Info Graphics

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INTRODUCTION
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ISBN 978-1-118-31404-3 (papcr); ISBN 978-1-118-42006-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-11842159-8 (cbk); ISBN 978-I-118-43164-1 (ebk)
The world around us is changing. The Information Agc has fundamentally changed
the way wc think and communicatc. Wc are now a culture that thrives on lcarning
and sharing- much of this is facilitated by thc increasing ubiquity of social media.
This influx of information needs to be consumed and processed, which requires new
methods of communication. Infographics, in many diffcrem forms, are at the forefrom of this ncw way of thinking. The visualizar ion of information is enabling us to
gain insight and understanding quickly and cfficicmly, utilizing thc incrcdible proccssing power of the human visual system. Accessing and harnessing this power is
not only valuablc, but nccessaty, as we navigatc the vast amoums of data prcsemed
to us daily.
This is an cspecially prevalcnt need in the business world. Consumcrs are increasingly cynical with regard to advertising and marketing cffons, an attitude which borders on callous. In order to communkate their messages, brands must appeal ro consumers in a new way. Hard-sell adveniscmcms are no longer cffective. Brands now
nced to provide a unique valuc to thcir audiences, bcyond the propositions of their
producrs and services. This valuc comes in the form of information presemation. In
order to build and engagc an audience, an increasing number of companies are finding success in taking cues from publishers-prcscming purcly editorial coment with
the aim of informing and entertaining readers. How do infographics fit imo this piecure? With a massivc amount of comem being created and distributed daily on the
web, it has bccome much more challenging to catch and keep the attcntion of vicwers. Infographics provide a formar that utilizcs cngaging visuals that nor only appeal
to an audicncc hungty for information, but al so aid in the comprehension and retcntion of that material.
"The aim of the poet is to inform or delght, or to combine together, in what he says,
both pleasure and applicability to life.
In instructing, be brief in what you sa-y in order that your readers may grasp it quick-
..
ly and retain it faithfully.

Superfluous words simply spill out when the mind is already full."
Horace
(Epstolas Ad Pisones De Ars Poetica)

Though this was wriucn over 2,000 years ago wich rcgard co the role of the poct,
cvcry business can bencfit from chis timeless wisdom as it pcrtains co any communication. Whecher you are informing, delighting, or both, succinct messaging that provides real, imeresting knowledge co consumers is not only che new face of marketing,
but of any brand commurcations.
A BRIEF H ISTORY OF INFOGRAPHICS
THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK
WHAT THIS BOOK !S NOT
A NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
A BRIEF HISTORY OF INFOGRAPHICS

The design of information is nothing new. From che earlicst cave paimings to modern-day data visualization, humans have always utilized graphic depictions as a rcprescmation of information. Their cfficacy has been preven as far back as thc Victorian
Era, as cvidenced by che infographic in Figure 1.1, created by Florcnce Nightingale to
show the causes of monaliry of the British Army during the Crimean War. This was
prcsemed to Parliamem, who had previously been unresponsivc to conccrns of
health and hygiene of che troops, and brought about a new way of thinking about the
sprcad of discasc (Kopf, p. 390-392).
Figure 1.1: Diagram of the Causes ofMortality in the Army in the East.
Florence Nightengale .
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They wcrc popularizcd for editorial use in che lace 1930s and early 1940s, wich
Fortune magazine being one of the mosc well-rccognized early purvcyors. These illuscracions in Figure 1.2 are che cmbodimem of crue craftsmanship, characcerized noc
only by an iconic style, buc painscaking ancncion co dccail.
A LTJlOUCU TOJt)l!X"''80 liY lf'fSUI,llliTY.
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Ir RJCIJ) IN 'fUBOR;Y, rNCON$1ST"t.NT JN 'fETBOD.
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Figure 1.2: Fortunc magazine infographics.
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Since then, they havc found more broad applicaons in evcrything rrom academic
and scicmific rcsearch to modern marketing. We will discuss more on the history of
these uses in Chaptcr 1 (Importancc and Efficacy) and highlight the currcm applications throughout the book.
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THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK
WHAT THIS BOOK IS NOT
The utility and applieation of infographics are expansivc and diverse. In this book, we
will focus primarily on rheir implementation in improving business communicarion,
from thcir new-found use in marketing ro thcir more rraditional application in reporting and gaining business insight. Along the way, we will al so discuss sorne of the
relarcd purposes for thcir use in othcr fields, which will shed light on rhe approach
and critica! frarnework for analyzing rhcir qualiry and efficacy that we will csrablish
roward thc cnd of the book. Our prirnary purpose is ro provide an in-depth undersranding of the value of rheir use, and inform as ro rhe proper approach and implementation of rhe medium. Wc hope you willleavc informed and inspired by thc rools
of infographic thinking, rcady ro visually rransforrn your cornpany's cornrnunicarion.
This book is nor inrendcd as a central resource for the dcsign of infographics. We
will, howcver, highlight sorne of the rools rhat ean be uscd ro creare visualizations,
and provide resources for designcrs ro learn more about rhis practice. In addition, rhe
frarnework and considerations provided regarding rhc concept, research, and messaging will preve very helpful for dcsigners. We do hold in high regard the design skills
necessary ro creare bcautiful infographics, and believe that the principies and insrruclion 1aught in design schools are central ro the creation of effective visualizalions,
wharevcr the medium.
The exarnples of forrnats and applica1ions provided in this book are not intcnded
10 be a comprehensive list of al! possible uses for infographics. Rather, we chosc ro
recognize sorne of 1he key arcas where infographics can provide grea1 value 10 businesses, and discuss thc proper approach to each at lengrh, bascd on our expericnce
working wi1h hundreds of brands over rhe years, both big and srnall. Therc are certainly arcas lcft unrecognizcd in rhis book rhat can bring both clariry and engagerncnt
ro a brand's rnessaging- this is all part of the fun. Wherher in business, art, or scicncc, pcoplc are finding new ways ro urilizc this incredible rnedium of infographics
for rnyriad purposes. This is exactly what rnakes infographics so inspiring- thc cxdrernenr and beaury of discovering new ways ro inforrn and delighr- visually.
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illustration
A NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY
To be clear abour rhe ropics thar rhis book covers, we musr define the rerms thar we
will be using frequenrly. Sorne are nuanced and mighr seem redundanr. There are a
variery of disciplines thar deal wirh informarion and data, visualiza!ion, and dcsignand the people in al! of rhem have differenr rhoughts and opinions abour rhe way
rhese rerms should be used. As such, rhese are not rechnical or offidal definirions;
they are simply those rhat serve us besr for the applications wc will be discussing in
this book.
Information
Knowledge in rhe form of words, numbers, or conceprs thar can be communicared.
Data
Quanrifiable informarion. Though data can take various forros, in this book we rypically consider data ro be numerical. Iris debared whether rhe word "data" should be
rreated as singluar or plural. From its Larin origins, ir is plural; thc singular form of
rhe word is "darum." In modern language, however, ir is mosr commonly used as a
singular mass noun.
Data Set
A catcgorized collection of data rhat has been filtered ar sorne leve!, thc insights of
which people can recognize more simply rhrough visualization.
Visuali:z:ation
We will use rhis rerm ro mean "informarion visualizarion." A phorograph or painring
is rechnically a visualization; however, in order ro give rhe rerm meaning for rhis conrcxr, ir will refer ro rhe process of making visual wharever is communicaring specific
knowledgc. This may includc the visualizarion of data, or simply the use of visual
cues ro illustrate, differentiare, or show a hierarchy of information.
Membcrs of the scienrific and acadernic communiries often use rhc term visualizarion ro refer ro graphics rhar are auromarically gcnerated using software. Such prograrns can process differem information, in a similar formar, wirh a differem visual
result. Wc include this visualizarion merhod in our definition, bur also the manual
processing, plotting, and design of information and data rhar are uniquc ro an application. Whilc the rraditional definition is very suitable for scienrific and academic
purposes, rhis book covers a varicry of media and applications, so wc musr use a
broadcr definition.
Data Visuali:z:ation
A visual reprcsenration of data or the practice of visualizing data. Common forros in-
elude pie charts, bar graphs, line charrs, and so forth. However, relationships in data
can be quite complex. For thar reason, rhere is an opporruniry ro find unique ways ro
visualize these values ro accurarely porrray such relarionships. These visualizarions
enable us ro derecr trends, patterns, and ourliers rhat we can use ro derive insighr.
Information Design
Design
The concepr, functionality, and graphic ourpur imcnded to solve a specific problem.
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A hand-<lrawn or vector-based depicrion of an objecr. In infographics, we can use illustration ro display the anatomy of an objecr or ro add aesthcric appeal.
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The pracrice of reprcseming information in a visual formar. Wc'll al so use this term
ro refer ro thc field of srudy and practice as a wholc. A visual represenration of informarion could include visualizing data, processes, hierarchy, anaromy, chronology,
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and other facts. While a chart is rechnically an information graphic, most informarion
graphics are multifaccrcd and comain explanarions or insightful descriptions.
Infographic
E COLOR
WHAT YOUR BRAND COL ORS SAY ABOUT YOUR BUS I NESS
An abbreviation of "information graphic." This rerm has gained populariry recemly

based on rhe increased use of graphics in online marketing over rhe pasr few years.
Sorne use this rerm ro connote the uniquc formar that has been widely adopted for
this applicarion, which is characrerized by illusrration, large rypography, and long,
vertical orientation displaying an assorrmem of facrs. We rcfer ro such graphics as
editorial infographics, which can also be presemcd in diffcrcm formars.
We will use the rerms informarion graphic and infographic imerchangeably, and
we feel the need ro maimain a very broad definition for both of these rcrms. Simply
put, an infograpbic uses visual cues ro communicare information. Tbey do not nced
ro comain a cenain arnoum of data, possess a cenain complcxiry, or presem a cerrain
leve! of analysis. There is no threshold at which something "becomes" an infograpbic. Ir can be as simple as a road sign of a man with a sbovcl that lets you know tbere
is consrruction ahead, or as complex as a visual analysis of the global economy.
COLOR MATTERS:
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INTEGRATE YOUR BRAND

COLORS ACROSS THE
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Editorial Infographic
An infographic for use in prim, an online publication, or a blog. Whilc newspapers
have uscd these for dccades, thcy've recemly found a ncw form and life on thc Internet. Comem markering-rhc practice of using informarional, editorial comem ro
bring arremion and thought lcadership ro a company blog ro engage both currem and
prospecrive cusromers-has driven mucb of this growrh. An exarnple of sucb a visual
contem marketing carnpaign is rhe series of graphics crcared for Markero, shown in
Figure 1.3.
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COLOR S ARE
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Figurel.3: Example ofeditorial infographic campaign.

