Datavis: Infographics

Summary

This lecture podcast focuses on infographics, emphasizing their importance in simplifying complex data into visually appealing formats. It covers the definition, elements, and principles of effective infographics, including clarity, visual hierarchy, and aesthetic appeal. Examples are provided, such as the London Underground map and the Billion Dollar Gram, to illustrate these principles. The podcast also discusses various infographic types like timelines, comparisons, and lists, offering strategies for integrating infographics into data storytelling.

Takeaways

• 🎨 Infographics blend data and design to make complex information visually appealing and easy to understand.
• 📊 Infographics are commonly used in various fields, from social media to scientific reports, to distill large amounts of data into digestible formats.
• 📑 A good infographic emphasizes clarity and simplicity, using elements like charts, graphs, icons, and concise text to present information.
• 🗺️ The London subway map by Harry Beck is a great example of how visual clarity can simplify complex networks, making it a classic infographic.
• 📏 Visual hierarchy, achieved through scale, color, and layout, is key to guiding the viewer's attention in an infographic.
• 💡 Aesthetic appeal is crucial for keeping the audience engaged while still communicating the data effectively.
• 📐 Visual hierarchy can also be achieved through color, such as using brighter colors to emphasize important data points.
• 📸 Photographic elements, when combined with other design elements, can add interest and improve visual communication in infographics.
• 📅 Timeline infographics are excellent for showing changes over time, using icons or images to represent key moments.
• 📊 Infographics should follow a clear structure, guiding the viewer through the data in a logical and visually engaging manner.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of infographics?

The main purpose of infographics is to simplify complex data, making it accessible and easy to understand at a glance. They combine elements like charts, graphs, icons, and concise text to convey data in a visually appealing and easily digestible format.

What are the three key elements that make a good infographic?

The three key elements that make a good infographic are clarity and simplicity, visual hierarchy, and aesthetic appeal. These elements ensure that the infographic communicates information very clearly, guides the viewer's attention, and maintains a strong visual appeal.

Can you provide an example of clarity and simplicity in infographics?

An example of clarity and simplicity in infographics is the London Underground map designed by Harry Beck in 1933. It transformed a convoluted network into an easy-to-read diagram using clear lines and color coding, prioritizing the order of stations and the lines they were on over geographical accuracy.

How does visual hierarchy contribute to the effectiveness of an infographic?

Visual hierarchy in infographics contributes to effectiveness by arranging design elements to prioritize the most important information. This is typically done through scale, color, or layout, guiding the viewer's attention and creating a visual flow that makes the data story clear and easy to follow.

What role does aesthetic appeal play in infographics?

Aesthetic appeal in infographics is crucial for attracting the audience's attention and keeping them engaged. It ensures that the visual representation is not only informative but also pleasing to the eye, enhancing the overall communication of the data.

What is a list infographic and how is it used?

A list infographic is used to present a list of facts or data points in a structured and visually appealing manner. It often uses icons or other visual elements to structure the information, making it easy to digest and understand quickly.

How can a timeline infographic be used to show changes over time?

A timeline infographic uses a linear representation to show how things have changed over time. It can use simple line drawings, icons, or photographs to represent changes and often shows these changes in scale to indicate the magnitude of the changes.

What strategies should be used to effectively incorporate infographics into a data story?

To effectively incorporate infographics into a data story, they should follow a clear flow with a beginning, middle, and end. The infographic should have a structure that guides the viewer through the data story, be comprehensive in covering all essential data, and prioritize key information without overwhelming the reader.

How can minimizing text in infographics improve their effectiveness?

Minimizing text in infographics can improve their effectiveness by forcing the designer to rely more on visual elements to convey the message. This ensures that the infographic still makes sense and guides the viewer's eye through the information even without the text, emphasizing the visual hierarchy and clarity.

What is the difference between an infographic and a straight data visualization?

