Images convey complex messages, just like text or written information. However, in our society we are rarely taught to understand images as conveyors of highly coded information. As a result, we are pulled into a visual culture and exposed to hundreds of images each day, resulting in a highly manipulative environment. Visual literacy is a skill that empowers a viewer to think independently about how images are composed and become critically aware of what they convey, resulting in sharpened critical thinking skills. In today's visual, digital, mobile information society, visual literacy is an essential basic skill.