One of the important points in the book is that our understanding and use of visual forms are based on experience. Because of our frequent exposure to certain visual forms, like bar graphs and flat maps, we can easily access the information in the images and explore them further. Individuals living in non-modern societies may be more limited in their ability to process and understand similar information.

New visual forms need to be designed based on the visual literacy owned by modern society individuals. For example, new visual forms that are similar to existing common forms may be more easily understood. For example, Figure 6 (Virtual globes prismmap uses the illusion of three-dimensional volume with mixed results) can be seen as a combination of a two-dimensional map and a bar chart, two visual patterns that are very common, and therefore it could be well understood by the viewer without a lot of additional explanation. In contrast, visual forms that make unique representations require some interpretation of the image to help the viewer understand the information.

For this reason, visual forms need to be designed with the characteristics of the audience in mind. If the message is conveyed to the mass, then easier-to-understand images may be more advantageous, as the masses may not take the time and energy to read the annotations of the visual form. In contrast, images for scholars are more tolerant of more creative and radical forms of visual expression, and more interested in exploring new perspectives on the expression of information and visual presentation.