Phil Gyford created an infographic about infographics, which says what many of us are thinking. Link -via Laughing Squid
Thanks for this. I had just reached my boiling point this morning, and wondered if I was alone in my exhaustion with infographics. They all look the same, and just seem like vertical Powerpoint presentations. BAD ones.
I found that this one wasn't too bad. http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/leftvright_US.html The infographics on information is beautiful are generally good.
Unfortunately the news media will never listen. They are convinced that the public are so stupid that they can't tell one number is bigger than another without a graphic to illustrate it. Of course the real purpose of infographics is to mask how little work journalists actually do these days. The word count of the average newspaper is much lower than it was even ten years ago. And every news program is padded out by such techniques as anchors "interviewing" their own reporters, reporters repeating what the anchor has just said and pointless vox pops - actual content is down massively on what it was a few years ago. 24 hour rolling news? The same 15 minutes repeated 96 times.
Somebody needs to explain to those idiots that not every picture is worth a thousand words. Some of them are only worth one word.
The infographics wave has been less about "info" and more about "graphics", for the most part a helvetifest for designers. Highlights a common problem in design.
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/leftvright_US.html
The infographics on information is beautiful are generally good.
Unfortunately the news media will never listen. They are convinced that the public are so stupid that they can't tell one number is bigger than another without a graphic to illustrate it. Of course the real purpose of infographics is to mask how little work journalists actually do these days. The word count of the average newspaper is much lower than it was even ten years ago. And every news program is padded out by such techniques as anchors "interviewing" their own reporters, reporters repeating what the anchor has just said and pointless vox pops - actual content is down massively on what it was a few years ago. 24 hour rolling news? The same 15 minutes repeated 96 times.
Somebody needs to explain to those idiots that not every picture is worth a thousand words. Some of them are only worth one word.
The infographics wave has been less about "info" and more about "graphics", for the most part a helvetifest for designers. Highlights a common problem in design.
This is the epitome of the overuse of the infographic.
http://www.infographicsshowcase.com/infographics-help-decision-making-process/