Column Five for Marketo.
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Qualitative Graphic Elements
ll.I.UI!'rHA'I'ION OF' TliE TCU:OlU' OF COlli'UO~'D RADICt\l,S.
Anything nonnumcrcal, this can lnclude both information and illusuation.
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Quantitative Information
Information that involves a measuremem of any kind, cypically taking a numerical
form (Figure 1.4).
Figure/A: Example ofquDJIIilali>"< infonrvuion display.
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Narrative
An approach ro information desig,n rhat secks ro guidc rhe viewcrs rhrough a selecred
ser of information rhar rclls a story. This is bcst used for infographics thar communicarc valuc judgmems and are dcsigned ro lcave rhc vicwers wirh a specific message ro
rakeaway.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Thcre are countless applicarions for informarion dcsign and visualizarion in rhe business world today. However, rhe needs of each company are uniquc, so it is ncccssary
ro creare cusrom solurions ro salve communicarion problems. Wc havc srrucrurcd
rhis book ro enable you ro consume and lcarn rhc informarion rhar is relcvanr ro your
nceds and goals, whilc giving you rhc freedom ro leave behind secrions rhar do nor
apply. You can rhink of ir as a resource ro rcfercncc regularly, as you idemify necds
and scek opporruniries for new applications. justas one designs a visualizarion based
on the information ir displays, so should you craft a visual straregy to fir your company's needs and opporrunirics. This book serves as a guide ro rhese various saaregies
and applicarions.
Wc'vc ourlined rhe book's srrucrure in rhis secrion ro give you an idea of what ro
expect in each chaprcr. You can use rhis ro determine rhe rclevance of a particular
chapter ro your company. Whcn in doubr, please explore a chaprer furrher. This is a
great way ro idemify new opporrunirics for visualizing informarion, and can help
evolve and rransform your overall communicarion and marketing srraregy.
Sorne scctions of rhis book will be esscntial reading in arder ro undersrand rhe underlying conceprs thar will be discussed in furrher derail wirhin each application.
Howevcr, you can read (or nor read) orher chaprers based on your imcrcst and/or
need. The applicarions chaprers will contain sorne examples thar you will fmd relevanr, and sorne rhar you will nor. We do cncourage you ro explore even rhosc rhar
might nor apply ro your current nceds, as rhcse chaprers can also provide fresh ideas
for using infographics in new srraregies. And of course, you nevcr know whcn your
needs are going ro change.
The following are brief explanarions ofwhar you can expecr from cach chapter.
ESSENTIAL READING CHAPTERS
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CHAPTER 1: IMPORTANCE AND EFFICACY: WHY OUR BRAINS LOVE INFOGRAPHICS

This chaprer will prescm thc sciencc bchind thc efficacy of visual communication and
will cxplain how best to use it. While the valuc of visualization can secm somewhat
intuicive in cenain senings, it is important that we understand cxactly what makes it
so effective in ordcr to execute properly. We look at the various objectives one might
have in creating an infographic, and establish correspondent priorities of the various
values infographics provide.
CHAPTER 2: INFOGRAPHIC FORMATS:

CHOOSING THE RIGHT VEHICLE FOR
YOUR MESSAGE
This chaptcr will explore thc various forms that information design and data visualization takc, including static, imeraccive, and motion graphics. We'll describe each
formar in dctail, and cite sorne applications whcre it may be u sed.
CHAPTER 3, 4, 6, AND 7: APPLICATIONS

These chapters will address the various uses of infographics in the business world.
Chapter 3 outlincs The Visual Storytclling Spectrum, a framework by which wc can
consider thc following thrce applicarions:
Chaptcr 4: Editorial lnfographics
Chaptcr 6: Brand-Centric lnfographics
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Chapter 7: Data Visualizacion Interfaces

We willlook at each applicarion as an opponuniry to move away from rhe status
quo by showing you how to creare engaging and intelligem visual comem. In arcas
whcre visual comem is fairly common, such as presemacions or dashboards, we will
consider sorne of the opponunicies ro improve and innovare with your comem to ensure that your visualizarions provide clariry and excite your audiencc.
CHAPTER 5: CONTENT DISTRIBUTION:

SHARING YOUR STORY
In this chapter, we will discuss the bcst approach to spreading your comem far and
wide. You're not done once you've created great visual comem; you need people to
see it, too. Herc we will discuss thc strategies involved in distributing and promoting
your coment using social media to make surc people sce it- and, more imponant,
share it.
CHAPTER 8: WHAT MAKES A GOOD INFOGRAPHIC?

This subjecrive and controversia! topic is high on our FAQ!ist. Therefore, this chapter will outline a critica! framework by which we can judge information design across
various applic.ations.
CHAPTER 9: INFORMATION DESIGN

BEST PRACTICES
This book is not imended to be an instruccional on how to design infographics, but
rathcr how to best apply them to your communication stratcgies. However, it is ncc-
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1 page left m 1hos chapter
essary chac yo u have a sound understanding of che basic principies of information dcsign if you are going to be involved in che production process with a designer or in
che publication proccss as an editor. As such, Chapter 9 will give you a cursory
knowledge of the dos and don'ts of infographics, so chat you can idemify cheir misuse and guide che process of making chem imeresting. informacive, and cffcccive.
CHAPTER 10: THE FUTURE OF INFO-
CHAPTER 1
IMPORTANCE AND EFFICACY: WHY

OUR BRAINS LOVE INFOGRAPHICS
GRAPHICS
It is essential in all arcas ofbusiness ro stay on top ofche latesc trends and technologies. The world of information dcsign is no differem, especially as it relates co your
particular organization and industry. This final chapter will look ac sorne of che
emerging applicacions of infographics in che not-so-discant future.
In De Architectura, Roman archicect and engineer Vitruvius states chat chere exisc
chree scandards to which al! structures should adhere: soundness, utility, and beaury.
In cheir paper, On the Role ofDesign in lnformation Visualizatwn, auchors Andrew Vande
Moere and Helen Purchase poim out chat chese standards can and should also be applied co information dcsign and che various applicacions chat serve this purpose.
Thcy state chat a good visualizacion should be sound; that is, che de.sign's form
should be suitablc for che informarion it depiccs. It should be useful, cnabling the
viewer co derive meaning from it. And of course, as wich all design, ir should have
aeschetic appeal chat anracts che viewer's attencion and provides a pleasing visual experience.
This framework provides a salid basis that anyone can use to judge che value of visualization. However, wc will use a slightly differem caregorization for thc purpose
of discussing the positivc effcccs of infographics. We will refer ro beauty as appea/,
and divide utility into thc arcas of comprehension and retention-as these are che three
basic provisions of all effeccive verbal or visual communication mechods:
l. Appea./
Communication should engage a volumary audiencc.
2. Comprehension
Communication should cffectively provide knowledge that enables a clear

understanding of che informarion.
3. Reten/ion
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Communlcatlon should impan memorable knowlcdge.

We will address lhc nccd ro havc a sound design on a more practical level in
Chaprer 9 (lnfonnation Dcslgn Best Practices) when we discuss principies for lhe
practice of information deslgn.
lmages and graphics should always look appealing and encourage viewers ro engage in rhe conrent. ltls important lhat we examine why this is lhe case and identify
lhe primary clcments that lcad to this appeal. This is certainly lhe first and porentially mosr challcnging srep in convcying a mcssage: getting lhe redpienr ro commir ro
hearing what you have ro say.
People ha ve long acccptcd lhe notion lhat a picture can replace a lhousand words,
and similarly, lhat a simple graph can replace a table full of nurnbcrs. Basic visualizadon allows us to immcdlately comprehend a message by detecting notable panems,
trends, and outliers In lhe data. This chapter wiU look at how visualization acllleves
lhis feat so easily whlle olher forms of comrnunication fall shorc.
Furlher, we'll determine how we can makc lhose visualizations more memorable.
The democrarization of media, espccially online, has given us a grear variery of options rhat we can use ro consume our news, videos, and funny pictures-and generally educare ourselves on myrlad copies. However, thc downside ro lhis exponenrial increase in stimullls that wc tcnd ro lose much of chis knowledge shorcly afrer we gain
ir. While no one s hould lamenr forgerting a mediocre LOLcar, ir pays ro be memorablc-cspecially in the business world. Fortunatcly, connccrions have been madc recently berween thc illustrativc elemenrs of graphics and lhe rercntion rarcs of thc information displaycd-and thesc connections can help us al! figure out how ro have
pcoplc rcmcmber our material.
This chaprcr wlll also discuss thc fact that information design lends irself ro
achicving thcsc objectlvcs, and will scck to undcrstand cxactly how and why it docs
chis, bascd on the way our brains proccss information. We will nor be gcrting imo
roo much heavy science; ralher, our main goal is ro understand which elements of design help us reach our spccific communication goals, and ro leave behind those rhar
do nor. For mis wc will lean heavily on several key works lhar have covercd me science of visualization exhaustively, most notably Colin Ware's lhoughrfully wrinen
Informal ion Vi<umir~>tion: Ptruption for Design.
Back to page
<
R g 31
Finally, we will idemify severa) of the divergenr schools of rhoughr. We'vc conduded thatme differences in these approaches are largely roored in lhc failurc to recognlz.c that varicd objectives necessitare varicd approaches ro me practice. That is, a
dcslgn whosc primary objective is ro givc lhc viewer information for analysis cannor
be considercd, dcsigncd, or judgcd in lhe satne way as one whosc primary goal is ro
be appealing and ente.rtaining while infonning. We wiU discuss mese varicd approaches to cach unique objectivc and elaborare on lhc practice in lhe applications
chapters (3, 4, 6, and 7). We wiU lhen discuss bow we can use mese differenr melhods ro serve our three basic communieation provisions: appeal, comprehension, and
retcmlon.
VARJED PERSPECTIVES ON INFORMATJON OESJGN: A BRIEF HISTORY
OBjECTJVES OF VISUAUZATION
APPEAL
COMPREHENSION
RETENTION
Page32
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INFORMATION DESIGN: A
BRIEF HISTORY
Many a hcated debate over the propcr approach to information design is raging online nowadays, which scems to raise the question: Why all the conflict in thc friendly
field of pretty picture creation? The debate surrounds just that: The role of aesthetics
and decoration in the design of infographics. To understand the underlying tension, a
bit of background is necessary.
Science and publishing have uscd information design and visualization as a communication too! for cenruries. Howcver, study and developmem in the ficld has
mostly been dominated by academics and scientists, who are conccrned primarily
with understanding the most effective way to process and presem information to aid
viewers' analyses. These effons are driven by loads of research. with highly theoretical consideration; when practica!, the focus is on using software to process and visualize data sets. For years, only a select few- an educated, knowledgeablc, and skilled
group of individuals-havc discussed and practiced visualization in this sense. Then
the Internet caught on. Around 2007, imerest in infographics (mostly editorial in narure) began to grow on the wcb, as peoplc shared old infographics like Napolcon's
march on Moscow (Figure 1.1) and newer creations such as those published by
GOODMagazine (Figure 1.2). Suddenly, a whole ncw group of"experts" was praising,
sharing, and critiquing (mostly critiquing) any infographic thcy could find.
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Since then, an impressive number of new infographics have been crearcd as various industries and arcas idemified differem applications for rheir use. One of rhe
mosr common was ro use editorial infographics for commercial marketing purposes.
This ncw brecd of visual took a bit of a differem path, both in format and come m.
The long, skinny graphic, designed to fit wirhin a blog's widrh, became ubiquirous
and almost insrantly synonymous with rhe tcrm infographic. Thesc pieccs used illustration and decorarion much more rhan their rraditional coumerparts. And as with
most markering effons, their goal was to use their comem and design to amacr atrention, imercsr, and adoration for the company that produccd them- making each
brand a "thoughr leader" in irs indusry. This was quile a divcrgence from rhe tradirionally srared purposes of the field, which was purely w use visual represemation to
aid in rhe processing and comprehension of dara.
As you can imagine, the new field of infographic dcsigners often lacked knowlcdge
of besr pracrices for information design. In other words, people were winging i1. As
wirh any field experiencing rhis kind of growrh, overall quality of designs vay drasrically- which has amacred criricism (read: uuer disdain) from thc academic and sci-
Back to page
27
Page 35
enrific visualizarion communiy.