The difference between an infographic and a straight data visualization is that infographics prioritize clarity, simplicity, and aesthetic appeal to communicate complex information quickly and engagingly. Straight data visualizations focus more on the accuracy and detailed presentation of data, often without the additional design elements found in infographics.

Outlines

00:00

📊 Introduction to Infographics

This paragraph introduces the concept of infographics, emphasizing their role in simplifying complex data into a visually appealing and easily digestible format. The speaker discusses the importance of clarity, visual hierarchy, and aesthetic appeal in effective infographics. Examples such as pictograms, icons, headings, and percentage typography are mentioned as elements of infographics. The London Underground map by Harry Beck is highlighted as a classic example of clarity and simplicity in infographic design.

05:02

🔍 Visual Hierarchy in Infographics

The second paragraph delves into the concept of visual hierarchy, explaining how it guides viewers' attention and prioritizes information through scale, color, and layout. The 'Billion Dollar Gram' by David McCandless is used as an example to illustrate how size can effectively communicate the magnitude of government spending. The importance of creating a visual flow and emphasizing the significance of different content parts is underscored, along with the idea that a clear hierarchy makes designs more accessible.

10:03

🎨 Aesthetic Appeal and Design Principles

This section focuses on the aesthetic appeal of infographics, which is crucial for engaging the audience. The speaker mentions David McCandless's work as an example of striking designs that balance information with visual interest. Design principles such as balance, contrast, and alignment are discussed, along with the idea of using photographic elements to enhance aesthetic appeal. The paragraph also covers various infographic elements like pictograms, stylized bar charts, and donut charts, explaining how they contribute to the visual storytelling of data.

15:04

🗓️ Types of Infographics and Storytelling Techniques

The final paragraph explores different types of infographics, including list infographics, timelines, and comparison infographics. It discusses how these can be used to structure data stories effectively, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The importance of a clear flow and comprehensive coverage of essential data is emphasized, along with the suggestion to minimize text and ensure the infographic makes sense visually. The speaker concludes by summarizing key techniques and strategies for incorporating infographics into data storytelling, aiming to guide students in creating effective visual representations of data.

Keywords

💡Infographics

Infographics are visual representations of information, data, or knowledge designed to present complex ideas quickly and clearly. They combine elements like charts, graphs, icons, and concise text to convey data in an easily understandable way. In the video, infographics are portrayed as integral to modern data communication, simplifying complex data and enhancing visual communication to broad audiences. An example given is the London Underground map designed by Harry Beck, which transformed a complex network into an easily readable diagram.

💡Clarity and Simplicity

Clarity and simplicity refer to the primary purpose of an infographic, which is to simplify complex data and make it accessible. The video emphasizes that clarity should always be the top priority when designing infographics. An example used is the subway map by Harry Beck, which simplified the London Underground network into a clear and easily understandable diagram, prioritizing the order of stations and the lines they belong to over geographical accuracy.

💡Visual Hierarchy

Visual hierarchy in design refers to the arrangement of elements in a way that guides the viewer's attention and prioritizes the most important information. This is often achieved through scale, color, or layout. The video uses 'The Billion Dollar Gram' by David McCandless as an example, where block sizes are used to show spending areas for the US government, effectively comparing different buckets of billions through scale.

💡Aesthetic Appeal

Aesthetic appeal is about creating designs that are not only informative but also attractive and engaging to the audience. The video mentions that while it's hard to define, aesthetic appeal is crucial for keeping the audience's interest. David McCandless's designs are highlighted as examples of striking visuals that balance information with engaging aesthetics.

💡Pictograms

Pictograms are simple icons used to represent objects or concepts. They are a common element in infographics, helping to simplify information. In the script, pictograms like male and female symbols are mentioned as examples of infographic elements that can be used to structure information and add visual interest.

💡Data Visualization

Data visualization involves the presentation of data in a graphical or visual format to make it easier to understand. The video script contrasts infographics with straight data visualization, showing how the latter can be transformed into infographics by applying similar color schemes and treatments to make them more visually appealing and accessible.

