Jason Lankow | @jasonlankowbit.ly/infographicsbook
Column Fivecolumnfivemedia.com | @columnfive
Designers + Geeks@DesignersGeeks
THE FUTURE OF INFOGRAPHICS (#dplusg)
ABOUT ME
JASON LANKOWCo-founder and CEO of Column Five Media
Co-author of Infographics: The Power of Visual Storytelling (Wiley 2012):
Column Five is a creative agency based inNewport Beach, California, specializing in information design and data visualization.
Instructor of Visualization of Information at Columbia University.
CLIENTS
VALUE OF DATA VISUALIZATION
STATIC INFOGRAPHICS | INTERACTIVE GRAPHICS | MOTION GRAPHICS
INFOGRAPHICS PROVIDE
Appeal
Comprehension
Retention
They are visually stimulating, attractive,
and sleek. This piques interest before any
information is synthesized.
Our brains are pre-wired to automatically
interpret visual cues, allowing for almost
instant comprehension with minimal
effort.
Visualizations trigger us to pull
information from our long-term memory,
allowing for rapid connections to already
stored information, which cement the
concept in the brain.
VITRUVIAN PRINCIPLES
Design, shape, form (Is the graphic attractive? Does it appeal
to the viewer aesthetically?)
Messaging, story, relevancy (How useful is the visualization?
Does it benefit viewers by clarifying a complex concept?)
Research, data, visualization (Is the graphic format befitting of
the content? Does it display the information accurately?)
Utility
Beauty
Soundness
Characteristics of a good infographic:
OUR PROCESS
Effective data visualization requires collaboration between various roles, including writers,
researchers, designers, PR, etc. The major phases include:
The Creative Brief
Ideation
Research and Data Analysis
Content Creation
Design and Data Visualization Best Practices
Distribution
To identify your objective, ask yourself the following :
What is the desired outcome you hope to achieve from the graphic?
How do you hope to affect your audience?
How will you measure your success?
What purpose do you want this graphic to serve?
IDENTIFYING YOUR OBJECTIVES
Is this information intended
to be shared with others?
If so, how should it be shared?
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2
3
Is your audience broad or targeted?
What is their level of knowledge?
Is your audience already familiar
with certain types of content?
4 How do you want them to respond?
IDENTIFYING YOUR AUDIENCE
THE VISUAL STORYTELLING SPECTRUM
Editorial
Brand
BroadTargeted
EDITORIAL GRAPHIC FOR BROAD AUDIENCE
EDITORIAL GRAPHIC FOR TARGETED AUDIENCE
BRAND-CENTRIC GRAPHIC FOR BROAD AUDIENCE
BRAND-CENTRIC GRAPHIC FOR TARGETED AUDIENCE
EXPLORATIVE TO NARRATIVE SPECTRUM
There are two approaches that can be taken to an infographic:
E X P L O R A T I V E N A R R A T I V E
C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S
A P P L I C A T I O N S
ILLUSTRATIVE
PUBLICATIONS
MINIMALIST
ACADEMIC RESEARCH
BLOGS
ONLY INCLUDES ELEMENTS THAT REPRESENT DATA
SCIENCE
DESIGN-FOCUSED
CONTENT MARKETING
SEEKS TO COMMUNICATE INFORMATION
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
DATA ANALYSIS
SEEKS TO APPEAL TO VIEWER WITH ENGAGING VISUALS
SALES AND MARKETING MATERIALS
IN THE MOST CLEAR, CONCISE MANNER INFORMS AND ENTERTAINS
NARRATIVE GRAPHIC
EXPLORATIVEGRAPHIC
EXPLORATIVEGRAPHIC
DESIGN TOOLS: ILLUSTRATION
DESIGN TOOLS: PHOTOGRAPHY
DESIGN TOOLS: ICONOGRAPHY
DESIGN TOOLS: TYPOGRAPHY
DESIGN TOOLS: DATA VISUALIZATION
THE FUTURE OF INFOGRAPHICS
Democratization of creation tools
Socially generative visualizations
Real problem-solving
DEMOCRATIZATION OFCREATION TOOLS
USA TODAY VISUAL LANGUAGE
ADVANTAGES
Everyone can create
Less time designing allows for
more time researching
Increased familiarity leads to
better understanding and critique
USE ACCURATE VISUALIZATIONS
6%
96%
SPRINKLES
MAPLE BAR
16%JAM FILLED
48%
34%
OLD FASHIONED
BEAR CLAW
24%
20%
32%
SPRINKLES
JAM FILLED
MAPLE B AR
8%
16%
O LD FASHIONED
BEAR CLAW
CONCERNS
Diminished quality
Saturation can tire audiences
Decreased potency of the medium
UNDERSTANDING LITERACY HIGHER STANDARDS
AUTOMATION SPEED ACCURACY
SOCIALLY GENERATIVEVISUALIZATIONS
Audience becomes the content
Real-time visualization
Unique experience
Living
VISUAL NEWS “SGV: MONEY”
MASHABLE “MEDIA LITERACY” SGV
MASHABLE “MEDIA LITERACY” SGV
REAL PROBLEM-SOLVING
Align with goals
Functional
Clear call to action
Answer the “So what?” and“Now what?” questions
Look for opportunities to automate.
Use socially generative visualization to make your audience part of real-time, living content.
Identify your organization’s biggest communication problems (and opportunities).
Make sure your visual content is aligned to your goals.
HOW CONTENT CREATORS CAN TAKEADVANTAGE OF THESE TRENDS:
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Jason Lankow | @jasonlankowbit.ly/infographicsbook
Column Fivecolumnfivemedia.com | @columnfive
Designers + Geeks@DesignersGeeks
THE FUTURE OF INFOGRAPHICS (#dplusg)
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