Infographics or Infoporn?

You've seen them. You've used them. But just what are infographics? Simply put,

"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."

-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_graphics

An infographic combines data visualization and illustration to communicate, inform, persuade or even indulge in a little humor.

Basic types of information graphics

There are two types of infographics: objective and subjective.

Objective graphics present information without bias in such a way that the reader can draw his/her own conclusions. They are intended to educate or even document events. In an objective infographic, all data and points of view are represented equally.

Subjective graphics are often intended to be persuasive and may have an agenda. Information may be edited or left out altogether. This is not necessarily bad -- simply be aware of bias inherent to the graphic.

New America Foundation/Good/DeepLocal

A subset of subjective infographics are considered indulgent, entertaining or amusing, particularly because they communicate no data or information whatever. They present content for the sake of the content alone.

What makes a good infographic?

Infographics take on many shapes and forms, from tables and charts to complex illustrations, but any good infographic

• Will have a meaningful relationship between content and form (presentation)
• Will suggest or allow high-level conclusions to be drawn from either a user-defined (objective) or persuasive (subjective) presentation
• Can stand on its own 
• Cites data source(s) for legitimacy
• Shows accurate comparisons (see cookie graph above)
• Is clearly titled, labeled and captioned

When making an infographic:

• Start with data and clear goals or a good question. Organize the information!
• Ask yourself what it is you want people to understand from reading your graphic. Can the reader obtain high-level information from your graphic?
• Avoid the look of objectivity if the goal of the graphic is to be persuasive (in other words, be honest).

Above all, avoid creating infoporn: graphics that contain the "ruse of hierarchy, but without content." These graphics pretend to confer information, but no conclusions can be drawn from the presentation.

Links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_graphics

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Information_graphics