Info-graphic Reader

Today my Facebook newsfeed contained two back-to-back items (posted by different people) related to info-graphics. 

The first is a post by Paula Scher on Huffington Post, in which, inspired by Fast Company's compendium of the best info-graphics from its design blog, she presents a brief summary of and commentary on info-graphics/visualized information.

Quote of note: “All of the charts, graphs, diagrams, and maps look interesting and involving. They are designed to appear scientific and very believable. They are immediate, even urgent, and you have the sense that you are about to learn something. They are all part of an increasing trend away from reading, reflection, and understanding the world in a broader context. Information becomes style. Information is an end in and of itself: it exists by itself, with no over view, no history, no context, and demonstrates that almost anything can be measured. It is faux info.”

***

The second item is an info-graphic (pasted below) titled ‟The History of Social Networking.” It imparts some interesting statistics about the growth of social networking, but its main function seems to be driving traffic to the website OnlineSchools.org, which created this and similarly enticing info-graphics like ‟The Evolution of Video Games” and appears to be devoted to all things related to e-learning. Hmmm. As Scher writes, “buyer beware.”

Social-media1

On-going: Visualizing Information

via alexandercheek.com

This is information designer Alexander Cheek's thesis project, "No Roads," which I discovered on the web a few years back. He stripped a map of New England of the usual suspects, such as roads, parks, etc, and overlaid other significant—yet less commonly mapped—points of navigation like Dunkin' Donuts, covered bridges and porn shops. Cheek screen printed the final atlas on sheets of acetate, and when all the maps are stacked one top of another, the result produces a surprisingly accurate picture of the urban centers of New England.

On-going topic: Visualizing Information

To start off, some of my favorite examples:

  
* Dennis Wood, Jack-o-lantern Map

Wood_boylanatlas_pumpkins

more info: http://makingmaps.net/2008/01/10/denis-wood-a-narrative-atlas-of-boylan-heights/
 
 
* Aaron Koblin, Flight Patterns

Title

more info: http://www.aaronkoblin.com/work/flightpatterns/
 
* Saul Steinberg "View of the World from 9th Avenue" (visualizing the New York centric 'tude)

N-yorker

* David Byrne's book "Arboretum" (below: "Music of the Future" & "Romantic Destiny")

(download)

more info: http://www.davidbyrne.com/art/tree_drawings