💡Typography Treatment

Typography treatment refers to the visual presentation of text, including font choices, sizes, and arrangements. In the context of infographics, it's part of creating a visual hierarchy and guiding the viewer's attention. The script mentions how the size and layout of text elements can influence the visual flow and the importance of maintaining a clear hierarchy in content presentation.

💡Timeline

A timeline is a graphical representation of events in chronological order. It's an effective way to show changes over time and is a common infographic element. The video script provides an example of a timeline showing the progression of COVID-19 viruses, using scale and composition to represent the timeline and data points.

💡Comparison

Comparison in infographics is used to contrast two different subjects or data points. It helps viewers understand differences and relationships between data. The script describes a comparison approach that uses colors and a range of elements like ticks and crosses to clearly differentiate between the subjects being compared.

💡List Infographics

List infographics present a list of facts or data points in a structured manner, often using icons or other visual elements to enhance readability and interest. The video script mentions how list infographics can be part of a 'too long didn't read' approach, summarizing data stories in an easily digestible format.

💡Photographic Elements

Photographic elements in infographics refer to the use of actual photos to add interest and aesthetic appeal. The video script suggests that photographs can provide a great deal of visual interest and can be combined with data to create a more engaging infographic.

Highlights

Infographics are a vital part of modern data communication, offering a visually appealing and easily digestible format for complex information.

An infographic is a visual representation of information, data, or knowledge designed to convey complex ideas quickly and clearly.

Effective infographics combine elements like charts, graphs, icons, and concise text to simplify complicated information.

Three key elements of a good infographic are clarity and simplicity, visual hierarchy, and aesthetic appeal.

Clarity and simplicity in infographics mean prioritizing the simplification of complex data for accessibility.

Harry Beck's 1933 London Underground map is an excellent example of clarity in infographics, transforming a complex network into an easy-to-read diagram.

Visual hierarchy in infographics guides viewers' attention through the use of scale, color, and layout.

The Billion Dollar Gram by David McCandless uses block sizes to show billion-dollar spending areas for the US government, exemplifying visual hierarchy.

Aesthetic appeal is crucial for infographics to engage the audience and maintain their interest.

David McCandless is known for creating striking designs that are both informative and engaging.

Infographic elements include pictograms, stylized bar charts, percentages, and colored scales to show relative sizes.

List infographics are useful for summarizing data stories and presenting facts in an organized manner.

Timeline infographics effectively show changes over time using simple line drawings or icons.

Comparison infographics compare and contrast two different subjects, using color and design elements to highlight differences.

Location-based infographics use maps to visualize geographic data, adding interest and clarity to the information presented.

Visualized numbers in infographics, such as pictograms or large numerals, draw attention and add visual interest.

Infographics should follow a clear flow, like a story, with a beginning, middle, and end, to guide the reader through the data story.

To create effective infographics, minimize text and ensure the visuals lead the eye through the design in the appropriate order.

Ensure infographics are comprehensive, covering all essential data promised by the headline without overwhelming readers.

