An illustration in a report should help your reader absorb the facts and ideas you are presenting. Used well, an illustration can convey facts and ideas that are difficult to put into words.
Illustrations should NEVER be
used as ornaments. They should be as important as the text in the report. Be
careful not to over illustrate. Use illustrations ONLY when they will make a
direct contribution to the reader’s understanding of the content.
You would choose a different illustration of a laser beam for a high school science class than you would for a university level training document for doctors.
Many of the attributes of good
writing- simplicity, clarity, conciseness, and directness-are equally important
when creating and choosing illustrations.
The most common types of
illustrations are photographs, graphs, tables, drawings, flowcharts,
organizational charts, and maps. Know which are the most appropriate for your
purpose.