Thursday, 22 March 2012

Looking at Examples of Infographics – By Emily Viner

Now I am going to look at a number of different infographics to see what they look like and to see what I think works and what has not been so successful.
Edward R. Tufte tells us what an infographic should do:

-        show the data
-        tell the truth
-        help the viewer think about the information rather than the design
-        encourage the eye to compare the data
-        make large data sets coherent

http://classes.ninabellisio.com/GD3371/tufte.pdf
 This paragraph tells me that making the infographic easily understandable to the reader is of paramount importance.

http://www.loveinfographics.com/categories/art-design-photography-infographics/how-much-do-tattoos-hurt-infographic#!prettyPhoto-25538/1/

  • This one has a simple layout showing a key and an image of a man. I think this works really well because it’s very simple and easy to understand.
  • This one is successful in using humour.
  • My main criticism is that I think it would have been better to place the pain indicating symbols in the actual place on the body instead of using a thin grey line to point at the area. The grey lines look messy and are difficult to see.
  • Placing the symbols over the body would prevent people from seeing the tattoos on the man, however, which some viewers might find irritating.
http://ivancash.com/

  • I can see that a lot of thought has gone into making this one look appealing because of the use of different colours and an eye-catching typeface.
  • The layout has been split into three main areas with subdivisions inside. I can see a grid has been used.
  • It is quite easy to understand the information he is trying to show us.
  • Some clever methods have been used. I think the sections named Theme, Colour and Title are clever because they can be easily understood.
  • I found the section called Chart Style confusing because each chart itself was not displaying a full set of results as they normally would. Each chart it there only to show what a chart like that would look like. I would not design my work like that as I found it very confusing.
http://datavisualization.ch/showcases/20-inspirational-infographics-12-%E2%80%93-19-10-09/

  • This one may not have a lot of fancy colours or typefaces but it fulfils the criteria of being very quick and easy to understand. I only needed to look at this for a second or two and I knew exactly what it was trying to tell me.
I did a little research into G20 to make sure I understood that concept properly.

‘The G20, or “Group of 20,” is an international organization that brings together the leaders and heads of finance for 19 individual countries, the European Union, and international financial groups such as the World Bank and the International Money Fund (IMF). Each year, the G20 holds summit meetings during which global economic concerns are examined and discussed by members and select invited guest nations.’

‘…the G20 has become the main international forum for pure economic discussion. The members of the G20 include the G8 countries (Germany, France, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Russia) plus additional nations such as Australia, Mexico, China, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia. The countries are represented by their ministers of finance and central bank heads, but political leaders may also attend.

  • The bubble design looks cool and the size of each bubble means something which is very clever.
  • The only criticism I would make is that I can’t see the names of the countries that are not G20. I suppose the designer thought that this information was surplus to requirements.
  • This one has a really clever looking radial design.
  • I am having major problems understanding this one. Even when I zoom in as far as possible I still cannot make out all the words. It looks like this:
  • Even when zoomed in, it is still very difficult to make out all the words.
  • I gave up trying to decipher the radial design and tried to work out the part at the bottom. I had more luck with that. I can understand the red and yellow parts of the key and the diagrams. The red and yellow show how much time has been spent. I have no idea what the blue part shows.
  • Again I am having problems being able to see this one properly. I cannot read all the writing.
  • The designer has given all the different parts room to breathe which means I can calmly see the different parts. The typeface is simple and easy to read.
  • I think this piece does a good job of explaining semiotics to the audience because it explains what denotation and connotation mean and shows a little image to help you understand.
  • The only minor criticism is that the colour scheme seems to link the blue parts together (main title, Fathers box and denotation) and the green parts together (Saussure, Peirce and Connotation). I don’t think the designer wants it linked like that so perhaps a different colour scheme would have improved it.
  • I can read everything on this one which helps me to understand and makes notes about it.
  • I like the type face used.
  • I think the main advantage of having an image like this is that it shows the audience where each part comes from on the body which is helpful. I think writing Gallbladder on the foot isn’t helpful though.
  • The only criticism is that the piece gets a little crowded in the bottom right corner.
  • This infographic reminds me (connotations) of a game called operation. I think the design uses some humour which makes this subject seem less morbid.
  • This infographic does not use fancy colours or pictures but it is really clear and I can understand what it is telling me quickly.
  • The typeface used is simple and clear. The titles and numbers are in bold. It is split in to three sections.
  • It is useful to be able to compare the different amounts by looking at the size or numbers of images displayed.