Transcripts

hi there and welcome back uh today's uh

lecture pod which is on um data

presentation Styles and we're going to

focus on infographics today the idea of

synthesizing data with design um

infographics have become an integral

part of how we communicate complex

information in what we would see is a

visually appealing and easily digestable

format so things from social media to

Scientific reports infographics helped

still large volumes of data individuals

that can be understood at a glance so

this short pod will guide you through

the essentials of effective

infographics um with a view to ensuring

that your work is not just uh uh

accurate but it's also um aesthetically

pleasing so let's keep going let's start

with um a short definition I've sort of

given one but let's just start with a

simple one and infographic is a visual

representation of information data or

knowledge intended intended to represent

complex ideas quickly and

clearly um it combines elements such as

charts graphs icons and concise texts or

pool quotes or those sort of things to

convey data in a way that's easy to

understand it's often used to simplify

quite complicated information and

enhance communication or the visual

communication of information to a very

broad audience we can see on the slide

there there's quite a few examples we've

got pictograms we know what they are now

we've got some icon based stuff we've

got some I guess headings which are

infographic elements in themselves uh

we've got some percentage and the

typography treatment we would say is an

infographic approach let's move

on um the what makes a good

infographic um is one that communicates

information very clearly it uses visual

hierarchy to guide the users or viewers

attention and it maintains a strong

aesthetic appeal so there are the three

things there Clarity and simplicity

visual hierarchy and aesthetic appeal

let's go through um some examples of of

these together for clarity and

simplicity I've chosen um that's just a

definition the primary purpose of an

infographic to begin with is really to

simplify complex data making accessible

it means that Clarity should always be

your top priority um so whenever you're

designing one saying is this making it

clearer is this simplifying what it is

that I'm showing or you know

clarifying and make your decision there

one of the best examples of clarity in

infographics I think is this subway map

by Harry Beck um it was designed in 1933

for the London the ground and I think

the genius of the fact that this was

supposed to be a map was that it was not

a map at all it was a diagram which is a

common type of infographics now Beck's

work transformed what was a convoluted

Network into an easy to read diagram and

he used very clear lines color coding um

to represent the different Roots um it's

something that would be great to emulate

in your work you can see that how the

color coding works there we take this

simplification for granted nowadays but

if we were to look at the original map

that it came from and let's bear in mind

that the example I just showed you the

subway map my be

was what I'd say is a diagram which is a

type of infographic beex highly

simplified this map he did away with all

of the above ground references that are

shown in the map like the streets and

all of those sort of things um he kept

the river TS in there because it was an

orientation point

but he also replotted all of the

stations that you know equidistant

points along the colorcoded straight

lines let's just look back at uh yeah

let's just look at it again um so even

though it didn't match the geography

anymore like you couldn't work out the

distance the real distance between

places but it clarified what needed to

be shown in this infographic which was

the order of the stations and what line

they were on um so I think it's a great

you don't often think of this as an

infographic but I think it's a great

example showing how Simplicity and

Clarity can be um used within

infographics next one is visual

hierarchy and I've chosen a little bit

of a a sideways example here but visual

hierarchy as you probably know refers to

the arrangement of elements whatever

your design is in a way that prioritizes

the most important information and

that's usually done through scale so you

know the size of something the color or

in fact the layout I've chosen here the

billion dollar gram by um David

mandis um main because it uses the block

sizes it is in fact a tree map so we

might get confused whether this is a

data it is a data Vis but it's also

infographic in nature um it it shows

uses scale to show the billion dollar

spending areas for the US government so

each of those things has a number on it

and it tells you how many billion

dollars so you can effectively compare

um buckets of billions across things and

it makes the scale of the spend much

more obvious um so I think it's it's

great even though it's a tree map it

also serves as a great

infographic

um yeah so it's from information is

beautiful let's keep

going all right so just so I don't end

on a treeo u let's go with the visual

hierarchy idea as it's a big part of

design generally and you'll find it very

useful in creating your final project so

if you take a look at this image it used

as a typographical hierarchy um almost

everyone on Earth you guys to you've

probably you know read it in order

you'll read this first then you'll read

this then this one and then finally the

one at the top and the reason that we do

that is that the sizing of the elements

within this

composition um kind is kind of telling