The lmerner had usurped infographics .
The debare over what should be considercd an infographic conrinues w this day,
as people seck to find concrere definilions in an arca that's constanrly becoming
more nebulous. Among the most known and quoted voices in this arca is Yale Universiy sraristics professor Edward Tufte, who has wrincn sorne of rhc mosr acclaimcd and comprehensive works on the tapie of informarion dcsign. Tufte has contribured much 10 its popular rerminology by coining rerms such as chartjunk (unnecessay graphic elemems thar do nor communicare information) and developing rhe
data-ink ratio-a measuremcm of rhe amounr of information communicared in a
graphic as ir relares ro rhe wral numbcr of visual clemems in ir. Tufte's rhoughts on
the wpic represent a conservative lean on the specrrum of approaches ro infographic
dcsign (Figure 1.3), which is ypical of those who have an academic or scienrific
background. He argucs that any graphic elcmenrs of a design rhat do not communicare specific information are superfluous and should be omiued. He believes thar
chartjunk such as unnecessay Jines, labels, or decorative elemenrs only disrracr the
viewer and distan rhe dara, thus derracring from rhe graphic's inregriy and decreasing irs value (Figure 1.4). Although Tufte docs concede that decorative clcmems can
help edirorialize a tapie in sorne insrances, his reachings rypically discourage rheir
use.
Figure 1.3: Approaches to infographic design.
Page 36
EXPLORATIVE
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The work and wricing of British graphic designcr Nigel Holmes characcerizes che
opposite end of che spearum, which supporcs rhe heavy use of illusrration and decoracion to embellish information de.sign (Figure 1.5). Holmes is bese known for his illuscration of editorial '"explanation graphics" in Time from 1978 to 1994. The perspecrive rhat Holmcs' work supporcs che nocion rhat using illustration and visual
mecaphor co suppon and reinforce the copie makcs che graphic appealing to viewers.
Recem studics show that these decorative elements can also aid in che rccention of
che informacion presemed, which we will examine lacer in rhe chapcer.
Figure 1.5: The Tipsy Turvy Republic ofAlcohol.
Nigel Holmes.
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So which is the correcc approach? Both are. What peoplc often overlook in these
debates is the most central issue to any design: the objecrive. While Tufte and
Holmes might wam co represem che exact same data set, they likely would be doing
it for very differem reasons. Tufte would aim co show 1he information in thc most
neutral way possible, 10 encourage bis audience 10 analyze it withoul bias. Converse
ly, Holmes's job is co edicorialize che message in ordcr co appeal co che vicwer while
communicating the value judgmem he wams readers to cake away. Tufte's communicacion is explorative; that is, it encourages che vicwer to explore and extrae e bis or hcr
own insights. Holmcs's, on che othcr hand, is narrative, and prescribes thc intcnded
conclusion to che viewer. The differcnce is inherent in their arcas of work, as the objectives of science and rcsearch are much differem than thosc of che publishing
world. There's no nccd co cstablish a universal approach 10 govern al! objectives;
rather, differem individuals and industries should dcvelop bese practices unique 10
each applicacion's specific goal.
Back to page 27
Page 39
OBJECTIVES OF VISUALIZATION
Of course, we musl first look at whal each infographic is trying to achieve before we
can establish thc bese pracrices for its application. By definition, all information
graphics are aimed at communicating information. What vares is che purpose for do
ing so-and understanding lhis purpose is whal determines a graphic's priorities.
These priorities accoum for a necessary difference in approach co each design.
For example, if an infographic is imended co communicace information in the
most clear and unbiased manner possible, then che first prioricy for the designer is
compreheniotl, then retmtion, followed by appeal (Figure l. 6). This is common in academic, sciemific, and business intelligence applications, as these arcas typically lack
any agenda aside from conveying and having viewers comprehend knowledge. Appeal
is less necessaty in chis setting, as che viewer most typically needs che informalion
and seeks it out as a rcsult. Appeal is only useful when it kceps che viewers' anention co enable furcher comprehension. Such a graphic typically would be used as a resourcc for informalion- which is why relention is also a secondary priority. If che
viewer needs the information and it is a readily acccssible resource, thcn he or she
can revisit itas necded co retrieve it again. There's no necd for it to take up any more
valuable brain space than nccessary.
Figure 1. 6: 1nfographic priorities by application.
Page 40
2 pages Jeft 1n thls chapter
APPEAL
1
COMPREHEN SION
RETENTI ON
Key
(hopefully) conven those users into paying customers. As evidenccd by Super Bowl
commercials, companies will go to almost any length to get this anemion. The order
of priorities of a commcrcial marketing graphic would be appeal, retention, and then
comprehension. Brands are looking to catch viewers' anendon and makc a lasng impression- which usually mcans that viewcrs' comprehension of comem is frequemly
the brands' last prioriry. The exception to this would be infographics that are more
focused en thc description of a product or service, such as a visual press release,
since designers in these cases would want the viewcr to clearly understand the material as it relates te the company's value proposition. Howcvcr, being appcaling
enough to prospective customers to get them te listen is always goal number ene.
Publishers that creare editorial infographics have a slightly differem mix: appeal,
comprehension, and retention. Since the appeal of a magazine's comem is what will
make it fly off the newsstand, it shares this top prioriry-improving sales-with companies in other industries. A publisher's survival is based solely upon its abiliry to
spark readers' imerest. The quality of comem or graphics produced en a consistent
basis helps drive this imerest by making a strong impression en readcrs- and this is
where comprehension comes into play. A publication's qualiry is bascd en thc comcm
it produces, which is imended te help rcaders understand a given topic. Howcver,
whcther or not the reader can reca/1 that topic with the sarnc leve] of understanding
ene week later is of little imponance te a publishcr's bottom fine. The common denominator between commercial and editorial imercsts is that they both desire to
compel thc consumer to take a specific action.
Acade mi c/Sci en ti fi e
Marketing
Editorial
However, a graphic creatcd with a commercial imerest in mind will have much different priorities. Brands primarily seck to get viewers' attemion and evemually
Back to page 27
Page 41
Page 42
APPEAL
In 2010, Google CEO Eric Schmldt famously stated that we now creatc more infor-
maton in two days than we created from the dawn of man up untiJ 2003. This staggerng statistic obviously necessitates clarificaton of what construtes information
and its crcation. Regardless, the message is clear and uncontested: humanty is creating and consumng (ar more lnformaton than it ever has before. As a result, it is increasingly difficult to get people's attcntion, since they're constandy bombarded with
various stimuli throughout the day-material that ranges from breaking ncws to fun.
ny photos ro Facebook updates. Marl<ete.rs, salespcople, brand evangelists, and publishers must all figure out how tO grab a slice of this anention-a cask that is becoming more challenging by the day. How do you get pcoplc's attention, and keep it long
enough to share your message with them? Due to the sheer volume of "srufl" out
there, it's a formidable task to make yours stand ouL
How do you appeal tO an aud.ence in a world of information overload in which
people constantly face new inputs, options, and decisions? Ask the world's biggest
company, Apple. With a cash reserve largcr than thc total valuation of all but fifty
companies worldwidc (as of early 2012), this organizaton surcly must have sorne insight into what people like. In the battlc for MP3 player domlnance, che iPod carne in
early and overshadowcd the competltion. What was, and s till is, che key diffcrentiator betwecn chis and other products? Thc simple answer is design. While features
such as OS compatibility, memory, and screcn sizc cenainly factor into the dccision,
thc most outstanding difference bctween thc iPod and its compctrors is its imprcssive design. As Steve Jobs prcachcd, good design not only garncrs add.tional appcal
for an tem, it can also actually Incite an emorional reacrion. Few can deny thc good
feeling of pulling a new Apple product out of thc box.
So how does this translate to bese practices for informa don design? Our consumer
culture is becoming increasingly design focused in arcas that extend beyond graphics
and consumer electroncs, and that play a role in many other industries. Home produces company IKEA, for example, has made clcver fumiturc design mainstream.
Back 1 pagel
43
British mega-brand Virgin brought sexiness to che airlne indusay, wth an interior
design that looks more like a chic lounge than a mode of mass transt. Regardless of
whether thcy can aniculate t-or f they cven know t-<onsumers conncct with
these brands bccause of designs that contnues to attract new fans and followcrs. Thc
ever-growing media landscape makes t increasngly mponam to use great design to
differentiate your brand from thc crowd.
Even i[ your goal is tO present nformaton for a purely analytcal objective-that
is, without any desired acton from the reader- it is stll beneficial to have aesthetc
appeal.
------------------- -------------OESIGN !STO DATA AS CHEESE SAUCE 15 TO BROCCOU.
(That analogy is on the SAT, if rou don't remember.} In other words, people need an
added incentive to cat their vcgetables--espccially when those vegerables are as oold
and dry as research studies and analytics repons. Presenting information by way of
engaging visuals lmmed.ately attracts readcrs and entices them ro d.g deeper imo the
con ten t.
Possessing thls appeal ro your aud.cnce is nota "nice ro have" for businesses; it is
a "must have. You can't sell magazines if no one picks them up, and you can't sell
produces ifyou can't get porential cusromers' anention.
The modern markcrer can lcam a lot from Horace's quore in rhc imroduction, and
the notion that delghting people with your contem is a musr. Ir has become a necessity in order to build trust with your audience and capture thcir anemion often. We
will discuss how to do this furrher in Chaprer 3 (The Visual Storyrelling Spcctrum)
and Chaptcr 4 (Editorial Infographics), in rhe sections penaining ro Editorial lnfographics. Por now, it ls lmportam for us to focus on the first srep: How ro ger their
attention in thc flrst place.
Just what appeals to us whcn we become imerestcd in consuming informarion?
We are drawn to formats that wc see as efficiem, cngaging, and enrenaining (Figure
1.7). lt's highly unlkely that someone would prefcr ro read a lengthy anide than
view a multimedia display prescntng the same nformation. A diversity of media
keeps our brains engaged in the material, and the visualization can enable us to di-
Page44
4 pages left
lhls chap
gesr ir more cfficicnrly and facilitare undcrsranding.

Figure 1.7
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a number of differenr arcas (Figure 1.9) . While rhis conclusion- rhar a more dynamic and s timularing visual is prcferablc ro a plain one-seems somcwhar obvious, ir's
imporranr ro consider in design approach. lt's nor enough ro makc your content visual; you musr also makc ir visually imcrcsring. You can do rhis by using represcmarive iconography, illusrrative meraphor, or relevanr dccorarive framing mechanismsall powerful rools for communicaring your message. Howevcr, you always wam ro rcmcmber your objecrive. Thc appropriareness of dccorarivc and illusrrarivc elemems
will vary based on an infographic's application and use. For cxamplc, an editorial
graphic in rhe Sunday ncwspaper on rhe ropic of corporare profirs could find grear
use in rhc illusrrarion of a rorund execurivc sirring arop a rhrone of gold bullion.
Shareholdcrs, on rhe orher hand, mighr nor share rhe same appreciarion for such a
work of arr if ir adorned rhc pages of an annual reporr conraining similar data.
Figure 1. 8: Illustrative Nigel Holmes graphic with simplified equivalen/.
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Further, a reccnt srudy from rhe Universiry ofSaskarchcwan suggesrs rhar viewcrs
prefcr a grearer use of illusrrarion in visual rcprescnrarions. Whcn prcsemed wirh
borh a simple charr and one thar conraincd an illustration by rhe aforemenrioncd
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lf used incorrectly, decorative clemems havc che potencial co discracc che viewer
from che actual information, which detraccs from che graphic's cota! value. Mascering
chis cxecution and finding che balance becwcen appeal and claricy can be a nuanced
process. We will discuss che propcr use of itlustration and de<:orative elemcms furcher in Chapcer 9 (lnformacion Dcsign Bese Praccices), where we'll cover che principies and bese praccices of information design.
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Figure 1.9: University ofSaskatchewato study results.

