Visual culture is all around you. Humans have visually shared information since prehistoric times. Approximately 36,000 years ago, artists painted animals in a cave in France called Chauvet. Historians aren’t sure why people created these figures. But the paintings reveal that people used images to express ideas. In 2900 B.C., Egyptians shared stories through hieroglyphs. They believed The Book of the Dead, a collection of visual stories, would help people in the afterlife. In the Middle Ages, most people couldn’t read. Religion was important, so artists made stained-glass windows showing images that illustrate Bible stories. In the 1960s, a designer created the smiley face. In the 21st century, the smiley face inspired designers to develop emoji. Some experts believe emoji have the power to transform the way we communicate.