us what it signpost what we need to pay

attention to first so hierarchy here

visual hierarchy is about the scale of

things it's not necessarily the order

it's it's really you know using scale to

lead us through um the importance of

having a clear hierarchy in your content

I don't think can be understated so it

allows you to create to do three things

it allows you to create a visual flow so

the visual flow of how you're going to

be telling your data story

through some of these infographic

techniques um for each element will be

clear to the reader you know we go from

here to here to here so it provides a

little bit of a snapshot even if we

don't look at the details we can kind of

get some of the key points the main

point Min points Etc using scale it

emphasizes the importance of the

different parts of your content over

others so what's most important and it

makes your designs easier to understand

at a

glance okay so let's let's keep going um

another way to achieve hierarchy so we

looked at scale there

um is it is

um is looking at some shapes here so if

we look at the first example the no and

the yes we can see that the information

in both those circles in the first one

is equal because they're both the same

size in the second example we can see

that we're invited to see a relationship

or a hierarchy before between the two

bits of information there circles and in

the bottom one it shows how to clarify

only using you know a singular example

not two so that the viewers is not

confused so the content um prioritize or

hierarch provides a hierarchy of what's

important it may be that when you go to

design your your um infographic elements

for your final project that you go oh

actually I've got too much there I just

need to choose the s

one to tell people what the important

content

is we're still going with visual

hierarchy because it's really important

um again this one is is achieving visual

hierarchy through color and here we can

see the orang is telling us the visual

hierarchy orange is brighter than the

sort of lilac purpley colored things

it's telling us that they're the

important data points for us to be

looking at so even though again it's a A

barograph or column graph we can see

that visual hierarchies through using

color as a visual hierarchy we're

getting an infographic element into um

the presentation of this

data let's move on again now in terms of

aesthetic appeal we could go on about

this forever but it's always hard to

Define but you do need to ensure that

what you're making is attractive to your

audience and keeps them engaged terms of

the visuals we can see some examples

here again from David mandus um because

he's renowned for making quite striking

um designs that are both informative and

engaging and you can see just in this

one example here that um he's leveraging

some of the design principles such as

the balance of it so we can see it's

almost split into two there's a contrast

happening so it there's enough contrast

between I guess the photographic

elements themselves and the line or

vector based graphics on the left there

um the alignment creates a visual

harmonious composition so we can see

that that photographic element is

showing us that that Refugee or

immigrant person is actually looking at

the data which adds interest to us so um

we haven't covered it yet but um you

could um include photographic elements

as part of your infographic treatment

and I think it's a great way to go

photographs provide provide a great deal

of interest and aesthetic appeal to your

project um I've added in here a mixed

chart now that we have some of the ideas

of some of the design principles um as

we can let's just have a look what's

included as infographic elements here we

can see pictograms so the little male

and female symbols there um we can see

the bar chart is stylized and that the

percentages are then added to the end so

that we can in fact read it so it's

taken the familiar bar chart out and add

it and made it into it what we would say

is an infographic it's it's real data

it's the real size um but it sort of

freed it from its XY coordinates and so

labels and what have you the colored

scale um shows us the relative size of

something um we can see the large

percentage in the middle of that donut

chart on the par graph with the hole in

the middle um that adds meaning to it

and it means that we can because we can

see the number we immediately understand

percentage without having to go is it

half is it more so it's got a real

number in that all right let's move on

um a list

infographic um a list infographic mainly

shows a list of facts um it could be

part of a too long didn't read kind of

presentation of your data driven story

about the time but you can see here

they're using icons to structure the

information so they're infographic

elements because they're all the same

size we could say oh yeah they're all of

equal importance they're all four

different facts um for example or four

different outcomes or things to

communicate so list a list infographic

is a great way to approach giving a

summary of some good data

stories all right so next one I'm just

moving on to to now is a timeline and we

could go along on about timelines for a

whole lecture pod but they will show how

things have changed over time this one

uses some simple line drawings or you

could even call them icons to represent

changes and it shows them in scale to to

say how much of those things have

changed over time so nice infographic

for showing um those changes all right

let's move on um final example here for

timeline um is it my fin one I'm not