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COMPREHENSION
You often hear somconc daim ro be a "visuallearncr," which simply means that thcy
need ro see something in order ro undcrstand it. Rescarchcrs have studied and modeled !carning sryles in a numbcr of differcnt ways ovcr the past severa! dccades, and
the origins of this specific visual sryle of thinking can be rraced ro Neil Fleming's
YAK modc!. One of the most commonly known and quered models of thinking, ir
states that whcn comprehending information, pcople Jearn best with one of three
types of stimuli:
o-
VISUAL (
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"The human visual sysrem is a pattern seekcr of enormous power and subtlery.
The cye and the visual concx of the brain form a massivc parallel processor that
providcs the highest-bandwidth channel imo human cognitive cemers. At higher
levels of processing, perception and cognition are dosely imcrrelated, which is
why thc words understanding and seeing are synonymous (p. xxi)."
AUD!TORY (
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
KINESTHETIC OR TACTILE
chans, and the like; auditory !earners do bcst when hearing this information spoken;
and racrilc learners nccd ro rouch and learn by doing. Whlc this thcory is commonly
acccptcd, it has been highly scrutinizccl in the scientific communiry, which posits
that there is little ro no evidcnce that any one preferred mcthod of learning is actually more beneficia! for comprehcnding and retaining informarion.
Rcgardless of this ongoing debate, ir is imponam ro consider the media srrucrure
and channc!s through which pcople obtain information. lt is !ess imponam ro identify how people prefer ro learn, and instead figure out how thcy are actual/y lcarningand these experiences are occurring increasingly online roday, a channel based primarily on visual display. The use of audio-only comem on the web is rclatively minimal ourside of music sites- and umil virtual realiry is able ro providc imeractive, raerile experiences, the majoriry of information on the Internet will be communicatcd
visually.
Given that pcople are more likely ro consume information visually, the value ofusing visuals in our communication- instead of just words- is truly significant. As
Colin Ware states in Information Visualization: Perceptionfor Design,
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Ware goes on ro statc that we are able ro acquirc more information through our
visual systcm than we do through al! our othcr senses combined (p. 2). This is !argely because visualizations comain certain characteristics callcd preattemivc attributes,
which our eyes perceive vcry quickly (within 250 milliscconds) and our brains
proccss with imprcssive accuracy- without any active attemion on our part. Forcefecding for thc mind-how convenient! To use a common illustration of this conccpt,
refer ro Figure 1.10. Try to coum the number of7s in the number ser. How long did
that take?
Figure 1.J 0: Preattentive Processing Test 1.
Visual learners best comprehend informarion that is presemed in pictures, diagrarns,
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Page
so
1 4
3 4
5 6
5 2
3 4
8 4
9 3
1 6
8 7
1 6
1 8
5 4
9 4
1 8
7 4
8 4
9 4
9 4
9 4
2 4
6 4
6 4
9 4
8 4
3 6
5 4
8 7
Now, try thc same cxercise wirh Figure 1.1 1. A color change makes rccognirion
almosr insranr, since color is one of severa! preaucnrive auribures, displayed in Figure 1.12. Al! visualizarions conrain such amibures, and using rhem properly ro convcy information is the kcy ro visual communication. Our brains are able ro recognize
and process many of these visual cues simulraneously through a course of action
called preattenrivc processing. Al! this acrion precedes any cognitive arremprs ro focus on any specific arca; rarhcr, iris purcly involunrary and will simply proceed whcrevcr our eyes are poinred.
Figure 1.12: Preattentive attributes.
Figure 1.11: Preattentive Processing Test 2.
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FORM
FORM
OR I ENTATION
SIZE
FORM
FORM
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
SHAPE
EN CLOSURE
COLOR
IN TENSITY
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- - - - - - FORM - - - - - -
- - - - - LI NE LENGTH - - - - -
- - - - - - FORM - - - - - -
- - - - - CURVATURE - - - - -
- - - - - - CO LOR - - - - - -
- - - - - - HUE - - - - - -
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- - - - - - F O RM - - - - - -
- - - - - LIHE WI OTH - - - - -
- - - - - - F O RM - - - - - -
- - - - AOOED MARKS - - - -
- - - - SPATIAL POSITIO N - - - -
- - - - 2- 0 POSITIOH - - - -
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Page 59
Thesc natural funcrions thar result from rhe connecrion berween rhe eycs and
brain can be quite handy when wc wam ro communicare ro pcople who don't have a
lot of rimc-or a long aucntion span. We know that wc can use rhesc visuals ro arrracr people by appealing ro rhcm acsrhcrically, bur wc can also decreasc rhe amoum
of time ir rakcs rhem ro comprchcnd thc messagc by using rhese same rools.
That said, you can't rell a srory through color alonc, or craft compelling messagjng
using only shapcs and symbols. So how do words factor into informarion design?
Within thc comexr of a socicry that speaks rhc same language, words- as compared
ro symbols- have a disrincr advanrage in rerms of familiariry. No ser of symbols has
universal ubiquiry; rarher, mosr are isolarcd ro spccific social or cultural serrings.
This nccessitates a cosr-versus-bcnefit analysis of using visualizarion insrcad of verbal communication. Symbols can take longer ro imerpret than languagc when convcying a concept ro someone who is unfamiliar with the symbols. In this case, communication should favor rcxr descriprions. To someone who knows the symbols,
however, rhis comprchension process is far easier; in rhis case, communicarion
should rely more upon visualizarion methods.
Ware provides a sound breakdown of the general value of cach mcdium by explaining rhar "images are beuer for sparial srrucrures, locarion, and detall, whereas
words are beuer for rcpresenring procedural information, logical condirions, and abstraer verbal conceprs" (p. 304). The practica! realiry is rhar we don't nced ro choosc
berween rhe two. The srrongest visualizations are those rhat are supporrcd by descriprions as well as narrarivc.s, cspecially in editorial applicarions. Using words in
rhis way hclps ro bring both pcrsonaliry and clariry ro an infographic.
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RETENTION
The third main bcnefit of using infographics in communication is rheir abiliry ro hclp
pcoplc rcrain informarion, as rhe graphics are able ro exrend rhe reach of our mcmory
sysrems. Visualizations do rhis by insranrly and consrantly drawing upon nonvisual
information thar's srorcd in our long-rcrm mcmory (Ware, p. 352). The human brain
can recall familiar symbols, scencs, and paneros, allowing us ro make rapid conncctions to alrcady srored informarion and ro quickly comprchend whar we're secing.
This prompts rhe question: Which visualization methods best serve rccall for various
diffcrenr rypes of memory?
Thcre are rhree main rypes of memory rhat relate ro viewing images. Thc iconic
memory is the snapshot of a scene thar you rctain for a brief instam after looking ar
somcrhing. Ir is srorcd for less than a second, unless ir is analyzed and connecred ro
somerhing that is already srored in your brain (Sperling via Warc, p. 352). Long-term
memory srore.s informarion from our expcriences rhat we will retain for long pcriods
of rime, and from which we draw upon in order ro process ncw informarion. longrcrm memory is furrher dividcd inro rhree arcas: episodic memory, semanric memory, and procedural memory. Episodic memory is rhe primary devicc for rccalling images
and sccnes rhat wc'vc experienced, and thc fcelings associated wirh rhose expcrienccs. Semantic memory enables us ro recall knowledge that has no specific comexr or
expcricnce associared wirh ir, and could gcnerally be considered rhe srorage of "common knowledge." Procedural memories are rhose that recall proccsses of doing- such as
ryping or rying a rie- rhat we acccss involumarily wirhout conscious rhoughr. These
mcmories often build on themselves, which is why you are able ro recall rhar the "M"
arm position comes afrcr rhe "Y" whcn the Village People are playcd ar a wcdding reception.
Visual working memory is what Ji es in berwecn iconic and long-rerm memory, and is
most cssemial ro processing visual informarion. Whcn wc scc an objccr rhar rcquires
furthcr arremion, we move ir from iconic ro visual working mcmory. Visual working
mcmory thcn c.alls upon semanric memory (long rerm, nonvisual) ro undersrand its
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meaning. All chis happcns in abouc 100 milliseconds (ylarc, p. 353). Wich our vision
cransmining massive amoums of informacion imo che brain, and che brain accessing
ics scored knowledge co provide comcxc, we are able to underscand much more
quickly chan wich any ocher combination of scnsory perception and proccssing.
So what visual elemcms should be used co bese ensure chat individuals store chis
underscanding for long-ccrm recall? While academics have rypically argued againsc
using dccoracive clemcms in information dcsign- daiming chac chey only serve co
discracc che viewer- chis isn'c always che case. A vcry imeresting finding from a Universiry of Saskacchewan scudy conducced by Scou Baceman and his collcagucs from
che Deparcmem of Computer Science uncovcrcd chac a more illustrativc approach co
dcsign acrually benefics information recall significamly. Al! parcicipams werc shown
a sec of alcemating graphics, sorne plain and sorne in Holmcs's illustrative scyle, such
as chat depictcd in Figure 1.8. The researchers splic che participancs imo cwo groups:
half were pare of an immediace recall group, and che ocher half were in che long-cerm
rccall group. After seeing al! che graphics, che immediacc recall group playcd a fiveminute gameto clear cheir visual and linguiscic memory. They were chen questioned
regarding che information in each graphic. The long-cerm recall group was scheduled
co come back for cheir recall session cwo co chrec weeks following che inicial observacion.
Each participan! had co answer questions abouc che graphic's subjecc, che caccgories displayed wichin ic, and che general crend of che charc_ They also had co describe whecher chere was a value judgmem presemed in che chart; chac is, a perceived
opinion chat che graphic's creacor had presemed.
The immediace recall group showed no significan! differences bctween Holmes's
graphics and cheir plain coumerparcs in ccrms of how well chey'd recained informacion abouc che subject, cacegories, or crends (Figure 1.13). Y ce cherc was a significanc
diffcrence in cheir idcmification of whecher a valuc judgmem had been prcscmed.
However, che long-cerm recall group expcrienced notable differences in cheir abilicy
co recall informacion in al! arcas (Figure 1.14). The subjeccs, cacegories, trends, and
value messages wichin Holmes's graphics scuck wich users more prominemly afcer
cwo co chrec weeks.
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27
Page 61
Figure 1. 13: Results of immediate recall group.

KEY '/;0 HOLMES
'/;0 PLAIN
SUM OF SCORES
16 14 12 10 -
86421
SUBJECT
CATEGORIES
TRENO
-~
1
VALUE MESSAGE
IMMEO IATE RE CAL L

Figure 1. 14: Results oflong-term reca/1 group.
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SUM OF SCORES
co ensure thar vicwers undcrstand and rerain your mcssage- whieh is likely valuebased. Appealing co someone not only aesrhctically bur also emotionally prompts a
decper connecrion with the information, which makcs them more likely co remember
ir.
While dcsign style is something thar vares grearly and often cannor be categorized neatly, rhere are certain devices thar we can use co facilitare understanding and
retemion. Wc refer ro these collecrively as illusrrative design:
l. Visual Meu.phor
We use this ofren ar Column Five and it works incredibly well when implememed effectively. You can do this by comaining information wirhin a
framing meehanism thar is indicative of your subjecr matter (Figure 1.15).
16 14 12 10 -
864-
2-
SUBJ ECT
CATEGORIES
TRENO
-~
Figure 1.15: Example of visual metaphor.

Column Five for GOOD.
VALUE MESSAGE
LONG-TER M RECAL L
Bateman c.r al. offer up thrce possible explanarions for rhe findings in rhis experiment:
l. Additional imagery enabled pcople co encode informationmore de.eply, as
rherc wcre more visual ircms co recall and use memory to draw u pon.
2. The variety of Holmes's sryle gavc ir a unique advamagc in being memorable
over thc srylc of the plain graphics, which al! had a similar Jook.
3. The user preference (as described carlier in the Appcal sccrion) provided a
hidden faccor: The participams' cmorional responses co the graphic, combined

wirh thc imagery used, helped co solidify the image in rheir mcmories.
So what does al! of this rell us abour using infographics, particularly for commercial objecrivcs? Graphics rhar comain visual embellishmem beyond rhc informarion
being displayed may be superior nor only in rcrms of appeal, but also in rhcir ability
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t.i_ _.... _ _ _
2. Symbols and lconography
The success rhat thcsc achieve dcpends largcly on cultural comext. Your
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audicncc must univcrsally understand your icons and symbols for them to
be cffcctive. Whcn this is the case, they can providc a grcat communication
shortcut by using visual elemcms in the place of verbal cxplanation (Figure
Figure 1. 17: Example ofdecora tive framing.

Column Five for GOOD.
DO STUOEtHS EA! LIKE PRISOtiERS?
1.1 6) .
Figure 1.16: Example of use ofsymbols and iconography. Column Five for Microsoft.
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lllustrative design can also have its negative effccts, so it is importam to determine when it might potemially detraer from rather than support your mcssage. The
main pitfall here is thc designer's accidental or imemional distortion of the display of
data. Jllusuations should complcmcm visualization elemems, but ncvcr at the expense of rnislcading the viewer. Whethcr imcmional or not, you always wam to
avoid altering accurace information rcpresemacion.
Comebacks come in many shapes and sizes.
3. Decorative Framing
Using design elcmcnts that appcal to your targct audience lets them connect with infographics on an emotional leve!, thcrcby deepcning thcir interese in and rctcntion of the information (Figure 1.17).
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No pages left In lhls chapler
OIS.Pt AV UPOATES
CHAPTER2
OVNA1.11C
ACTIVE
~M I DYNAM IC
$TATIC
INFOGRAPHIC FORMATS: CHOOSING

THE RIGHT VEHICLE FOR YOUR MES-
(DASHBOAROS)
SAGE
(HARDCDOEO)
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;g!:
INFORMATION
~
As you cm bark on rhc journey to becoming a more visual company rhrough using in
fographics, iris imponanr w undersrand which formar will help deliver your mcssage
mosr cffectively. Thc kcy formars rhar can house infographic communication are sraric images, imeractive interfaces, and motion comcm (Figure 2.1) . Thcre is no implied hierarchy, as the be.sr formar is dercrmincd by how effcctive ir is ar comaining
and delivcring the informarion rhar you wanr ro communicarc. lt is hclpful ro undersrand rhc amibutcs of each formar, and ro consider rhar many arristic mediums can
be used wirhin cach of rhe.se caregories.
(REAL TIME}
PAS IVE
Figure 2.1: Infographic Formats Quadrant.

l. Static
Typically foxd information. User imcraction consisrs of viewing and reading.

Display ourpur is a sti/1 image. Works besr as a narrative bur can be explo-
racive in sorne cases.

