Nadin recognized very early on that, in an age when visual messages dominate, there is a need to cultivate “seeing.” He was the first to advocate an education in “visual literacy,” that is, the ability to create and interpret images and objects. Nadin developed innovative courses for graphic and product designers based on his expertise in semiotics. In addition, he introduced the semiotics of the visual to the semiotic community, at that time dominated by researchers in linguistics. (See: On the meaning of the visual: Twelve theses regarding the visual and its interpretation.)In 1985, Nadin taught the first known class in visualization (before the term became fashionable) when he was Eminent Scholar in Art & Design Technology (Ohio State University).