Biomedical information is complex and multivariate.
We are often forced to make choices about the graphical presentation of this information as we attempt to clearly and concisely convey or share our research results. The choice of an appropriate graphical presentation can significantly impact a viewer's understanding, especially since graphics are often used to summarize or abstract important principles or patterns in the underlying information. Most computer-based tools, however, do not support us in this task. We are typically either presented with a handful of graphical objects to position on the page at our whim, or given a set of pre-defined templates without indication as to which is most appropriate for our information. Some researchers are working to develop cohesive graphical languages that attempt to identify and label elements of graphical vocabularies, and establish the grammar through which they can be combined to produce effective graphics.