2. Motion
Typically foxd information. U ser interacrion consisrs of viewing. lisrening if
therc is voiceover, and rcading. Display outpur is animared, or moving.
Works besr as a narrative, almosr nevcr explorative withour being used in
combination wirh intcracrive comem.
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2 pages left on thos chapter
3. Interactive
Can be fixed or dynamic information inpuc. User inreracrion consists of clicking, scarching for spccific dara, actively shaping the conrenr displayed, and
choosing which informaran is accesscd and visualized. Can be narrative, explorative, or both.
Staric images can be used in a wide rangc of applicarions, and while they are the
simplcst ro execure of the three, and pcrhaps rhe least expcnsive, they are often the
mosr versatile. The abiliry ro creare them more quickly !han inreracrive and motion
conrenr make.s them optimal for many applications, such as delivering visual conrcnr
rclared ro time-scnsitive ncws. We willlook at how the contexr and purpose of sraric
infographic content determines rhe layout and sizc of rhc image itself.
We also touch on the use of infographics in motion conrent. We mosrly focus on
the use of infographics in shorr animation and as augmcnted realiry-sryle overlays on
10p of live action foorage. Because a morion project requires manual updares 10 rhc
information, ir is difficulr ro make changes once your contenr is finalized. We will
ralk abour how rhis impacrs the rype of informaran rhat you wanr 10 communicare
rhrough rhis formar. Ir is exrremely imporranr ro finalize rhe informarion and scripr
ar an carly srage, rather rhan rrying ro make changcs after animaran is completed.
In the lasr formar secrion, we rake a look ar rhe different rype.s of imeractivc interfaces based on thc informaran visualizcd. Thesc can range quite dramarically-from
the simplcsr form as a clickable series of slides, ro a living. brearhing data visualizaran rhar updares befare your eyes in real-rime. Whilc interactive interfaces can obviously be a central aspecr of software, this chaprer will focus mosrly on dcscribing interfaces for visual representaran of information on rhe web. You can keep in mind,
however, rhat interacrivc conrcnt can also be uscd for livc displays ar evenrs, or in a
dashboard fearure of your web application or software produce.
lt is viral to consider the rype of information yo u will want to display, and how frcquenrly it will need ro be updated. The arder of the sccrions wirhin rhis chaprer is
meam to reflcct the range from fixed information inputs, which are rypically utilizcd
in sratic and morion contem, 10 dynamically updared informaran, which usually require.s an imeracrive interface. Collcctively, rhese sections will givc you a framework
for understanding rhe characreristics of each formar so rhar you can choose the besr
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Page 69
approach for effecrive visual sroryrelling.

STAT IC INFOGRAPHICS
MOTION GRAPHICS
INTERACTIVE lt'IFOGRAPHICS
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STATIC INFOGRAPHICS
First, we will focus on the staric infographic, which is the most prevalem formar for
utilizing information design. In this section, we will show sorne brief examples of
how they are used so thar you can ger an undcrstanding of the fundamental charactcristics and versatility of this format. People use infographics mosr commonly in static formar as an image for print, web, or both. While the purpose of the coment may
vary, the overall size and shape of your infographic is mostly determined by the dcmands ofyour publishing comexr, such as a b!og roll or magazine spread. Whether ir
is for a print publication, or a repon to shareholders, static infographics are very effecrive at representing rich data in a single image.
There are thre.e main rypes of static infographic content that are utilized by businesses:
1. lmernal reponing and presentations
funher your brand by consistcmly publishing a new infographic each momh, bascd
on updated data in a proprietary index of your own creation, to build an audience
that begins to anticpate the next release. Column Five has done this with The Wall
Street fournal's Heme Price Scorecard, which aggregates all heme price ndices imo
onc simple graphic (Figure 2.2).
Figure 2.2: Home Price Scorecard.
Column Five for Wa/1 Street fournal .
2. Editorial conrcm for blogging and sociai/PR distribution

3. Brand-cenrric coment for blogging and sociai/PR distribution
One of the main benefits (and reasons for thc ubiquity) of static comem is the relative case of creating a static image versus an interactive imerface-especially if you
wanr ro use thc infographic to cover time-sensitive material or breaking news. This
efficiency also makes this content relarivc!y affordable compared to motion and nteractive coment. Another key factor in thc rising populariry of sraric infographics is
rheir case of shareabiliry, as they can casily be embedded in blogs.
One chal!enge inherem in using thc sratic infographic for ccrtain reports is that
the information can becomc datcd. An infographic that visualizes a regularly updated, fJXed ser of data (such as a monthly index) will still maintain value as a rcferencc
to the data ata spccific momcnt in time. However, you will need to manually update
the infographic for peop!e looking for the most current information available (which
are, arguably, most people out there) . This need to present updated information is
also an opponunity, even if it can be more time-consuming. For examp!e, you can
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17 pages left 1n th1s chapter
Home-Price Scorecard
They take different approaches, but home-.value indexes lackle the same question: Are pces up
or down?
LPS
S&P/Caso-Shillor
F'NC
91J
VD
yu.
-4.4%
-2.8%
-4.7%
91J
-3.6%
f'HFA
CoreLogic
Radar Logic
Clear Capital
Zillow
VD
VD
91J
VD
-5.4%
-2.2%
-5.1%
-3.9%
Note: LatNt year~WHYfNJf data
s of !Me. 22..
11lE WALLsr&Fl'l'JOUBNAL.
COLUMN
<'-
5'" fiYE
Sometimes a data visualization created by software powerful enough co process

largcr data sets will be output to a formar such as scalable vector graphics (SVG).
The SVG formar allows us ro visualize data in a vector format that comains al! of che
underlying data in che editable image file, which can be imponed into Adobe lllusrrator co cdit or to provide additional comext or visual cues. This allows us to then utilize the data visualization within a broader infographic that providcs further informa-
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Page 73
tion, such as qualitative descriptions or evcn cdicorial illuscration and ccxt. The advantagc co chis approach is that it lees prescmers guidc vicwers through the messages they're convcying, cowards specific condusions. While you could ccnainly take
an explorative approach with ccnain information and allow the vicwer to peruse a
large body of informar ion, it is bese to put a reasonable limit on the amoum of information that you try to cram into one static infographic, and to cake a narrative approach. The narrative infographic's goal, after al!, is co cxpress meaning, and ro enable a viewer to quickly comprehcnd thc story in the information that you presem. If
you want co make the static infographic's underlying data open for exploration by
your viewers you can link them to the dacascc.
One of the best uses for thc static graphic is to display evergreen comem that will
scay relevam without a frequcm necd to have the undcrlying information updated.
Whilc cercain data can indeed become dated, eh ere are plemy of opportunities co ereate static infographics with perpetua! value. Therc are cerrainly many cypes of data
that will allow for an infographic to have a long shclf-life, such as Census data that is
mostly updatcd only once per decade. Howcver, there is also potential co explain concepts, use diagrams and maps, and evcn to creare comem that is emercaining and has
che potencial to go viral.
Let's look ar rwo t}'Pical audienccs in business communication co further understand che various shapes that a scaric infographic might cake: first, for interna! rcporting within your organization, and thcn for external-facing comem for distribution
outside of your company. Wc willlook more closely at other applications of static infographics in che coming chaptcrs, so these cwo cxamples will serve co hclp understand che varying purposes and formacs of static infographics.
STATIC INFOGRAPHIC EXAMPLE: REPORTS FOR INTERNAL USE

Companics often come co Column Five to get help designing repares containing imporcam information to be shared imernally throughout thc organization or for othcr
confidencial use. Whether it is a global company wanting more clariry in sales reports
Page 74
for interna) communication, or a vcmure capital firm that wams to kccp their instirutional invcstors informcd about portfolio performance at a glance, therc are countless
opportunities to visualizc information. Thc raw data is intimidating to sorne, and can
often takc far too long to review. Even a well-written 30 page summary of a research
initiative and its underlying data can often go unread by the executives who need thc
informati en thc most, but who only havc time for the highlights. Our goal, therefore,
is to clarify the high-level story, whilc pairing thc infographic summary with che underlying data so that che in tended audience is ablc to gec che granular decails-if and
whcn chey have time.
Companies ofcen want to be ablc to empower inecrnal people to ultimacely creace
these rcports, so that they can quickly disseminatc the informacion ac their fingcrtips. But they've craditionally used programs chat are noc particularly revered for
their abilicy co oucput beautiful charts and graphics. Letting someone in your organization handle design work by "driving without a license," so to spcak, can lcad to a
disjoineed visual language throughout your company and misrepresemation of data.
For example, lec's say that jeff in Accounting leves crcating butterfly-chcmcd PowerPoine decks with orangc and purple 3D pie charcs for his presemations using Comic
Sans, whilc Ruth in Marketing is using Excel to make blue and yellow bar charts. le
gccs really cxciting whcn jeff likcs one of Ruth's charts and chrows it into his prcsencacion deck. This is a challcnge many organizacions face whcn non-designcrs have no
guideposcs for communicacing importan! informacion. We will talk more in Chapcer
6 (Brand-Centric lnfographics) about how you can use information design in presentations. Sorne companies prcfer to work with outsidc agencies for these projeccs so
chat chcir employees can stay focused on what they are good ac.
Whether you do it yourself, or hire someone else to crcace infographics for your
reports, it is essemial to identify the most important information ac an early stagc,
and for al! che projecc's scakeholders co agree up frene about the peines that are
worth highlighting in the infographic. Think hard co determine who can, should, or
will give feedback that you will wane (or havc) to consider, and get them involved ac
che information oucline stage rather than waicing umil the design work begins. Furthermore, it is important to chink of all scenarios wherc che information will be presemed- is it for print, web, presemacions, white papers, or sorne combination of al!
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Page 75
of them? This will help determine che actual oriemacion, size, and shape of the canvas chat is used so chat you don' t have to radically alter che design laccr to fit a different purpose or audience.
Even if you don't, assumc that you already have the brand guidelincs sorted for
now, and that you are working with the appropriace designer (or doing it yourself
with thc appropriacc software) for your infographic. When you nccd a prim vcrsion,
it is very importan! co design the information as a static image (Figure 2.3). lf you
want a browser-based interactive interface as wcll (which we'll discuss in depth
shortly in the interactive format sections), you must give carcful attemion co how
pcoplc will vicw thc differcm laycrs of information such an interface would include
in printable rcpons. For chis cxample, imagine chat you want to manually creatc a
scatic infographic repon thac uses a fixed set of information-say, your quanerly
sales mctrics- and assume that the information is a fixed snapshot ac a specific peine
in [ime.
Figure 2.3: Static infographics typically consist of fixed information with passive user
interaction.
Page 76
DISPLAY UPOATES
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OYNAMIC
SEr.li-OYNAMIC
STATI C
AC TI VE
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o
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Onc advamage to this imernal-use-only, brand-cemric repon is that you are communicating to a smallcr audience-likely a group that you know well. Bccause you
don't have to think about how complete strangers will receive the message, you don't
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Page 77
have to worry as much about emotional or mass appeal; you just havc to think about
how to appeal to the invesror holding your purse strings or the pcrson who signs
your paycheck (no pressure).
The ultimare goal here is to give a clear, easy-to-digcst explanation of the information that you need to sharc throughout your organization or to a trusted group of insiders.
As you saw in this chapter's imroduction, the ourput of a static image at a given
poim in time does not necessarily mean that the underlying information is fixed or
manually input, because wc can creare an interface that allows us ro process an upto-the-second static snapshot of real-time data. You could run these reports at ntervals of every minute, day, or momh. An example of this would be an analytics repon
with annotation of milestones and company evems that provide explanations for
spikes and dips in traffic or convcrsions. lt wouldn't require much manual labor (depending on your analyrics platform) to simply run an updated repon each momh for
your boss or your own reference.
The key takeaway here is that while the underlying data is not permanemly fixed,
the ourput-or presentarion of it- is a static snapshot of thc data at a specific momem in time. The advamage of this approach is that you can tell a story (for intcmal
or externa] purposcs) that shows thc data as of a particular date or within your desircd date ranges.
The disadvantage is that the viewcr might not necessarily be able ro gct acccss to
refreshcd information in real-time, and might not realize that more currem information is available. A static infographic won't be enough for large groups that require
access to real-time information. lf you have such a need, yo u will either need to build
an interface that allows multiple people to process and output updated information
imo reporrs, or at Ieast have a sysrem for ensuring that people know how ro fmd updated information.
Because using thc static infographic as an imernal, brand-cemric piece is more
likely to be narrativc than explorative, you want to cnsure that the information flows
in a logical ordcr to tell your story (Figure 2.4). This repon likely would be best creatcd in landscape oricmation so that it also could be used in a prescmation deck, although you could certainly create a PDF in portrait layout. This might sound ciernen-
Page 78
cary, bue it is accually a vecy imponam early consideration.
cacive slidcs can cercainly consist of ccxc only.
Figure 2.4: Example ofbrand-centric report for interna/ use.

