Why medieval dog art was so bad — and what it teaches us about communication today
By Bill Keaggy
If you’ve ever seen a medieval European manuscript featuring an image of a dog, you’ve probably noticed something odd: often the dogs don’t look much like dogs. They might resemble rodents, horses, or vaguely dog-shaped cryptids with human-ish faces. Granted, breeds vary greatly, and there are, of course, decent depictions. But so many are flawed that they draw attention to themselves.
These bizarre depictions weren’t the result of a lack of artistic skill — medieval scribes were often highly trained. The real issue was a lack of direct visual reference. Often, monks and scribes had never actually seen too many breeds in real life, and instead of drawing from observation, they relied on single perspective, secondhand descriptions.
The result? A wildly inaccurate, sometimes laughable, version of reality. Words alone were insufficient to create a meaningful representation. But not just that — now the pictures that were created from the words were wrong as well. The unfortunate result is that you now have two ineffective methods of communication: ambiguous descriptions and incorrect visualizations. This is how misunderstanding and confusion spread.
This problem isn’t just an amusing historical quirk — it’s a lesson in communication. Without visuals, people often struggle to grasp complex or unfamiliar ideas. Inevitably, different people interpret the words differently, forming their own unique pictures in their minds. It’s a timeless challenge: when information is passed along only through words, ambiguity creeps in. Each step of interpretation can distort the truth (think of the kids’ game Telephone), just like a medieval monk struggling to draw a Bearded Collie based on nothing but a vague verbal description.
The power of visuals in business
Businesses and organizations face the same challenge today. Without clear, well-designed visuals, important messages get lost in translation. Whether it’s explaining a new company strategy, illustrating an innovation, or breaking down a complex process, words alone often aren’t enough. The difference between confusion and clarity is a well-placed visual — a chart, an infographic, an animation, or even a simple napkin sketch.
Pretend you’re a contemporary monk tasked with illustrating the description below.
The Australian Cattle Dog is a robust, well-muscled working dog built for endurance and agility. Its body is compact yet powerful, with a slightly longer torso than its height at the withers. The chest is deep and broad, with well-sprung ribs, while the back is strong and level, leading to a slightly sloping croup. The neck is thick and muscular, blending smoothly into its sturdy shoulders.
Its head is broad yet well-proportioned, with a slight curve between the ears and a well-defined stop. The muzzle is strong and tapers subtly to a black (or sometimes brown) nose. Its almond-shaped eyes, always dark brown, radiate intelligence, alertness, and determination. Medium-sized, pricked ears are set wide apart, triangular in shape, and slightly rounded at the tips.
The coat is dense, short, and double-layered, providing protection from harsh weather. It may be blue, blue-mottled, or red-speckled, with or without dark markings or tan points. A distinctive mask often frames the eyes, and some have a white blaze on the forehead. The tail is bushy, carried low with a slight curve. Its movement is smooth, efficient, and purposeful, with a controlled yet energetic stride.
Even with such detail, no description captures its essence like a picture. Would you have drawn what you see below? Would everyone who had that description have drawn what you see below?
You’re up against the very same challenge when describing a new strategy or initiative: when there‘s no easily shared “single source of truth”, you end up with multiple interpretations.
Ambiguities blossom, misunderstanding spreads, and whatever you’re trying to accomplish slows down, or worse, grinds to a halt.
Visualization has demonstrable financial and cultural value, grounded in cognitive science rather than mere perception or preference. Research suggests that the human brain processes visual information significantly faster than text — though the widely cited “60,000 times faster” figure lacks rigorous empirical backing, studies confirm that visuals enhance cognitive processing, retention, and decision-making efficiency.
A well-structured infographic can improve comprehension by organizing complex data into easily digestible formats, while an engaging explanation video can stimulate emotional and cognitive responses that drive action. In an era of information overload and diminishing attention spans, rapid and intuitive understanding provides business leaders with a critical competitive advantage.
Seeing is believing…? More like seeing is understanding
History is full of moments when seeing something transformed understanding. Before astronomers could visualize the orbits of planets, people believed the Earth was the center of the universe. Before medical imaging, diseases were mysterious forces rather than tangible biological conditions. When Florence Nightingale used data visualization to show how unsanitary hospital conditions led to deaths, it revolutionized healthcare policy.
The lesson? If you want people to truly understand something, show it to them. Otherwise, you risk creating the business equivalent of a medieval manuscript dog: well-intended, but flawed and comically (or disastrously) misunderstood.
