Infographics

__**Vocab**__


 * Infographic**: Also sometimes termed "infographs" or "information graphics," infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data, or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly. They can improve cognition by utilizing graphics to enhance the human visual system’s ability to see patterns and trends. Infographics have been around for many years, but recently the proliferation of a number of easy-to-use, free tools have made the creation of infographics available to a large segment of the population. Social media has also allowed for individual infographics to be spread among many people around the world. @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infographic


 * Data visualization** (or **information visualization**): The study of the visual representation of data and abstract information, usually in an interactive manner, to reinforce human cognition. The terms may also refer to the visualizations created of data or information. Closely related to infographics, data and information visualization usually focuses on lower-level, less "analyzed" sets of data; infographics tend to make more of an effort to simplify data and information for presentation. The line between the two terms is quite fuzzy, however. @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_visualization @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_visualization


 * Information design**: The practice of presenting information in a way that fosters efficient and effective understanding of it, often as an infographic. The term has come to be used specifically for graphic design for displaying information effectively, rather than just attractively or for artistic expression. Today, information design is closely related to the fields of data visualization and information visualization. @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_design


 * Data table**: An arrangement of data, often numeric in nature, in rows and columns. The columns typically are named for the type of data they contain (e.g. names, ages, heights, GPA, etc.) @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_table


 * Bar chart** (or **histogram**): A chart or graph that uses either horizontal or vertical bars to show comparisons among discrete categories or categorized continuous data. One axis of the chart shows the specific categories being compared, and the other axis represents a discrete value. A histogram is a type of bar chart that displays the distribution of continuous data categorized into buckets based on its value (e.g. 0-9, 10-19, 20-29, etc.) @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_chart @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histogram


 * Line chart**: A chart or graph which displays information as a series of data points connected by straight line segments. Line charts are similar to scatterplots (see below), except that the measurement points are ordered (typically by their x-axis value) and joined with straight line segments. A line chart is often used to visualize a trend in data over intervals of time, thus the line is often drawn chronologically. @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_chart


 * Area chart**: A chart or graph based on the line chart, but with the area between the axis and the line filled in with a pattern, color, or shading. Depending on the nature of the data, an area chart may improve the visualization over a line chart or confuse a viewer more. Area charts are most useful to represent cumulated totals using numbers or percentages over time. @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_chart


 * Pie chart**: A chart or graph (sometimes called a **circle graph**) that is circular in shape and divided into sectors, illustrating numerical proportion. In a pie chart, the arc length of each sector (and consequently its central angle and area) is proportional to the quantity it represents. Pie charts are very widely used in business and media, but they have also faced much criticism, and some experts recommend using other chart and visualization types instead. @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie_chart


 * Scatterplot**: A chart or graph that uses Cartesian coordinates to display values for two variables for a set of data. The data is displayed as a collection of points, each having the value of one variable determining the position on the horizontal axis and the value of the other variable determining the position on the vertical axis. Scatterplots differ from line charts in that the variable on the x-axis may not be divided in equal steps and measurement points may not be ordered. @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scatter_plot


 * Time series**: A sequence of data points measured at successive points in time and spaced at uniform time intervals. Examples of time series might include the daily closing value of a stock index or the annual flow volume of a river at a given point. Time series are very frequently plotted using line charts. @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_series


 * Pictograph** (or **pictogram**): A graphic symbol that represents an idea or concept and that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Pictographs are often used in writing and graphic systems in which the characters are to a considerable extent pictorial in appearance. Many warning and traffic signs, especially European traffic signs, are pictographs. @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pictograph


 * Theme**: In artistic and graphical work, a unifying or dominant idea, motif, design, style, etc. that brings a work together. An infographic should use a cohesive theme. @http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/theme


 * Grid**: In graphic design, a usually two-dimensional structure made up of a series of intersecting straight (or occasionally curved) guide lines used to structure content. The grid serves as the frame on which a designer can organize graphic elements (text, images, charts, etc.) in a rational, easy to absorb manner. A grid can be used to organize graphic elements in relation to a page, in relation to other graphic elements on the page, or relation to other parts of the same graphic element or shape. @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_(graphic_design)


 * Serif**: //Look up what this means in reference to fonts.//


 * Sans-serif**: //Look up this one as well in reference to fonts. What is the difference between a serif and a sans-serif?//


 * Bertin's Visual Variables**: Jaques Bertin developed a number of methods through which visual units of a graphic can be modified. These predefined modifications are called **visual variables**. Each of these variables can have certain characteristics. The visual variables proposed by Bertin included the following:


 * Shape**: The geometric shape of a given graphic (e.g. square, circle, hexagon, cross, etc.)


 * Size**: The visual size of a graphic in terms of length, area, or repetition.


 * Texture**: Variation in the "grain" or pattern used to illustrate a geometric shape (e.g. solid shading, dashed, crosshatched, etc.)


 * Intensity** (or **value** or **brightness**): The lightness or darkness of a graphic element.


 * Hue**: The color of a graphic element (e.g. red, orange, yellow, blue, etc.)


 * Orientation**: The alignment of a graphic element (e.g. straight, angled, upside-down, etc.)


 * Position**: The X and Y location of a graphic element on a page or within a space (e.g. at the top left, 2" down from the top of the page and 3" to the left of the right margin, etc.)

Software Tools: //Be sure you know what purpose each of these plays in the design and construction of an infographic!//


 * PowerPoint**: Presentation software created by Microsoft, with the ability to create multiple slides of varying sizes consisting of text, bitmaps, and vectors. @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_PowerPoint


 * Excel**: Spreadsheet software created by Microsoft, with the ability to create data tables, perform calculations on entered data, and create charts and graphs of data. @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Excel


 * Photoshop**: //We gave you a definition for this program earlier on in the semester... see if you can find it1//


 * Illustrator**: A vector graphics editor created by Adobe. Illustrator is to vector graphics as Photoshop is to bitmaps. The native format of Illustrator is AI, but it can import and export other formats as well (including SVG, PS, EPS, and PDF).

__**Readings**__ [|Infographics vs. Infocrapics: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly] [|10 Tips for Designing Infographics] [|16 Useless Infographics] [|2012 The Year In Graphics] [|Infographic Tools]