The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between a collaborative design process for selecting instructional graphics and online learner perceptions of graphic appropriateness. At the end of their online graduate course, 9 students ranked how appropriately each of 25 graphics represented 1 of 8 human performance technology concepts. The analysis revealed the collaboration between 2 designer-researchers, 1 with content expertise and 1 with semiotic and graphic expertise, does not ensure appropriate graphics selection. When combining text with an image in a graphic, the image can communicate inappropriateness even when the text is consistent with the concept.