What are your favorite illustrations and graphics for tech books?

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I’ve noticed that for some tech book authors, illustrations are not a priority. I think images are quite useful for explaining a process or a complex idea.

Do you agree and can you give me some examples of tech books that, in your opinion, did a great job with illustrations?

Some characteristics of a good illustration for me:

  • Can stand on its own and still convey an idea
  • Shows me how something works
  • Has adequate labels to indicate what is going on
  • Looks professionally drawn (not a PPT)
  • Has a consistent look and feel compared with other images in the book

Anything you’d add to my list?

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I completely agree Margaret and I think you have all the important points covered. There have been some studies done on how visual aids can enhance learning, so I am definitely all for them - in fact I think they are more important and relevant now because years ago they weren’t as easily incorporated (either due to cost or device limitations). It is also something YouTubers and others using video formats are making the most of.

I’d love to see more traditional book publishers (like PragProg) adopt and lead in areas like this actually - where cutting edge learning technique are used to super-charge the learning experience :grin:

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Yep, I’d like to see us provide more support for authors in developing graphics. It’s a challenge, I think since not all people who can explain things well in words can also provide a visual equivalent.

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@Margaret , @AstonJ
The Head First series by O Reilly specifically focuses on illustrations/ visuals and informal discussion to convey concepts.
There used to be a dedicated website but I can’t find it now. They are on the wiki though and you can find the books on the O Reilly site as well as amazon etc.
Some example titles:

  • Head First for Java (the original I think)
  • Head First Design Patterns
  • Head First Servlets & JSP
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Ah, yes, Head First books are great. I worked briefly at Manning with one of the creators of that series, Bert Bates.

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Oh, you know the NumberPhile channel on YouTube? I often see in their videos how they represent information on multiple pieces of paper. I just got the idea. Suppose if I were to write a book, I can first make a video presentation somewhat of a mix between slides and NumberPhile videos and then port it to a book. I think that could work.

But in general, this might work better with an online digital book. Because I could use one frame to show three slides and show some animation.

P.S. just remembered an example of an interesting book: - Beginning Elm

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