2011
JOEY DONUT'S YEAR IN REVIEW

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While you can condense sorne infographic repons imo a single page, in cases
wherc you have multiple pages of information design, it is typically ideal co produce
it in landscape oriemation so that you can print and use it in prescmacion decks.
This makes che comcm more versatilc chan a verrically oricmed infographic, such as
chose creatcd for posting on blogs, which rcquire che viewer co scroll. lt is also helpful co kcep in mind that you don't have to force all of che information in an "infographic-based presencation" imo an infographic formar, and that sorne of your quali-
Back to page 27
Now, co get chat image of prescming your quarccrly figures co che boss or investors
out of your mind, you can focus on creacing a message for che fricndly masses on che
Internet! In addition co come m in which you share a slice of your propriecary daca
with che public, editorial comcm relatcd co your company's broadcr indusay has become an oucscanding vehicle for escablishing your expercise and driving brand awareness. Let's considcr an cxample of both in order to underscand che comexc in which
che scacic infographic is commonly applicd on che web.
t OWUT PltfOIIIfEit
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STATIC INFOGRAPHIC EXAMPLE: CON-
Page 79
First, let's focus on what most people think chey want and need most: comem about
ourselves! Precend you are a start-up, and you havc recemly pivoccd for che third
time and have your Facebook killer drawn up on a napkin. lt's time to ccll che world
your scocy, right? However, it is excrcmcly difficult co get che tone of such comcm
just righc. No one likes che person at che party who simply talks about himself or
hcrself che wholc time. Thc challenge is that people are conscantly bombardcd by
companies talking about themselves, and while we live and breache our own brands,
in most cases joey Donut could carc less about your company. This sounds harsh,
but it is The Way of che Internet.
The answer Jies in fighting che urge co talk endlessly about yourself and your company, and letting che intcrcscing stocy in your data shinc chrough. While chere are
ccrcainly opponunities for telling qualitativc scories about your brand in static form,
we will focus on an example chat is driven by proprietary, quancitative data. We have
found che visual press release co be most successful in helping companies share aggregatcd data about their own busincsses. Therc are so many ways to do externally
facing, brand-cemric comem wrong (Make thc logo bigger!), and sometimes you
Page80
have to cxperience the growlng pains to find thc bcst practiccs that allow you to tell
your story in a way that engages people. Wc will discuss this further in Chaptcr 6
(Brand-Centric lnfographlcs).
For cxample, we workcd closcly with Hunch (which was acqulrcd by eBay) to
show the tastes and preferences of self-identificd Mac versus PC uscrs (Figure 2.5).
Bccausc the underlying topic was about a story that was bigger than Hunch itself, we
were able to tap into a broader audlencc than we would have been able to reach by
simply talking about Hunch and its product. Thc beaury is that thc data werc all gencratcd by Hunch users, and we were able to work closcly with them ro craft a narrativc that was meant to cnteruin a wide audlencc. As you can see, thc imagc was optimized for sharing the entire piecc on the \VCb, and thc individual charts within the
graphic can be croppcd for use by a joumalist or blogger as images in a posL
Figure 2.5: &ampk ofsratic infographic for Social!PR distribution.
-ARI YOU AMACPIRSOH

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Editorial
The application of static infographlcs in editorial comcm (Figure 2.6) has grown exponcmially in the last fcw years. The popularity of the long, scrolling vertical formar
carne about as a by-product of most blogs' restrictcd width . Further, using a width in
the 550- to 600-pixel rangc has made it vcry easy for other bloggers and publications
to pick up and rcpost thc infographlc. This has madc it a popular form of thc classic
infographic mcdium for purposes of PR, branding. search engine optimization (SEO),
link building, and social media marketing. Thcre have been quite a few rants against
the ubiquiry of this application of infographics, and many journalists have mistakenly
applied their wrath about spammy use of infographlcs to the medium as a whole.
The sheer novelty of thc infographic in the digital world has worn off as more people
have used thcm; however, thc medium itself is s aonger than ever. lnfographlcs
Back to page 27
Page85
should be individually judged based on thc value of thc information communicatcd

and thc quality of the design, rather than by a blankct assessmem of all comem crearcd in thc medium. Wc will discuss thc critica! frarnework for judging the qualiry of
infographics in Chapter 8 (What Makes a Good lnfographic?).
However, one common and still valid argumcm is that the comem within an imagc file is not vcry accessiblc in sorne cases-specifically, via smallcr mobile dcvices
or ro visual!y impaired Internet users. The best way ro overcome thls limitation is to
makc the underlying information available in a rext formar, either as ALT rext (thc
message that is rendered if the undcrlying imagc is not visible ro a visitar to your
si te) or as supplemcmary copy in the body of the article or page where you presem
the infographlc. This also benefits your site by providing more information for scarch
engines to crawl, in rurn hclping your SEO for the page wherc thc comem lives. In
Chaptcr 4 (Editoriallnfographics), we will take an in-depth look at shaping a comem
stratcgy around such editorial infographics.
COMBINING ARTISTIC MEDIUMS

The static infographic is a valuable wcapon in your arsenal because you can creare it
relativcly quickly and incxpensively (as comparcd to imeractive and animated infographics), but it is still extremely effecrive in aligning results with your comem marketing goals. An imagc's shareabiliry allows you to spread cerrain editorial comem
swiftly, and most infographic images creatcd for the web can be fairly casily modified
for print as well. Remember that an information graphlc can use multiple mediums
of artistic expression. For examplc, we havc always cnjoyed using photography in diagrarns (such as the onc shown in Figure 2.6), which shows the economics of the
harnburger industry) and cach componem !ayer. In anothcr instance, we crcatcd a
flexible templare for retail DNA tcsting company 23andMe (Figure 2.7) that could be
dynamically populated by genetic information for each individual customer. Thls is a
nice application of the ability to use dynarnic information to output toa flat image as
a repon, whlch we will discuss further in the comcxt of imeractive infographics in
thc following pages. Part of the appeal of thls approach carne from varying the anistic
medium used in each piecc, such as hand illusaation, custom typcfaccs, and vimage-
Page 86
phorography scans. We teamed up with rcspected artists from around che globe co
creare cuscom arrwork for rhc hcader and as decorative clcmems surrounding the individual' S genedc Inforrnation as displayed in Thc Grand Tree, which is similar ro a
family rrec showing which ponion of onc's gen cric makeup was inhcrired from which
parcnrs and grandparentS.
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Figure 2.7: Ttmplatt tksign with dynamic uxlates{tN gtntlic infonMtion.
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Figuro 2.6: An oxamplt ofpltt>tography uu in static infographic for editorial purposes.
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Page88
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MOTION GRAPHICS
You can also urilize morion graphics ro animare your infographic comcnt. Thcrc is
somerhing spccial abour a morion graphic's abiliry ro engage people in a differem
way rhan static or imcracrivc infographics could. Esscmially, if there is voiceover, individuals can sir back and have the narrarive prescmcd ro rhem in a linear fashion.
They don't necd ro actively choosc ro cngage with the information from momem ro
momem as they would with viewing a sraric infographic. The ability ro appeal ro a
vicwer cmotionally rhrough music while also informing through voiceover and rhe
imagery in motion provides an opporruniry ro communicarc your brand's mcssage in
a powerful way. Because ir is so time-<:onsuming and expensive ro make late stagc
changcs ro an animarcd video, ir is rypically nccessary ro urilize fixed informarion
(Figure 2.8), ar leasr when your animarion will be delivcred in a video player formar
and syndicared ro video platforms like YouTube and Vimeo (Figure 2.9).
Figure 2.8: Motion graphics typically consist of[1Xed information and passive user interaction .
-~-
A willingness ro cxperimem with tried-and-rrue media as visual aids in your info-
graphics can hclp yield novel and more inrercsting comcnt. By using uniquc artistic
elcmcms wirhin your information graphics, you can generare beauriful comcm that
enrices rhe viewcr ro pay attemion to-and cven care about- the resr of rhc srory.
Back to page 27
Page89
Page 90
21 pages left 1n lh1s chapter
DISPLAY UPOATES
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Figure 2.9: Example of motion graphic in Vimeo video player.
Back to page 27
Page 91
-7-- ---7 ~
Another fundamental differcnce between motion comcm and static comcm is

time. By definition, static comem cxists fixed in time, and the visual comem within
it does not change. Motion comcm, on the other hand, exists across time. While static coment pieces are snapshots-and valuable in their own righr- motion pieces have
life and movemcm. Motion graphics traditionally have served a narrative function,
with limited and mosdy passive user imeraction (aside from pressing play/pause,
rewinding, fast-forwarding, etc.). As we discuss in thc next section, imeractive content is traditionally bctter suited for displaying dynamic information and allowing for
cxploration, since it allows users ro customize their expcrience and find personally
meaningful and relevant information.
Motion graphics are increasingly popular ro include in interactive comem for the
web as HTML5, CSS3, and advanced j avaScript libraries become more widely used,
giving us an increascd abiliry ro urilize augmemed realiry sryle overlays on top of
video (Figure 2.1 O) . Sorne of thcse cutting edge applications of motion comem have
tremendous viral potcmial simply for the sake of their novel mcthods of production.
For most rypical businesses, rhough, use of motion graphics is best when your objective is ro communicate a single linear story in arder ro creare visual and emotional
Page 92
appeal that cngagcs vicwcrs on multiplc levcls (Figure 2.11).
Column Five.
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Figure 2.10: An example of locationbased information used to customize video for each unique
user.
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No paes leltl lhis chapt r
INTERACTIVE INFOGRAPHICS
In chis sccrion, we will look ar rhe range of imeracrive infographic interfaces, from
rhe mosr basic functionaliry up ro rhe mosr dynamic. This formar is particularly usefui if you have vast amoums of data and wanr ro creare imcractive conrem rhat draws
rhe user in ro encourage funher exploraran. The scatterplot displays che varying degrecs of user inreracrion (Figure 2.12) . Somctimes you may wanr rhe user ro browse
your information in order ro derive meaning char is relevam or inreresting to rhem.
Or you may use interacrive infographics to guide someone rhrough a specific narrative in a linear fashion, so chey grasp che specific srory rhar you want ro rell. Keep in
mind rhar this isn'r an eicher/or dccision; you can use rhe narrarive/edirorial angle ro
rell pcoplc whar you sec as significant, inrercsting, or emertaining in order ro enrice
rhem ro view che coment, and chen encouragc rhem to explore che data furrher ro
find informaran rhat is relevanr ro chem.
Figure 2.12: lnteractives withftxed information which require manu.al updates can stillencour
age active us.er interaction.
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Page111
Page 112
OISPLAY UPDATES
data visualization in thc first place, and Jet thosc be your primary guidc ro choosing
whether ro kcep it simple or ro invcst a lot of time and resources imo somcthing
more robust.
OYNAM IC
SEM I OYNAMIC
1
INTERACTNE WITH FI.XED INFORMATION (MANUAL UPDATES REQUIRED)
STAT IC
AC TI VE
'
(OASHBOARDS)
{HARD COOEO)
{REAL-TI ME)
PASS IVE
While not cverything fits ncatly imo thc categorics that follow, we have found
them ro be helpful for segmcming projects. Additionally, they allow users ro determine fairly early in the process which approach is most relevant and useful for che
specific information ro be visualized. Considcr your goals in creating an imcracrivc
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Page 113
Sorne narrativcs are bencr prcsemed in imeracrive form, which allows for a nice altcrnative ro che long, venically oriemed infographic. When you have a specific scquence through which ro walk pcoplc, you can creare the equivalent of an imeractive
infographic slide show, with functionality as simple as clicking to vicw the ncxt step
of the srory. lf you do limit thc imeractive functionality to simply allowing people to
click through a series of static infographic images, you should use a presemation
sharing platform such as SlideShare ro distribute your comcm.
In many other cases, you will be telling a srory by prcscming data that have m u] tiple layers. Onc common application of an imcractive infographic is a map with multiple variables in che data ro be presemed. For example, a map of the United States
with 20 pieces of information for each state would look horrific on thc wcb if you
crammcd everything imo a static imagc with callouts drawn from each statc. However, you can solve chis problem fairly casily by using an imeractive map with pop-ups
from each statc upon the uscr's hovcr or click. Thesc pop-ups could also link peoplc
ro more information about that rcgion.
Whethcr you dcvelop your project imcrnally or through an agency, it is good ro
understand the true value of chis specific medium within che imcractive category,
along with the challengcs inhcrem in che formar. Thcre are severa] bcncfits ro using
narrative imcractive comem with fixed information sers as a too! within your comcm
scrategy. First, because you only need basic funccionality ro be programmed, it is poccntially the ]case expensivc category within thc interactive infographic medium, but
it still allows you ro showcase your brand in an engaging way. Also, if you want ro
use imeraccive infographics as pan of your comem marketing strategy, this tier of intcracriviry is rypically che bese route ro go becausc it can be faster than more complcx
Page114
data visualizations. An interactive U.S. map wirh srare-Jevel data, for example, cypically wouldn'r be more rhan rwo or rhrec times thc expense of a sraric projcct, depending on whether you urilize Flash (which has a fasrer rimeline) or javaScript!CSS/HTML (which can porentially cake much Jonger depending on browser
suppon requirements). In this U.S. map example, you'd also be able w show mulriple Jayers of informarion wirhin a confincd spacc, and w potentially guidc the user
rhrough rhe swry in a specific ordcr, if you choose w be more narrativc rhan explorative in rhe piece.
Thc challenge in using this approach is rhar you muse make al! changes manually,
sincc rhe informarion is hard-coded into rhe interacrive mes. For example, if yo u jusr
necd an updare once per year, ir mig)u make sense w srick wirh chis option and make
manual changes as needed. One upside w thc manual approach is rhar it also allows
you w updare the dcsign w refresh the sr.yle ar thc same time. lt can be more expensive ro maintain such a projccr in the long run than w implement a solution from
onc of rhc interacrive caregories thar we describe in the following pages. The frequency of updares needed is cypically the primary factor in making the righr choice
for your interactive applicarion.
INTERACTIVE INTERFACE WITH FI.XED

