The ability to synthesise and manipulate graphical information is a core cognitive aptitude. Visual-mental images are crucial to problem solving and design processes. The ability to manipulate and communicate perceptual and conceptual information graphically often leads to creative discovery and aids mental synthesis. Graphical education in Ireland supports the development of these 'concept driven competencies' through the study of plane and descriptive geometry and through engagement with design problems 1.Previous research by Delahunty et al. 2 has highlighted a worrying issue of mechanistic conditioning within graphical education in Ireland. This conditioning may be occurring within the teaching and learning process as a result of external influences such as examination requirements. The effects of such conditioning may restrict students' ability to utilise a wider variety of visuospatial processes such as the ability to build and represent visual-mental images, which are critical for creative problem solving and design solutions.This research study employed an exploratory case study approach where students participating in a graphical education module at the University of Limerick were tasked with building and representing visual-mental images. The task involved the building of mental images of regular geometrical configurations and subsequently communicating these by means of graphical sketches. Solutions were collected and analysed with the objective of determining the existence of any anomalies in the communicated mental image and in the cognitive process of generating and maintaining the image.Analysis of the qualitative data highlighted a number of interesting findings. The geometric configurations, which students were required to observe and then build a visual-mental image of, were originally presented to participants in a random orientation. However, the solutions presented by the majority of participants, were communicated using standard engineering projection systems such as isometric, dimetric and trimetric projection.The findings illustrate a possible conditioned approach to building and representing visual-mental images. This conditioning may have the overall effect of militating against students' ability to synthesise, manipulate and communicate both perceptual and conceptual graphical information. These findings raise a number of questions relating to the style of cognitive activity that students are engaging in as part of contemporary graphical education.