Demystifying Infographics

Abstract

Data visualization is rapidly evolving and difficult to define. As a result, a research library's role in supporting this work can be ambiguous. With infographics, for example, standard definitions do not exist, and there is not yet any consensus from the data visualization community around best practices for their creation. This column attempts to clarify some of this confusion by highlighting the spectrum of tools and techniques used for infographic creation. For the purposes of this article, an infographic is defined as a visual display that combines data with descriptive text. Infographics can be static or interactive. Merriam Webster specifies that infographics should contain "graphic elements" that are "visually striking." Hannah Rainey at the NC State Library defines infographics by what they do instead of what they are: they support an argument, raise awareness, educate, and tell a story. Lori Bruckner at UNC describes infographics as a type of data visualization and also mentions the importance of function as well as form; she writes that, "Infographics are usually meant to be entertaining and illustrative." This means that Alison Snyder and Lazaro Gamio's visualization of space junk, while highly praised, is not an infographic because it is a single chart without extraneous visual elements (Figure 1). However, Agis Fasseas' take on the same problem meets the definition of an infographic in both its simple thumbnail version and its longer, scrollable form (Figure 2).