Cool Infographics

Design With Impact: A Guide to Webpage Anatomy

2013-06-18T16:10:00Z

Find out all the tips on how to design an impactful webpage with the Graphitas’ infogaphic, Design With Impact: A Guide to Webpage Anatomy. See what you can and can’t live without on your webpage with the Impact-O-Meter.

As part of a my recent blog for SEOmoz on “Designing for SEO”, the team at Graphitas created an infographic to illustrate the impact of page positioning.

A lot of text in this design, but the information is strong and the design is visually impactful. It’s missing a link to the original infographic page in the footer to help readers find the full size high-resolution verison.

Thanks to Justin for sending in the link!

What You Don't Know Will Kill You

2013-06-17T14:55:21Z

1000 people die from cardiac arrest a year. You can die within 10 minutes of the event. EMS only has a 6-10% success rate in saving people because the window of time is so small. Then how do you stay prepared? What You Don’t Know Will Kill You infographic from AED has the solution.

This is a very busy design, but loaded with good information. Definitely a good comparison/explanation of cardiac arrest vs. heart attack. The data could have been visualized much better though.

Thanks to Justin for sending in the link!

How to Fold the U.S. Flag

2013-06-14T17:07:52Z

Happy Flag Day in the U.S. June 14, 2013

Found on the Boy’s Life Facebook page.

Visualizing International Criminal Tribunals

2013-06-13T11:01:06Z

Very cool report that uses data visualization and infographics design to communicate complex information about International Criminal Tribunals from the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice at Fordham Law School, New York City.

The Leitner Center launches a new report, “International Criminal Tribunals: A Visual Overview,” providing an introduction to the work of the international tribunals and the conflicts which led to their establishment. Despite widespread interest in these tribunals and the view that they represent a definitive advance of international law and justice, there is also much confusion and misconception about their work. This new 90-page report, providing analysis and information through written summaries and detailed visualizations, aims to make the work of the courts more accessible to the general public and legal professionals alike.

Media attention dedicated to the work of the tribunals is too often superficial, and tends to confuse key distinctions between them; more informed scholarship, on the other hand, is largely confined to specialty publications, remaining inaccessible to most. “International Criminal Tribunals: A Visual Overview,” aims to provide well-researched and accessible information for anyone wishing to more fully understand these issues. This will help democratize engagement with these courts, which are tasked with delivering justice for victims of some of the world’s worst atrocities. Examples of the visual graphics in the report are included below.

Awesome use of different styles of data visualization to summarize the often-complex information behind these tribunals. Timelines, maps, area charts, polar grids, rose diagrams and treemaps. The Case-by-Case timeline are fascinating.

The complete report is publicly available as a PDF for download.

I asked Daniel McLaughlin a few questions about the development and design of the report:

Cool Infographics: What software, websites or tools did you use to create the visualizations?

Daniel: We used Adobe Illustrator and InDesign to create the visuals for the report.

Cool Infographics: Did you create the report yourself, or use a design team?

Daniel: As a lawyer working with law students on this project, I was dependent on graphic and information design volunteers to create the visuals. The students and I carried out all the substantive research and then worked with these volunteers to figure out how best to translate it visually. Paula Airth of www.bepeculiar.com, in particular, was instrumental in bringing the project to life.

Cool Infographics: How long did the report take to design and put together?

Daniel: The report started out as a short (8-9 page) publication on the work of the international criminal tribunals. It grew into the present 90 page version as we continued to accumulate new data and the graphic/information design volunteers continued to create new graphics. All told, the research took around 4 months and the creation of the visuals/layout took another 5 months or so.

Cool Infographics: How has the use of data visualization design and social media impacted your marketing?

Daniel: The goal of this publication was to make the work of the international criminal tribunals more accessible to lawyers and non-lawyers alike. As indicated in the publication,

“There is wide awareness, though little true understanding, of the work of the international criminal tribunals. International prosecutions of high-ranking civilian and military leaders, including former heads of state, on charges of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, represent for many the ultimate condemnation of these individuals’ past actions and a measure of their fall from power. Yet, despite the tribunals’ grasp on the popular imagination, they are the subject of significant misconceptions and confusion. Much of the media coverage dedicated to their work remains superficial, at best, and largely muddles over key distinctions between various tribunals, past and present. Conversely, the more informed scholarship is largely confined to specialty publications that remain inaccessible to most. In truth, many lawyers and non-lawyers alike lack a clear understanding of the role and functioning of these increasingly-pivotal international institutions. This publication seeks to redress this knowledge gap by providing well-researched and accessible information for those wishing to more fully understand the international criminal tribunals and the conflicts over which they have jurisdiction. An informed public is an engaged public - and the issues that animate these tribunals, including delivering justice for victims of some of the world’s worst atrocities, are too significant to be discussed solely by a small cadre of international criminal law specialists.

Notably, this publication was created in partnership with graphic and information designers so as to reach a broader public. The designers’ visualizations present information regarding the tribunals and their underlying conflicts in a direct and accessible manner to a wide range of viewers, including those without a legal background. Beyond this democratizing function, information visualization also serves to reveal important data and trends that might otherwise go unnoticed in a more conventional format. Ideally, the following information, which is current as of January 2013, would be integrated into a continually updated interactive webportal dedicated to engaging a global public on issues of international justice.

