stencil is
possible, it is more common for the typed copy to be photographed onto a plate
and reproduced from this plate. A photographic plate can be made for about
$2.50. Photographs, or any black and white illustrations, can be reproduced at no
extra cost. Colors can be reproduced if a separate plate is prepared for each color
and if you are willing to pay for the additional press runs, plus the cleaning of
equipment that each color requires.
Planographing is very similar to multilith. It also involves a photographic plate.
However, planograph presses are built to reproduce several pages at once and
are, therefore, more economical for reproducing multiple-page newsletters and
similar items.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Letterpress is probably the most flexible of the printing processes but it can
also be the most expensive if the quantities run are small. Handsome effects can be
achieved with imaginative typography. Most printers will suggest alternative
arrangements without additional charge, and a good designer can work won-
ders with standard type styles.
Letterpress may prove to be the most practical if large quantities are desired.
The heavy expense involved in limited runs results from the fact that type must be
set line by line (linotype) or letter by letter (monotype). The individual lines that
form a page are locked into forms, and then put on the presses. Illustrations are
expensive because they must be translated into engravings on electrotype plates
which are then locked in with the type.
The silk-screen process is a relatively inexpensive method of reproducing rich
opaque colors by
that has been processed to let the color come
through in patterns. It is widely used for posters
and covers, particularly when quantities are too
small to be worth a print job.
In selecting a printing process on a strict cost basis, the number of copies desired
is frequently a controlling factor. It always pays to get competitive bids and to
keep an open mind toward the different printing processes. Generally speaking,
mimeograph is used for small runs (2,000 copies or less), multilith for slightly larger
runs (up to 10,000 copies), and letterpress for still larger quantities.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362AO00600010001-1
Lettering for reproduction
The Varityper can give variety to mimeograph and multilith copy. The Vari-
typer is a patented office composing machine that looks much like an overgrown
typewriter. It can use more than 50 type styles in sizes that range up to i/2 inch, and
can also handle a variety of unusual symbols. The Varityper is expensive, but many
commercial mimeographers and multilithers are equipped with such machines.
The following are samples of Varitype styles.
Visual aidsare here-to stay.
The public service may profita-
bly use them.
Visual aids are here to stay.
The public service may-profita-
bly use them.
Visual aids are here to stay.
The public service may Profita-
bly use them.
Visual aids are here to stay.
The public service may profita -
bly u se them.
Visual aids are here to stay.
The public service may profita-
bly use them.
VISUAL AIDS ARE HERE TO STAY.
THE PUBLIC SERVICE MAY PROFITA-
BLY USE THEM.
Visual aids are here to stay.
The public service may profita-
bly use them.
Visual aids are here to -stay.
The public service may profita-
bly use them.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362AO00600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
The manufacturer of the Varityper has recently announced a new title-com-
posing machine-the Headliner-which will print still larger letters (up to nearly
one inch tall) from a series of master dies. The finished title comes out of the
machine on a ribbon of paper ready for mounting on the visual.
Titles for graphics that are to be photographed can be prepared quickly and
economically in Fototype, which has been designed especially for photographic
reproduction. It comes in more than six dozen different sizes and styles and in upper
and lower case letters. Numbers and some 200 symbols are also available. Foto-
type letters come in pads of individual letters (25 to 50 per pad, depending upon
the set purchased; complete sets cost
from $7 to $1 1). Letters are torn off
singly as needed and the title is assem-
bled on a composing stick which makes
possible perfect alignment and fool-
proof spacing. When complete, a piece
of Scotch tape is applied to the back of
the letters, and the strip is removed from
the composing stick. The whole is then mounted in position on the chart or manu-
script with rubber cement.
The edges of the small squares of heavy paper on which Fototype letters are
imprinted do not show up in photography but they are quite apparent on the
original. There are plenty of occasions when this limitation offers no serious draw-
back, in which case Fototype can be used in original graphics.
53
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
When you buy pictorial graphics
Graphic statistics, where the whole presentation is worked out in groups of
symbols, are currently in vogue. Well done, these are enormously effective, more
interesting, and frequently more informative than tables or even simple line charts.
However, if the zeal for pictorial effects is not accompanied by care that the
pictures elucidate the purposes of the graph, the viewer is distracted and the
pictorial graphic may miss the target.
Graphic statistics are becoming a flourishing facet of the design business.
Generally they are quite costly-and not just because art work can be expensive.
Even the simplest chart takes research and careful planning. Hiring an artist is only
the beginning. He needs to know what you want said and how you wcint it said
before he can figure out whether your message is suitable for visuals. This takes time
and there can be many a slip between plan and finished product and plenty of
room for misunderstanding on both sides.
54
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Much of the expense of bridging the
gap between minds and the hazard of
disillusion which hovers over a first flyer
in graphics stems from the fact that the
client does not know enough about
graphics to know their limitations. Nor
does the artist know enough about his
client's business to do more than a super-
ficial job. The result is muddling-through costs.
Standard charges, $75 to $250 per graphic, make room for consultation and
inevitable revision. These costs can be cut almost in half if you know what you want
in detail before you commission an artist. It is advisable to prepare a statement for
each graphic, spelling out:
Purpose of the graphic, plus a limited number of subpurposes
Key data or facts to be presented
Suggested statistical, schematic, or other presentation.
Such planning will give form to much amorphous material and will cut costs, frustra-
tion-wise and dollar-wise.
Large advertising firms have graphic sections or artists who are experienced in
graphic presentation. In most metropolitan areas there are firms which specialize in
graphic presentations.
The field of pictorial statistics is so new that many of the professionals, like the
amateurs, are still floundering around in its unmapped reaches. The buyer as well
as the designer of graphics would do well to become familiar with a pioneering
book in this field:
Pictographs and Graphs. by R. Modley and D. Lowenstein. Harper and Brothers, 1952.
$4.00.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
When simple graphics are once mastered, the visual aids horizons beckon in-
vitingly. The hurdles of homemade graphics, displays, and posters taken, the visual-
aids enthusiast-he will be an enthusiast by this time-is equipped to make sensible
decisions as to whether to penetrate the visual aids field in depth.
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
V. The Rich Field of Films
At this point the visual-aids amateur is
perhaps toying with the idea of film-
strip or even motion-picture production.
Neither of these is for him-yet-be-
cause the costs are substantial and be-
cause the film medium already has po-
tentialities which have probably eluded
him. However, he can find in the field of
existing films undreamed-of resources
for both in-service training and public
information programs.
What films can and cannot do
Motion pictures can do some things that no other visual can do. They have a
quality of aliveness that no other medium can match; potentially they are able to
convey attitudes as well as facts. The qualities of motion, emotion, and growth tied
to a dramatic story can be used so that the onlooker will identify himself with the
characters portrayed. This identification is a powerful tool for tapping human emo-
tions and for sparking action.
Motion Pictures
are usually welcome and are
always attention-getting.
57
Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
 Approved For Release 2000/06/05 : CIA-RDP78-03362A000600010001-1
Motion Pictures
Create a favorable learning climate
* Hold attention until a complete story has been told
Reach people in groups
- Can be used again and again with successive groups
:k Can be repeated whenever such repetition is effective
~k Can be designed to do a special job with great effectiveness
~k Can give new meanings to the commonplace
~k Can telescope time and distance
They, like other visuals, can cut across many of the differences that divide
men and make other forms of communication difficult.