The Maginificent Multitude of Beer by Pop Chart Lab, 2010
This is a great example of how to deal with a huge amount of information which centres around the same core subject. At first glance it appears a little overwhelming, but the linking lines help to tie all the data together. As long as you can follow a line with your eye, the relationships between different beers and their ingredients/flavours/etc can be identified quickly. Similarly, Anna Vital's "How To Be Productive" (below) uses linking lines, but the added images help to anchor each stage and gives the impression of a "step by step" process. The splitting into categories is helpful to understand and process each bit of advice, as well as setting the basis for weaving the diagram together.
How To Be Productive by Anna Vital, 2013
Why Your Brain Craves Infographics by NeoMam Studios, 2014
This piece is a bit of a find, as it is an infographic about the effectiveness of info graphics (hello reference section for my dissertation!). Much in the same way that those over at Happify craft their quantity-led facts into illustrations and emphasised numbers, so too do NeoMam studios, and in the process making the case for illustrated information everywhere. Also, you'll have seen in my work so far that I love a good banner title...
The 3-split layout is effective as it usually features enough facts to be seen as "enough evidence", but little enough that the eye and mind can take it in without being confronted with too much data. The illustrations are very cute and quirky, but simple enough that they convey the theme of a section and aren't overly elaborate. I love this one of the grumpy man with his data-overloaded mind.
As the fact demonstrates, the use of colour visuals here is central to helping highlight information. Importantly, the designers have stuck to a core colour scheme of just four colours (plus white and a pale blue for some backdrops) which helps in this case as text and illustration are linked to each other through corresponding hues (see medicine labels diagram below). There are some cases where more colours can work, for example in highly detailed illustrations or in the likes of Happify's stuff, but as can be seen throughout this blog post the rule of thumb is pick a set palette, analogous or complementary, and stick with it thoughout.
323%. Can't argue!
Fume Leads to Death by Liow Heng Chun, 2013
Hen Chung's illustration style is simple but effective, focusing on thick black outlines which work very well as icons. The combination of black and red is a nod to the dark nature of the subject matter, which surrounds the health implications of smoking. Hen Chung's Behance page for the project says his assignment was to present all the warning facts about smoking in a way that would not put people off based on the visuals - given how nice the info-graphic is to look at, I'd say he's succeeded. The outline illustration of the human anatomy works particularly well as it forms the centre of a diagram which basically says "Here are all the things that will go wrong in your body if you smoke."
Using proportion graphs to represent how the issue strikes on a global scale helps to highlight the problem, as well as display the data according to gender statistics and age range in smokers.
Why Green Growth by the World Bank, 2012
This pretty infographic uses sectioning and grid layouts to arrange and align its many facts on the page. This is an important element of designing an infographic that is very data heavy - not all of the facts on here are easy to categorise so it is important that the eye can process them as individual factoids on a screen.
The image below is to persuade countries to choose green energy, so the scene presented is an idyllic metropolitan environment which seems to have the best of both worlds.
Numbered diagrams (above, below) are helpful if the information in text needs to be expanded on or can't be summed up simply. Can't believe I haven't thought of this in my own work yet! Below there are also some nifty diagrams which pair an illustration with a pie chart or bar graph, which helps the viewer to instantly link the numbers to the issue and has a more persuasive effect. This is important if the subject matter is cautionary, such as the high cost of a hectare for building a barrier for floods.
Dribbble Design by Jamie Brightmore, 2014
This is a pared down info graphic for the portfolio site Dribbble, which features subtle little interactive elements. For example, in the image below I took a screen shot of my mouse hovering over the "Insight" tab, which brings up a little speech bubble in the corresponding section of the basketball. This helps lead the eye to the "Insight" section directly, as it is a bit of a detour for the eye to follow the guiding line to the section.
Another nice little interactive element when the basketball is hovered over - this was when my mouse was over the "Typographers" section. I really need to look into whether or not InvisionApp does interactivity, as touches like this are surprising, and on first try can be a little delightful.
Rollover buttons - Another nice little touch to add in extra information without compromising on the minimalist look. This section also serves as an introduction to the core elements of Dribbble in a way that is easy to digest.
Air Bnb Then and Now by AirBnB (Unknown) , 2013
This very stylish info graphic by an unknown for AirBnB showcases their millionth night booked milestone. There is a good combination of quantified data with illustrations here, and some of the ways in which the booking facts are presented is very creative (see the "Types of Listings" ruler graph and the corresponding "Other" section). The colour palette is quite sugary but the deep pink brings is out of that slightly, and the result is a slightly muted palette that pops against the neutral background instead of using bright colours.
This isometric style map is an inventive way to present the information on locations around the world, without looking like your typical annotated map. What helps is that AirBnB could have gone for the very boring approach to presenting all this information, but in order to make it appealing and have a personable tone they picked out all the surprising facts that would resonate with most people. Put simply, applying the data to real situations brings it to life in the reader's mind.
At the bottom of this image the list of schools, professions and employers is shown by opacity, which is a novel approach!
Atlantis World Fair by Frank Chimero @Lost World's Fairs, 2010
This is a web based info graphic, made (I think) using Adobe Muse. I love love love the texturing used here as well as the quirky style, which reminds me of Wes Anderson movies.
References
[Accessed 18 Feb 2015]
Vital, Anna. 2013. How To Be Productive [online] Available at: http://media.creativebloq.futurecdn.net/sites/creativebloq.com/files/images/2013/10/productive.jpg
[Accessed 18 Feb 2015]
NeoMam Studios, 2014. Why Your Brain Craves Infographics [online] Available at: http://neomam.com/interactive/13reasons/
[Accessed 18 Feb 2015]
Liow Heng Chun, 2013. Fume Leads To Death [online] Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/Infographics-Fume-Leads-To-Death/8759231
[Accessed 18 Feb 2015]
Unknown for The World Bank, 2012. Why Green Growth? [online] Available at: shttp://media.creativebloq.futurecdn.net/sites/creativebloq.com/files/images/2012/08/infographic45a.jpg
[Accessed 18 Feb 2015]
Unknown for Air BnB, 2013. Air BnB: Then and Now [online] Available at: http://media.creativebloq.futurecdn.net/sites/creativebloq.com/files/images/2013/02/airbnblarge.jpg
[Accessed 18 Feb 2015]
Chimero, Frank. 2010. Atlantis World Fair [online] Available at: http://lostworldsfairs.com/atlantis/
[Accessed 18 Feb 2015]
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