INFORMATION SET (DISPLAY UPDATES
DYNAMICALLY IF NEW INFORMATION
IS MANUALLY UPDATED)
For a bit more up-front work and fmancial invesrment, you will be able to update the
dynamic interface by simply uploading the new data in thc same formar as the prcvious version. For cxample, onlinc real esrare database Zillow has data on real estate
rransactions at both the ZIP cede and counry Jevels. Their proprierary analysis has aiJowed them w creare the Zillow Heme Value lndex, for which they updatc data once
pcr month. We worked with rhe company w creare a dynamic interface rhat allows
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Page115
users ro explore rhe pase 10 years of data in order w discovcr swries ara local, srare,
and nacional leve!. And becausc you would have w be a masochisr ro manually hardcodc rhar much data once a month, the approach here was a bit different.
Ir makes rhe mosr scnsc in this specific example w display the data in a choroplcth: a
themaric map thar employs a color key w visually represcnt the value ranges on rhe
U.S. map. We chose w focus on modcrn web browser comparibiliry becausc Zillow
doesn'r havc a subsrantial segment of users on ourdared browsers such as Internet
Explorer 6. This allowed us w utilize the excellent SVG formar, which dynamically
creares a vector graphic from the data ir contains as XML code. SVG is rruly rhe best
solution for developing interacrive graphical picccs, especially if you want thc work
ro be functional on most mobilc web browscrs. lt allows you to draw and manipulare
complex shapes, and rhen makc thcm imeracrive by anaching code thar is rriggercd
whcn someone clicks, drags, or hovers ovcr the shape.
Much of what we implementcd utilizcd the 03 (Oata-Oriven Oocuments) javaScript Jibrary, which allows us w dynamically transform the imagc with smooth transitions as you browse thc intcractive front-end interface (Figure 2.13). 03 is an advanced javaScript Jibrary for creating visual representations of Jargc data scts that can
be displayed graphically in quicker and more responsive and interactive ways. 03 assists in thc creation and manipulation of SVG documcnts, which can hclp make the
user experience more engaging and allow for up-to-<late rcprcsentations of thc underJying data. As the data change, whether manually in chis instance, or through an auwmatcd fced as described in the nexr secrion, and/or a user interacrs with thc page,
the way thc data is reprcsentcd in the front-end interface is updatcd. Thc flexibiliry
of this technology allows the user to easily navigate through complex data sets,
drilling down to the most relcvant data points and filtering out anything not immediatcly relevant.
Figure 2. 13: Examples from D3 favascript library.
www.d3js.org.
Page 116
most granular cxpression of data and information overload. It would be cxtremely

difficult to take anything meaningful away from a national view of ZIP cod~levcl
data, simply bccausc the arca covcred by any single ZIP codc is too small. Still, real
estatc is a local game, and we had che ZIP codc data, so wc made it possiblc for peapie to search by state, whicb pulls up individual SVG statc maps.
This projecr's goal was to create a hub for peoplc to explore che rich data, and to
see how real es tate in che Unitcd S tates has risen and fallen over last 1O years- and
tben strugglcd to stabilizc. Thcre was also a PR-driven goal to makc che data amactivc to joumalists, so that they would wam to use che explorative interface in arder
to find stories at che local, state, and nationallevels. Most imporcantly, we built this
too! with che future in mind. When che new Zillow Home Value Indcx (ZHVI) is rcleased each month, we can instamly incorporace the new data imo che hiscorical view
on che front-end interface. We provided Zillow with cools that would convcn their
ZHVI data imo a series of javaScript Object Notation OSON) files. ]SON is a lightweight, cext-bascd format for storing data. Perhaps the bese way to visualize how
data is scored as ]SON is co picrurc a series of comma-separaced files thar can be
nesred one inside che othcr. This nesting can be as many layers deep as is required to
accurarely represem che data.
The main challenge in rcpresenting the information was in limiting che amount of
data that needcd to be loaded in che browscr in arder for che maps to function (particularly importan! as more pcople use devices connccred through mobile data
plans). To reduce the data sizc and loading time, a nacional map is loaded when the
user flrst visits the page- and we don't load a second map when the user opts to
vicw thc data for a speciflc state or rcgjon. lnsccad, we use the samc nacional map
and zoom to che selectcd region. This keeps thc uscr from having ro download more
data and thcir browser from necding to rcdraw rhe map. We simply shift thc perspective from which they see che data. And since thc map is SVG, increasing che zoom
does not compromise che image quality bccausc ir is a vector imagc drawn in thc
browscr, which docsn't ger pixclatetl
--
We chose nor to show anything more localized than data ar the coumy leve] for
che national view, becausc we wanred to strike a balance berween displaying the
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Page 117
Page 118
DYNAMIC INTERACTIVE (AUTOMATIC

UPDATES TO BOTH DISPLAY AND UNDERLYING INFORMATION)
When you want co visualize informarion on demand across cusrom time periods, iris
helpful co auromare thc process of feeding the mosr current data co the dynamic interface. Sorne common examples of this rype of visualizarion would be in the dashboards of your analyrics program or cuscomer relationship management software.
Anorher great example is the contem wirhin rhe user interface for Mint.com, a free,
web-based personal finance management service. While ir may nor be practica! for
your organizarion co build somerhing quite so magnificem, ir's a useful point of reference for rhe visualizarion of a dynamic data feed. Users' banking rransacrions are
aucomatically updated within their Mim account, and they're able co explore and drill
down imo spccific rrcnds and budger caregories (Figure 2.14}. These reporring interfaces are useful because you can refresh the data source \vithin the front-end interface irself, so you do nor have ro wait for some.one el se co updare rhe underlying data.
lf you are building the interface for rhe web, you can use rhe rechnological approach
we just referenced from rhe Zillow case srudy and take advanrage of advanced javaScript libraries and the SVG formar as well.
Figure 2. 14: Dynamically generated reports for analyzing spet~ding.
Mint.com.
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Page119
Spendlng by Category
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Page 120
many potemial interna! applications, such as monitoring network activity. As Hilary

Mason, Chicf Data Sciemist for URL-shonening service bit! y, said: "The most important applications of real-time data apply to situations whcre having analysis immediately will change thc outcomc. More practically, when yo u can ask a question and get
the answcr bcfore you've forgonen why you asked the question in thc first place, it
makes you massively more productive."
Spending by Category
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from so many sources. You almost nced an aggregator to manage all of your data aggrcgators. Since many existing "solutions" are not capable of cemralizing everything
you need, it becomes necessary to build something proprietary- which can be exrremely expensive. For now, howevcr, you should rcalize that it's also possible to ereate your from-end dynamic interface to display real-time data without the need for
manual input to refresh the most currem data. Although most comem in this category of imeractiviry is typically explorative, you can al so structure it to tcll a narrative.
Outside of a showcase project for branding purposes and cool factor, there are
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Page 121
FLEXIBILITY FOR THE FUTURE

Historically, the easicst approach to represeming complex data in an imeractive interface on the web has typically been to use Adobe Flash. However, it has bcen necessary to rethink this, given the surge in use of Apple products (specifically iPhones
and iPads) that do not support Flash. This became even more vital in November
2011, whcn Adobe discontinucd its dcvelopmem of Flash for mobilc browscrs as it
became clear that HTMLS would power browser-based imeractivity and applications
on mobilc devices in the ncar fin ure .
Whether you are utilizing fixcd information sets or dynamic data feeds, creating
imeractiviry allows you and your audience to engage with the information in a dceper
way and to unearth new insights. The beaury is that you are not limited to choosing
solely explorative or narrative comem whcn you go imeractive. You can entice people with a narrarive by drawing out the mosr imercsting information in the undcrlying data and telling its story, and simply creating anothcr tab thar allows people to
explore the data for themselves in order to find their own stories, as wcll as the information that is most meaningful to them.
APPLYING THE RIGHT FORMAT TO

YOUR BUSINESS
These overarching infographic formats- static, motion, and imeractivc- are at thc
core of a multitude of real business applications that we will cover in the following
chaprers. In sorne cases you could potcmially use any number of these formats, and
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1 page left m thos chapter
you wil! make your choice based on which onc fits within your budger for a panicular projecr. Still, with this basic undersranding of the fundarncmals of each formaralong wirh sorne bencfirs and shorrcomings of cach- you can begin ro think crirically
about which approach can bcsr empowcr a real business applicarion rhar takes prioriry in your communication or marketing goals.
CHAPTER3
THE VISUAL STORYTELLING SPECTRUM: AN OBJECTIVE APPROACH

Every brand is differenr. Thereforc, thc way your brand should comrnunicare- borh
inrernally and exrernally- will be uniquc. Ir wil! be based on your communication
objectivcs, or your goals. Thesc goals are dcrcrmincd by rwo very distincr inpurs.
Who is your audicncc?
Whar are you communicating ro them?
UNOERSTANDINGTHE VISUAL STORYTELLING SPECTRUM
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Page 123
Page 124
UNDERSTANDING THE VISUAL STORYTELLING SPECTRUM

We can assume a format-agnosc approach for now, and focus on i!lustrating the
concept above (Figure 3.1). To better understand this concept, !et's think ofthe Who
as being the !abe! for the x-axis, and thc What as being represented along thc y-axis.
Figure 3.1: Tite Visual Storytelling Spectrum
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You shou!d a!so think of each application along thc visual storytelling spectrum as
occupying a territory or range, rather than as a single point. And for each brand,
these rangcs will have different !evels of over!ap. For instance, an extremely brandcentric graphic for Facebook wiU probably have more broad appeal than the same for
]oey Oonut's donuts.
The more editorial thc content is, the more broad its audience tcnds to be. Converse!y, the more brand-centric the content, the more targeted its audience usual!y is.
This is the case for most brands, and as we have menoned, the individual ranges
and the degrees of their overlap vary by company. Essemial!y, targctcd audiences can
range in size from very small to very large. Whi!e imperfect, this spectrum is a useful
visual guide for helping people se!ect each app!ication and understand how it can be
uscfuL
TARGETED AUDIENCE
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--i AUDlENCE 1BRDAD
1. Audience (x-axis)- two ends of the axis represented by targeted and broad audicnces.
2. Content (y-axis)-two ends of the axis represented by brandcentric and editorial
content.
The qua!iry of an application of infographics is largely measured by how it is leveraged to reach its specific objecves. Simply, popu!arity-<>r broad reach- should not
Back to page 27
be misintcrprcted as a litmus test for quality, as rcaching a !arge audience is not always thc goal. For instance, if you are creang an interna! (brand-centric) repon for
shareholders, it !ikely will not be interesting to an audience !arger than who it was
imended for: the sharcholders. Howcver, if someone is trying to creare a rcal!y fun
editorial picce, that they think will have broad appeal, but in the end it falls on deaf
ears, then that my friend is a failure.
Page 125
A targeted audience tends to differcmiate betwecn a broader audience's members.