  • This one uses bright colours which grab your attention.
  • There are two keys that, while not positioned close to each other, do use the same colours which I found just made it seem more complicated than it is.
  • I don’t know exactly what ages are included inside the ‘Generation X’ or ‘Generation Y’ brackets. Infographics are meant to be self-explanatory so this doesn’t work very well for me personally.
  • Each section is squashed up and it feels over-whelming.
  • What makes this one take longer to understand is that the designer has used different types of graphs/charts which split the data in different ways. I found that first I had to work out how each graph was split before I could then try to digest what it was actually telling me.
  • I find the section in the top right corner the most difficult to assimilate. I understand what it means but it feels counterintuitive to me. It is hard to explain it.
  • This infographic is trying to display a lot of detailed information which is a difficult job.
  • The white lines that connect the different sections just make the piece look really cluttered and add to the confusion.
  • The other thing that confused me is the way that each section tells you the answer before you look at it which again feels counterintuitive to me and just made me.
  • This one is very colourful and eye-catching.
  • I am able to read all the writing.
  • Fact number 8 and number 15 appear to be in the wrong order. There is no order to the facts which feels counterintuitive.
  • I don’t think that the data has been represented graphically as the information has been written out in full. If you took the text away most of the pictures would not be self-explanatory. If I imagine there is no text apart from the main title, the only images that convey a message to me are number 2, number 4 and number 13. I suppose a fan may be able to guess what all of them convey, even with no text.
My Conclusions
  • Infographics that cannot be viewed clearly are extremely frustrating for the audience. Designers need to consider that any infographic they design may be transferred on to the internet. Using tiny type is impossible to see even when zoomed in. Infographics that pixelate when I zoom in are very annoying. I am surprised that this problem is so wide spread on the internet. I have had to search out websites that show infographics that I can actually see properly.
  • I found that the type of infographics that were the easiest and quickest to understand, for me, were this type:


This is because your eyes can compare the different sizes of the objects/words very quickly. This type includes the whole of the one about conflicts (see above).
  • Infographics are a lot easier to understand when they are intuitive.
  • Infographics can be fun and can use humour to get the message across.
  • Bright colours and fancy pictures do not guarantee that the audience will enjoy looking at an infographic.
  • Do not forget to let the different elements in your design breath or it can become over-whelming.
  • Splitting the data up in different ways and using different types of graphs may make perfect sense to you but may feel counterintuitive to others. The best way to test your design would be to show it to other people and see what their reaction is. Just because you find the design easy to understand does not mean others will.

What is the Definition of Infographics - By Emily Viner

To find this out I am going to look at a few different websites and see what they say.
‘However, the infographic displays that information visually and makes it easier to consume and ultimately easier to understand.’
‘A very basic definition of the infographic is just two words: visual communication. If part of an article or blog post contains numbers, dates, locations, measurements or comparisons, it probably could be taken out of the written word and reformatted into an infographic.’
‘There are many different types of infographics and they all have different uses.
Pie/bar charts – Pie charts describe pieces of a whole while bar charts compare two or more different items with each other.
Line charts – Line charts show progressions over time.
Timelines - Timelines describe a chronology of events.
Maps – Maps show specific locations relevant to the content. 
‘(Information Graphics) An umbrella term for illustrations and charts that instruct people, which otherwise would be difficult or impossible with only text. Infographics are used worldwide in every discipline from road maps and street signs to the many technical drawings in this encyclopaedia.’
‘We love the way a picture can paint a thousand words (and even more numbers!) and the elegant, creative ways to communicate data effectively.’
‘Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics present complex information quickly and clearly, such as in signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education.
‘Infographics are becoming increasingly popular in web communications, particularly in business-to-business organisations providing complex products and solutions. Infographics are massively important communication tools, particularly early in the buying cycle where a prospect is in the process of information gathering and learning about a business’s products/solutions/propositions.’

1. It’s a visual explanation that helps you more easily understand, find or do something.
2. It’s visual, and when necessary, integrates words and pictures in a fluid, dynamic way.
3. It stands alone and is completely self-explanatory.
4. It reveals information that was formerly hidden or submerged.
5. It makes possible faster, more consistent understanding.
6. It’s universally understandable.
‘noun – a visual representation of data or information. Short for ‘information graphic’.’

My conclusions
  • Infographics is a type of visual communication. There are many different types such as pie charts, bar graphs, line charts, timelines and maps.
  • An infographic can integrate type and images.
  • By making an infographic the designer has a chance to present data elegantly and creatively.
  • An infographic presents complex data clearly and can be digested quickly.
  • The message in the infographic should be easily understood. An infographic should not be confusing.
  • An infographic must be self-contained, self-explanatory and must work as a stand-alone piece.
  • An infographic can help people to understand information that is difficult or time-consuming to digest if presented in text.
  • An infographic brings data to the surface that may be hidden

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