One need only compare the number of three-dimensional molecular illustrations in the first (1990) and third (2004) editions of Voet & Voets Biochemistry in order to appreciate this fields profound communicative value in modern biological sciences -- ranging from medicine, physiology, and cell biology, to pharmaceutical chemistry and drug design, to structural and computational biology. The cliche about a picture being worth a thousand words is quite poignant here: The information content of an effectively-constructed piece of molecular graphics can be immense. Because biological function arises from structure, it is difficult to overemphasize the utility of visualization and graphics in molding our current understanding of the molecular nature of biological systems. Nevertheless, creating effective molecular graphics is not easy -- neither conceptually, nor in terms of effort required. The present collection of Rules is meant as a guide for those embarking upon their first molecular illustrations.
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