INFOGRAPHICS: About Infographics

Designed by Karyn Lurie Rossen
of Hot Butter Studio
for Visually

Click image to see large version
of The Rise of the Infographic
Produced by the Press Association,
posted by Visual.ly
 

The Science of Storytelling
by Marissa Sternberg, Senior Director of Marketing, One Spot, 2017
(Click image to see large version of image)

NPR interview:  "Edward Tufte Wants You to See Better"
Washington Magazine profile: "The Information Sage"
New York Magazine profile :  "The Minister of Information" 
The Verge article:  "Master statistician weaves Google images into visual quilts"

Tufte features this infographic  in his books and lectures, calling it "the best statistical graphic ever made."

(click image to see larger view)

Created in 1869 by French civil engineer and statistician Charles Minard, this cartographic analysis of Napolean's 1812 catastrophic retreat from Russia is widely regarded as one of the most elegantly effective depictions of numerical data ever.  It represents 6 data sets in 2 dimensions, perfectly marrying aesthetics and function.  This Economist article "Worth a Thousand Words" decodes its power:  "The chart tells the dreadful story with painful clarity."

"THE HISTORY OF INFOGRAPHICS"
Excellent 2005 paper by VENKATESH RAJAMANICKA

"Information graphics reveal the hidden, explain the complex and illuminate the obscure. Constructing visual representation of information is not mere translation of what can be read to what can be seen. It entails filtering the information, establishing relationships, discerning patterns and representing them in a manner that enables a consumer of that information construct meaningful knowledge."

DISCERN NEW MEANING ... DISCOVER NEW KNOWLEDGE....
BY GIVING GRAPHIC FORM TO CONTENT

Credit:  Kissmetrics

Created by NeoMan Studios. 
Video posted:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExlFht3s1xA

SELECT A  GOOD TOPIC
What story do you want to tell?  Your infographic is a visual narrative. 

RESEARCH!  (Content)

* Investigate background info to establish context.
* Gather relevant data.
* Interpret / analyze data.

* Develop a thesis - what is the story?  what position do you want to communicate?

* Formulate an argument to support your thesis.

DESIGN  (Visual)

* Determine the most important elements of the story.  Focus!

*  Decide how to best visualize those elements.  What is the best look for the data?  Remember, we tend to think in categories and the relationship between the categories.

*  Build your infographic using free templates in public-access infographic generators for lots of options.

*  Select a color scheme, font and graphics that support the ideas and highlight the relationships between the data elements.  

*  Insist that form follows function- don't throw in unnecessary graphics: images should signify, not decorate. 

* Keep your infographic simple and streamlined.

BUILD KNOWLEDGE

*  Synthesize data and draw conclusions.  What is the message you are conveying?

* Make sure the data is easily understandable in the format chosen.  Are your conclusions evident?

CREDIT YOUR SOURCES

* Critical content analysis

* Content curation

* Audience identification

* Message construction

* Multi-modal communication creation

MAKE MEANING! 

Makes sense of data!  Viewers are more likely to engage, digest & understand visual representation. 60% of people are visual learners.  Infographics enhance interpretation.

Infographics make numbers and quantitative info more accessible to viewers:

* conveys complex data quickly and concisely

*  reveals patterns & trends

* highlights connections & relationships

* utilizes human brain's spatial-temporal reasoning strength, making it easier to communicate dense information

* puts raw data into an understandable format

* accelerates ability to make decisions.