Visual language, a new tool
As for future development of plain language, I think we would benefit from what Dave Gray of VizThink describes as “cross-pollination between visual thinking disciplines like information design, information architecture, data visualization, geographers, graphic facilitation/graphic recording, comics/graphic novels, architecture, etc..” Plain language needs to incorporate “visual language” but first we need to learn what it is.
The standards, rules, and definition of visual language is under development right now.
Take a look at the work of Neil Cohn of Tufts University
Also, at Brains on Purpose a blog post by Stephanie West Allen offers many other points of access to this field: http://westallen.typepad.com/brains_on_purpose/2008/04/images-paint-an.html
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