Graphicacy is defined as the ability to understand and present information in the form of sketches, photographs, diagrams, maps, plans, charts, graphs and other non-textual formats.
[1] The word graphicacy was coined by geographers William Balchin and Alice Coleman[2] as a characterisation of visuo-spatial and cartographic abilities, "the communication of spatial information that cannot be conveyed adequately by verbal or numerical means", including the whole field of graphic arts and much of geography, cartography, computer-graphics, and photography.
With text structure, the units of information (words) are expected to be organised according to broad conventions (such as being sequenced in orderly rows starting from top left and progressing down the page).
Separating graphicacy from literacy and numeracy delineates the distinctive and complementary types of contributions that graphics, words, and numbers each make in human communication.
The interpretative components of graphicacy skills are relevant in the increasing range of situations where graphics carry the primary responsibility for communication.