Infographics & CRAP

What are infographics? It's a visual explanation that helps you more easily understand, find or do something. It's VISUAL, integrating words and pictures in a fluid, dynamic way, when needed. Stands alone and is completely self-explanatory. Reveals information that was formerly hidden or submerged. It makes possible faster, more consistent understanding. It's (near) universally understandable.

History Cave painting from 30,000 BC

History The same can be said for Egyptian hieroglyphics. Around 3000 BC, ancient Egyptians used these infographics to tell stories of life, work and religion.

History William Playfair, an early innovator in Statistical Graphics. 1786: published The Commercial and Political Atlas; displayed bar charts, line graphs and histograms representing the economy in England. He followed this up with the first area chart and first pie chart in 1801.

History In 1857, English nurse Florence Nightingale used information graphics -- primarily the Coxcomb chart-- a combination of stacked bar and pie charts -- to change history and persuade Queen Victoria to improve conditions in military hospitals. Her chart showed the number and causes of deaths during each month of the Crimean War: preventable diseases in blue, wounds in red, and other causes in black.

History 1933 Harry Beck created the first map of the London Tube showing only lines to depict public transit routes and stations. Important development, since it moved visual diagrams into everyday life.

History 1975: Father of data visualization Edward Tufte Tufte That was the year that, while teaching at Princeton, Tufte developed a seminar on statistical graphics with John Tukey, a pioneer in the field of information design. Tufte later self- published Visual Display in 1982, establishing himself as an infographics expert.

Tip 1 Be Concise: Design your infographic to convey one idea really well.

Tip 2 Be Visual: Design your infographic with your final for viewing size in mind.

Tip 3 Be Smarter: Build your data and explanation right into the infographic, and don’t make your readers have to work hard to understand what they’re seeing.

Tip 4 Be Transparent: Infographics can be used to lead readers to the wrong conclusions.

Tip 5 Be Different: If you can avoid it, don’t use a bar chart, a line chart or a pie chart.

Tip 6 Be Accurate: Remember your geometry and visualize differences using area.

Tip 7 Be Attractive: Include visuals: Illustrations and photos included in the infographic make a big difference.

Tip 8 Be Varied: Find a good visual style that’s right for the data you’re trying to share.

Tip 9 Be Gracious: Work on the assumption that your infographic may be viewed or shared without the article you originally designed it for.

Tip 10 Be Creative: Use whatever tools you have available to create your infographic.

Where to go to get started Tableau Public Many Eyes Swivel Google Public Data Explorer Gapminder Wordle WorldMapper GunnMap StatPlanet Map MakerTableau PublicMany EyesSwivelGoogle Public Data ExplorerGapminderWordleWorldMapperGunnMapStatPlanet Map Maker

A few short videos by a master of infographic designfew short videos