Everything about Infographics totally explained
Information graphics or
infographics are visual representations of
information,
data or
knowledge. These
graphics are used anywhere where information needs to be explained quickly or simply, such as in
signs,
maps,
journalism,
technical writing, and
education. They are also used extensively as tools by
computer scientists,
mathematicians, and
statisticians to ease the process of developing and communicating conceptual information. They are applied in all aspects of
scientific visualization.
History
Early experiments
In
prehistory, early humans created the first information graphics:
cave paintings and later
maps. Map-making began several millennia before
writing, and map at
Çatalhöyük dates from around 7500 BCE. Later icons were used to keep record of cattle and stock. The Indians of
Mesoamerica used imagery to depict the journeys of past generations. Illegible on their own, they served as a supportive element to memory and storytelling.
In
1626 Christopher Scheiner published the
Rosa Ursina sive Sol which used a variety of graphics to reveal his astronomical research on the sun. He used a series of images to explain the rotation of the sun over time (by tracking sunspots).
In
1786,
William Playfair published the first data
graphs in his book
The Commercial and Political Atlas. The book is filled with statistical graphs that represent the economy of
18th century England using
bar charts and
histograms. In
1801 Playfair introduced the first
area chart in
Statistical Breviary.
1861 saw the release of a seminal information graphic on the subject of
Napoleon's disastrous
march on Moscow. The creator,
Charles Joseph Minard, captured four different changing variables that contributed to the failure, in a single
two-dimensional image: the army's direction as they traveled, the location the troops passed through, the size of the army as troops died from hunger and wounds, and the freezing temperatures they experienced.
James Joseph Sylvester introduced the term "graph" in
1878 and published a set of diagrams showing the relationship between
chemical bonds and mathematical properties. These were also the first
mathematic graphs.
The development of a visual language in the 20th century
In
1936 Otto Neurath introduced a system of
pictographs intended to function as an international visual or picture language.
Isotype included a set of stylized human figures which were the basis for the ubiquitous modern
stick figures.
In
1942 Isidore Isou published the
Lettrist manifesto.
The
1972 Munich Olympics were the venue for
Otl Aicher to introduce a new set of
pictograms that proved to be extremely popular, and influenced the ubiquitous modern
stick figures used in public signs.
Also in 1972 the
Pioneer Plaque was launched into space with the
Pioneer 10 probe. Inscribed into the plaque was an information graphic intended as a kind of interstellar
message in a bottle, designed by
Carl Sagan and
Frank Drake. The message is unique in that it's intended to be
understood by
extraterrestrial beings who would share no common language with humans. It depicts a picture of a man and a woman standing in front of a simplified silhouette of the probe in order to give a sense of scale. It also contains a map locating the sun relative to a number of
pulsars, and a simplified depiction of the solar system, with the probe's path from earth into outer space shown with an arrow.
Modern uses
Today information graphics surround us in the media, in published works both pedestrian and scientific, in road signs and manuals. They illustrate information that would be unwieldy in text form, and act as a visual shorthand for everyday concepts such as
stop and
go.
In newspapers, infographics are commonly used to show the weather, as well as maps and site plans for newsworthy events, and graphs for statistical data. Some books are almost entirely made up of information graphics, such as
David Macaulay's
The Way Things Work. Although they're used heavily in children's books, they're also common in scientific literature, where they illustrate physical systems, especially ones that can't be photographed (such as cutaway diagrams, astronomical diagrams, and images of microscopic or sub-microscopic systems).
Modern maps, especially route maps for transit systems, use infographic techniques to integrate a variety of information, such as the conceptual layout of the transit network, transfer points, and local landmarks.
Traffic signs and other public signs rely heavily on information graphics, such as stylized human figures (the ubiquitous
stick figure), icons and emblems to represent concepts such as yield, caution, and the direction of traffic. Public places such as transit terminals usually have some sort of integrated "signage system" with standardized icons and stylized maps.
Technical manuals make extensive use of diagrams and also common icons to highlight warnings, dangers, and standards certifications.
Elements of information graphics
The basic material of an information graphic is the
data,
information, or
knowledge that the graphic presents. In the case of data, the creator may make use of automated tools such as graphing software to represent the data in the form of lines, boxes, arrows, and various
symbols and
pictograms. The information graphic might also feature a
key which defines the visual elements in plain English. A
scale and
labels are also common.
Modern practitioners
A statistician and sculptor,
Edward Tufte has written a series of highly regarded books on the subject of information graphics. Tufte also delivers lectures and workshops on a regular basis. He describes the process of incorporating many dimensions of information into a two-dimensional image as 'escaping flatland' (alluding to the 2-dimensional world of the Victorian novella
Flatland).
The work done by
Peter Sullivan for
The Sunday Times in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, was one of the key factors in encouraging newspapers to use more graphics. Sullivan is also one of the few authors who have written about information graphics in newspapers. Likewise the staff artists at
USA Today, the colorful United States newspaper that debuted in 1982, firmly established the philosophy of using graphics to make information easier to comprehend. The paper received criticism for oversimplifying news and sometimes creating infographics that emphasized entertainment over respect for content and data. Sometimes referred to as "Chartjunk". While worthy of much of this derision, its role in establishing infographics as a practice can't be ignored.
Nigel Holmes is an established commercial creator of what he calls "explanation graphics". His works deal not only with the visual display of information but also of knowledge - how to do things. He created graphics for
Time magazine for 16 years, and is the author of several books on the subject.
Close and strongly related to the field of information graphics, is
information design. Actually, making infographics is a certain discipline within the information design world. Author and founder of the
TED (conference),
Richard Saul Wurman, is considered the originator of the phrase, "information architect", and many of his books, such as
Information Anxiety, helped propel the phrase, "information design", from a concept to an actual job category.
While the art form of infographics has its roots in print, by the year 2000, the use of
Adobe Flash-based animations on the web has allowed to make mapping solutions and other products famous and addictive by using many key best practices of infographics.
Likewise, their use in television is relatively recent, for in 2002, two Norwegian musicians of Röyksopp issued a music video for their song
Remind Me that was completely made from animated infographics. In 2004, a television commercial for the French energy company
Areva used similar animated infographics and both of these videos and their high visibility have helped the corporate world recognize the value in using this form of visual language to describe complex information efficiently.
Interpreting information graphics
Many information graphics are specialised forms of
depiction that represent their content in sophisticated and often abstract ways. In order to interpret the meaning of these graphics appropriately, the viewer requires a suitable level of
graphicacy. In many cases, the required graphicacy involves
comprehension skills that are learned rather than innate. At a fundamental level, the skills of
decoding individual graphic
signs and
symbols must be acquired before sense can be made of an information graphic as a whole. However, knowledge of the
conventions for distributing and arranging these individual components is also necessary for the building of understanding.
Ease in interpreting information graphics with a common visual language
In contrast to the above, many other forms of infographics take advantage of innate visual language that's largely universal. The disciplined use of the color red, for emphasis, on an otherwise muted design, demands attention in a primal way even children understand. Many maps, interfaces, dials and gauges on instruments and machinery use icons that are easy to grasp and speed understanding for safe operation. The use of a rabbit and a turtle icon to represent fast and slow, respectively, is one such successful use by the
John Deere company on the throttle of their tractors.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Infographics'.
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