EN
The presented paper is a result of research conducted on the issue of visual communication as an art supplement and explanation of printed content. The publication begins with a reflection on visual culture illustrating its polysemic character and referring to the iconic nature of images. Further, the paper describes the art of illustration and the value of visual communication in the form of book illustration. The last part of the paper attempts to present the structure of a well-designed illustration in the form of profiles, constructed on the basis of picture tendencies appear in a group of pre-readers.