As Sontag (1979) stated, we live in an image-based world within which we are continuously bombarded with visuals in countless formats and guises. However, despite such image saturation, academic engagement whether through teaching or research continues to be restrained within the boundaries of text as the written word. While Barthes (1977) refers to the "image as text", this paper suggests that such analogies to the image as a form of representation fail to capture the potential of the visual as a vehicle for learning and teaching within academic environments. Indeed, while visuals are increasingly adopted within the learning and teaching environment, examples of the use of visuals as a means of assessment remain relatively scarce. Drawing upon two innovative forms of assessment, this paper therefore seeks to explore the opportunities the visual affords for encouraging deeper reflexivity, creativity and understanding within the student experience. As students are required to understand the complexities of sustainable tourism, this paper suggests that innovative forms of visual-based assessment offer not only the opportunity for students not only to draw upon existing third-party images to support or enhance their work, but in creating their own images, students become empowered within the learning environment. Thus, visuals generate opportunity for deeper engagement and in turn, learning and understanding of sustainable tourism during their experience.