sure okay so it's a great great um

infographic in the sense that it's

providing some photography and some real

items with the little covid uh viruses

there the scale of those viruses

representing how much of it and we can

see the timeline perspective being used

to show how it's it's moved through time

so there's a lot of visual interest

there I would certainly not go do I

really want to look at a time like his

pandemic T pandemics but I definitely

would be invited into this and I would

get a lot of information but you can see

that the infographic approach has been

you has used scale and the composition

of the hierarchy of it we've got the

timeline at the top the simple facts

there and then like things about each of

the viruses they're done to scale so it

it is Data driven okay so that was a

nice example to look at next we'll move

on to comparison as one of our

techniques a comparison always will

compare and contrast two different

subjects and as we know data Vis is

really about comparing you know data

points to see how much or how little of

something there is generally um and we

can see here some nice things it's bit

like a report card starting on the left

we compare two things the colors showing

us that they're very discrete things and

there's a whole range of little elements

there the ticks and the crosses and the

verses thing so nice a very simple way

there so two different subjects been

compared next one a location based um

approach uh we can see this one's using

a map to visualize uh Geographic data

and we've done that with the rain in

Spain it adds a lot of interest and

shows you exactly where we're talking

about moving along a photographic one

it's not strictly a photo here but it's

it's a graphic approach which is a

little bit like like photos using photos

to combine with text is a really great

way to explain a point we saw that with

the co pandemic timeline and again we

could imagine this could be a plate and

knives which would be a photo with the

actual data on the plate about who's

eating what I would imagine this would

be surrounding so combining that is a

great way of getting some infographic

elements done very easily next

visualized numbers um we've seen them a

lot from the semester

pictograms we've seen that or the the

big numbers so the 20 our eyes drawn to

that we go 20 of what obviously it's a

gender thing there

182 what suitcases I'm not sure but you

can see the statistics are suddenly

becoming more visually appealing so a

visualized number whether it's done with

the pictograms or just a raw number um

is a great way of getting attention and

adding more interest visual interest to

your infographic

approach okay so we we're getting

towards the end here but so now that we

know we know that there's lots of

different types there's I've done a

summary of key techniques um let's just

end with some strategies for getting

infographics into a data story

um first up your infographics should

follow a clear flow so it like a story

it should have a beginning like a title

a middle and an end so you would start

with a heading that introduces your

topic then you would present the

information either in uh chronological

order or in order of what based what you

your reader will find more important

first um in this infographic that we're

looking at here they follow a very clear

structure of historical data and pick

the most momentous or most important

ones that changed history um each event

has an accompanying illustration and we

can see that with the orange and the

blue sections see 1948 very clear but

nice visual thing the fold or fake fold

is saying this is 48 slice this is 2005

slice this is the 2031 slice we can see

important um percentages down in the

leftand corner we've got a donut the

color scheme is consistent we've got the

real data vises or out there a few area

charts um

yeah but you can see using some icons

with or pictograms with the thing with

the uh people there in the right hand

side it's starting to make sense there's

some big numbers there as well and it's

very consistent in the treatment it adds

a lot of visual appear but you can see

how our eye is guided through this

infographic as a design so we naturally

start on the left because that's the way

we read um it uses very effective

visuals um um and one technique for

doing that is when you're using visuals

see if you can get rid as of much text

as possible and to make sure it still

makes sense without the text so is your

eye being led through it in the

appropriate order without the text and

if not your visuals might need attending

to particularly to terms of the size and

the visual hierarchy of them um you

should be be be comprehensive with the

infographic so make sure it covers all

of the essential data that your headline

promises you're obviously prioritizing

key information so that you don't

overwhelm your readers

um and you can see also that the

hierarchy of the typography here is bang

on okay so that was our quick our quick

introduction to infographics we will

discuss more techniques in class but at

a minimum you now know what to look for

and how to kind of work out what the

difference between an infographic and a

straight data vises we can see that

there're straight data data Vis charts

here but they have theyve become more

infographic in in terms that they've

been treated in a similar color we see

those bar charts there we can see the

donut graphs the color has brought them

up into more infographic area even

though they remain pure data vises so

hopefully that's useful and thanks for

listening I will see you in class