Scientific visual displays are used to communicate important information about climate change, such as past trends, future impacts, and solutions. Being able to comprehend these visual displays requires application of visual literacy skills, such as being able to identify and decode salient features and connect these with one’s prior knowledge (mental schema). Here we present findings from a research study that examined adult non-experts’ interpretations of six scientific visual displays about climate change. Findings included the following: (a) the design of a visual display can influence readers’ interpretation, and (b) effective design could provide opportunities to scaffold readers’ meaning-making. These findings were compared to a previous study examining how scientists perceived these same six climate change visual displays, revealing differences in perception and opportunities for training science communicators to develop strategies to better understand audience perspectives.