For instance, ai!Imernct users consritute a broad audience, whercas all mal e Internet
users in the United States between the ages 18-25 is still a !arge subset, but it is
more targeted. Any brand anempting ro rcach only this audience can tailor their messaging accordingly, and say, not worry so much about the female non-Intcrnet users
aged 65 +. A more targeted audience wiU find more specific information more interesting or more useful, on average, than a broader audience. Thus, how and what you
shou!d commurucate ro them wiU be different. Typically, you would use brand-centric contem to commurucate with a targeted audience, especially if the common
thread among this targeted audience is based on a shared rclationship with your
brand.
Page 126
BROAD AUDIENCE
A broad audence does not dlfferentlatc between audence members. lnstead, chey
rreat al! members as equal, regardless if thcy are existing customers, or if chey've
never heard of your brand before. Since this group is larger chan a targered audence,
mere is more information that this audience will find interesting or useful. Accordingly. your mechods of communicating among chem will be dfferem chan how you
would communicate wich a targeted audience. Typically you would use editorial content to cornmunicate to a broad audience, as a relationship wich che brand won't likely be a common thread among members.
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BRAND-CENTRIC CONTENT
Brand-cenrric coment is defined as explanarions of your business and/or a cornmunication of its values. Common examples of chis indude:
l. About Us" Pages
2. Visual Prm ReltiUOS

3. Producr llurructions
4. Presentations
5. Annual Reporrs
As mentioncd abovc, there tends to be sorne overlap among the applications within the spectrum. Thcre are somc-cspeclally at thc far end of brand-cemric comenrchat tcnd to be more lasertargeted (Figure 3.2). Thcsc are rypically product insuuctions, or "About us pages-applicarlons with vcry utilitarian purposes that can often be madc more visual. Understandably. this informarion is typically designcd and
shared to inform interested readcrs or even existing cusromers. Somcrimes, becausc
of me design of an applicaton, or beca use of the size o( the company, mese targcted
applications will reach an audlence larger than originally imcnded.
Figure 3.2: a plotting ofbrondcmtric applications.
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127
1. PROOUCT INSTRUCTIONS
4. AIINUAI. REPOR1S
2. ABOUT US" PAGE
BROAD
3. PRESENTATlONS
5. VISUAl PRESS RRUSES
However, mere are sorne brand-cenrric applications chat have substantially broader appeal than omers. The Visual Srorytclling Spccrrum srans to gcr imercsting wich
prcsentations and annual reports, bccause che comem irself can be ncwsworchy.
When me conrcm consists of informarion that many pcople find popular for business
or personal reasons, journalisrs will also have an incentive for disrributing it. For instancc, if me head of a large social nctworking si te were to announce che decision to
join the privare-sector space rourism industry, thcrc would be a broad audence thar
would find thls lnformarion inrercsting. journalists who caught wind of such news
could base a story around ir.
Visual press rcleases rypically havc the most mass appeal out of all applications of
brand-ccnrric infographlc comem. By irs very nature, a press relcase is a company's
auempr to gcncratc a buzz about something newswonhy thar happened to chcir
brand. However, press releases frequenrly rcnd to be racher dull, elther bccause che
company mileStone is boring ro anyone outside che company, che company itself is
boring, or just bccause mosr readers would find che comenr too ruche. Somctimes,
howevcr, chis rype of con re m can bccome popular.
The mosr common insrances in which a visual press release can generate mass ap-
Page t28
30 pages
peal is when brands choose co visualize fmdings within their proprierary data. As
we've prcviously mentioned, Minr rracks and anonymously aggregares its users' data.
And wirhin this data, they ofren find newswonhy scories. In these rypes of siruarions,
a visual press release ean generare a lot of arremion.
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o
o
EDITORIAL CONTENT
Editorial conrenr would rcpresenr rhc cop half of the y-axis, and ir can be defined as
the material rhat's uscd co rcll a scory, rypically via a company blog rreared as a
brand's publieation. lt is very similar co the type of comenr publicarions produce. Edicorial conrenr does nor include messaging abour the brand, but ir can indude messaging about the indusrry within which rhe brand operares (Figure 3.3). Within this
range, thcre is one type of conrenr (edicorial) but rwo objecrives: thought leadership
and viraliry. Thoughr leadership conrent is creared with the inrenrion of bcing recognized as an experr in one's indusrry, and rends ro be less cdicorial, and consequenrly
more rargered. Viral contem is creared wirh the inrenrion of reaching as broad an audience as possible, and rends ro have the mosr appcal, and consequenrly is less rargcrcd.
Figure 3.3: A plotting ofeditorial infographic applirotiom.
:z
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T
TARGETEO
1. CONTEIIT MARKETING
-1 AUOIENCE 1-
BROAO
2. JOURNALISM
When ir comes co editorial conrem, ir is difficult for your brand ro serve rwo masrcrs. Bccause ir is inrended ro appeal ro a more rargered audicnce, conrenr for
thoughr leadership can rarcly have viral porential. Frankly, if your goal is ro reach as
broad of an audience as possible, creare comenr that is capable of doing so. Think of
the people that you meer at a parry rhat only want ro ralk about themselvcs or their
jobs. How many rimes havc you found yoursclf in rhis siruarion, rhen pretended thar
you needed a refill on your beer as an excuse ro ralk ro someone else? You don'r
wanr people ro think of your blog, or your conrent in this same manner.
Again, rhis thoughr leadership conrem can vary rremcndously in rerms of audience
appeal, bascd on rhc size of rhe brand, its indusrry, and rhc narure of the conrcnr.
One good exarnple of an editorial infographic rhar uses proprietary data would be
an infographic we creared for thc recommendation enginc, Hunch. The data for this
infographic (Figure 3.4) was aggrcgarcd from irs customers, and they used this data
ro tell a story abour how liberals and conservativcs rcnd ro prefer differenr foods. The
conrem itself had nothing ro do with Hunch, or thcir indusrry; rather ir was simply
an inreresting srory rhar they were ablc ro generare from their own data.
Figure 3.4: The FoodProfiles ofSelf-Described Liberals vs. Conservatives.
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Page 129
Page 130
Column Five for Hunch.com.
FOOD PROFILESOFSELF-OESGRIBEO
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LIBERALS vs. GONSERVATIVES

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Page 134
WKArS YOURIDEA OFEXOTICETHNICFllOO?
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sharing cheir expenise chrough commencary, or offering analysis of high-lcvel copies

relating co che company's induscry. In che case of che Hunch graphic, ic garnered a
much broadcr audience chan wc had inicially imagincd.
Figures 3.5, 3.6, and 3.7 providc ocher examples of editorial comcnc developed
wich che inccntion of escablishing choughc lcadership.
Figure 3. 5: 5 Strange Signs That the Economy is Improving.
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Many brands produce choughc leadership comem in order co cngage cheir re.adcrs
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from ics narne) cypically involves somcone at che company speaking on its bchalf,
Page 135
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Page 137
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WHY DID YDU CHOOSf ID 1\'lJPl UID!PfltDOO li't
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Figure 3.7: One Nation Under Hops.
Back to page 27
Page 139
Page 140
O~ ENATIDI. U~ DE~ HOPS a
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THE U.S . INDEPENDENT BEER NOVEMENT

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We produced a piece titled "If Social Media Were a High School" for Flowtown
SI1All BRfW[RffS DRIYE

INDUSTRYGRDm
ow n~e: u.sr H-W OEe&.Oe, twe GAOWttl <J#

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that is a good example ofviral coment in Figure 3.8 on thc following page. We dcveloped the idea in an cffort to create an infographic with as much broad appeal as possible. Sorne of the key mctrics for this piece included nearly 4,000 twcets and over
7,000 Facebook shares. Thankfully, thc client in this case emrusted us with their objectives, and allowcd us to creare comem with these in mind. The result was a wildly
popular infographic that generated a good amoum of attention for our cliem.
Figure 3.8: What if Social Media Were a High School?

Column Five for Flowtown.
Back to page 27
Page 143
Page 144
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Page 146
Figure 3.9: How to Spot a Yelp! User.

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As you can imagine, there's room for maneuvering within the realm of editorial
comem, and sometimes the outcomc can prove imcresting or unexpected. Othcr examples of editorial comcm dcveloped with the imcmion of virality: follow in Figures
3.9-3.10.
Back to page 27
Page 147
-_,.....
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Page 148
1O pages left 1n th1s chapter
10M~
nt0N A \OI'UI(~ UOOlf OClel(llo(;
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Figure 3. 10: The World's Most Demanding Concert Rider.
-.

.. .

Column Five for Sonos.
e
').
Back to page 27
Page 149
- -v l
Page 150
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Page 152
Page 153
:OI~~E:l::R
- BAND + ONE (5 PEOPLE)
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Page 154
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- - - - Suppli.tl.~. - - - -
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SON OS
Back to page 27
Page 156
Page 157
1 page left m lhos chapter
Fgurt 3.11: ln<d.theMnd ofKanye West.
Column Five for Myspt>a.
1
INSIDE THE MINO OF
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Ir's imponam ro note lhal viral content has its limitations 100, in so far as lhey are
no1 as useful in reaching rargeted audence who may in fact be looking for contcnl relaling 10 !he brand, or even expertlcvel contcnL So as wilh any dccision, you mus1
identify your objectives before you idcntify your melhodology.
In lhis chap1er we illustrated 1hc dHTercnces bctween brand-centric and editorial
comcm and cxplaincd how each 1ype has itS place, bu1 also i1s limilations. lt ls nccessary 10 undcrstand how each comcn1 rypc relates ro and should be used 10 rcach
various audience sizes and 1ypes. Al this poin1 you should havc a bctter undcrslanding of !he melhodology by which you can reach your communication objectvcs. In
!he following four chap1ers wc will go lmo dctail about !he applications of 1hcse contcnt rypes, as well as how 10 share your s1ory wilh !he world.
1
1
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B ck to pa< e 27
Pago 157
Paga 158
No pagos left In lhls chapter

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Copyright 2012 by Column Fivc Media. Al! rights rcserved.

Published by john Wilcy & Sons, lnc., Hobokcn, New jersey.

For more information about Wilcy products, visir www.wilcy.com.

ly and retain it faithfully.

(Epstolas Ad Pisones De Ars Poetica)

A BRIEF HISTORY OF INFOGRAPHICS

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Figure 1.2: Fortunc magazine infographics.

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THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK

WHAT THIS BOOK IS NOT

which people can recognize more simply rhrough visualization.

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An abbreviation of "information graphic." This rerm has gained populariry recemly

INTEGRATE YOUR BRAND

Figurel.3: Example ofeditorial infographic campaign.

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Qualitative Graphic Elements

ll.I.UI!'rHA'I'ION OF' TliE TCU:OlU' OF COlli'UO~'D RADICt\l,S.

Anything nonnumcrcal, this can lnclude both information and illusuation.

TUEOIIY OF C'UE.\JIC.\L TYI'ES-I>OCTRD.'E OF SUDSTlTOTlON.

'riiiQJtY Of' L'AIIHNQ-EX..Uil'LE Ot' COOJ."LED ACIDS.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

ESSENTIAL READING CHAPTERS

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CHAPTER 1: IMPORTANCE AND EFFICACY: WHY OUR BRAINS LOVE INFOGRAPHICS

CHAPTER 2: INFOGRAPHIC FORMATS:

CHAPTER 3, 4, 6, AND 7: APPLICATIONS

Chapter 7: Data Visualizacion Interfaces

CHAPTER 5: CONTENT DISTRIBUTION:

CHAPTER 8: WHAT MAKES A GOOD INFOGRAPHIC?

CHAPTER 9: INFORMATION DESIGN

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CHAPTER 10: THE FUTURE OF INFO-

IMPORTANCE AND EFFICACY: WHY

Communication should cffectively provide knowledge that enables a clear

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Communlcatlon should impan memorable knowlcdge.

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Figure 1.2; You Should Vote Because.

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