In sum, this publication aims to facilitate a broader discussion of the international criminal tribunals’ notable accomplishments, as well as ongoing shortcomings.”

Thanks to Daniel McLaughlin for sending in the link!

Matt Siltala - What Makes an Infographic Cool?

2013-06-12T11:00:39Z

Guest Post by Matt Siltala

“Cool” infographics effectively build links, drive social shares, and create buzz in a unique way. There are many that would call infographics a “fad” or “tactic”, but I don’t think of infographic marketing so much as a tactic, but more of one important piece to an overall marketing puzzle.

I analyze a lot of infographics and find that those that catch my attention have also caught the attention of many others, and that ‘s reflected in the social mentions (specifically retweets). You’ll typically see a correlation in the number of shares on Facebook, the links built, and especially the comments. The comments are very telling!

I guess that answer was more about the results of the infographic, rather than the makeup of the infographic, so let’s talk about the makeup:

Design - Is the design distracting or does it build the story? Is the design unique, new and refreshing? How clean and easy to read and follow graphic? With so many graphics out there, you have to find a way to visually set yours apart without detracting from the story you’re selling. The graphic does not always have to be a LONG vertical piece that we are used to seeing in this industry. You can see from our “Social MeOWdia Explained by Cats” piece, the design was critical to show everything right there without scrolling, so it does a better job of telling the story.

Story - Does the graphic tell a story? In my opinion this is probably the most important thing to get right with an infographic. You must set reader hooks that are easy to understand and that set firmly and early on. Having a good opener and intro makes all the difference in the world. This is where you capture your reader. You can now move into all of those juicy stats and data that really build the story out.
Flow - How does the graphic flow? This is an area where a lot of infographic designs fall short. They have a hard time visualizing flow without becoming overly wordy. Your visuals should transcend words whenever possible.
Data - How striking is the data? The key here is to have information that is both fresh and relevant. Always use up to date survey results or make your own (often times we conduct primary research through SurveyMonkey). If your graphic displays a unique set of data that can’t be found anywhere else, THIS MAKES the graphic.
Shareability - Does it pass the “share test”? Does your graphic add meaning and perspective to a conversation people want to have? If so, it passes the share test.

BONUS - Think about what is next in this industry. If you have the budget to make even a simple infographic interactive, you should do so. We created the “History of Social Media” piece first as a static graphic, but felt it would go over much better if it were interactive, and it did. We got many compliments on the UI, and being a friendly, easy way to learn a little history lesson. It is a great research piece for those looking up the history of social media too!

This goes back to what I said earlier about comments. If you can start or effectively add to a conversation, then you have done your job! We blogged about top notch infographics earlier this year and really hit this point in more depth if you want to read more.

I will be the first to admit I have put out some bad infographics, but the more I try to live within the walls of the 5 points above, the better my graphics get. For those of you listening to the “infographics are dead” hype, let me assure you that visualization is not going away. I have been working with infographics for the better part of a decade, long before most marketers had ever heard of them, and the majority of my new clients still don’t know what they are. My point is this, marketers see a lot of infographics just like we do linkbait and all of the other marketing puzzle pieces, but the rest of the world still finds data visualization a refreshing way to tell a story, share good content, and build brand authority.

So, if you put out conversation-starting, story-telling, “cool” infographics, the social mentions will come, the links will build, and the brand recognition will grow. That is never going to change or go away.

This post would be never-ending if I shared all of the infographics I loved out there, so for the sake of time I will just share this link to my company’s porfolio of Infographics.

Matt Siltala is the President of @AvalaunchMedia. The company does Content Marketing, Data Visualization, Social Promotion, Web Design, SEO & PPC. Matt is also a regular Search Industry Speaker.

Twitter: @Matt_Siltala

The Allergic Traveler's Companion Guide

2013-06-11T17:00:42Z

Having allergies can really put a damper on a vacation. To help cut down on the inconvenience, The Allegic Traveler’s Companion Guide infographic from sylvane.com has compiled information on the top places to visit, to stay, and to avoid.

Vacationers and business travelers alike are seeking the same thing in a hotel room: a comfortable place to rest and recharge. But if you have allergies or asthma, the challenge of finding such a hotel is nothing to sneeze at.

We wanted to find out which major cities and hotels provide the most allergy-friendly accommodations, so we partnered with AllerPassMD, an independent consumer rating organization, on a research project to do just that. Read on to find out all about allergy-free travel, and you can visit AllerPassMD.com to find hypoallergenic hotel ratings for specific cities.

Before you plan your next trip - be it for business, pleasure, or a little bit of both - prime yourself with The Allergic Traveler’s Companion Guide.

Thanks to Brian for sending in the link!

The Entrepreneurial Mindset

2013-06-11T11:00:55Z

The era of “regular” jobs is coming to an end. The Entrepreneurial Midset infographic from oDesk warns us of the changing mindset of workers. They want more freedom and are more likely to quit their current jobs in search of what they want.

Workers want freedom, and this desire is driving them towards independent (and often entrepreneurial) career paths. Following a prior study on disruption of work from the perspective of businesses, this survey examines the future of work as envisioned by professionals. Results found that many are planning their escape from corporate jobs — 72% of freelancers still at “regular” jobs want to quit entirely, and 61% say they are likely to quit within two years.

Millennials in particular are pursuing independent careers that foster faster progression than traditional hierarchical organizations. Of almost 2,000 Millennial respondents, 58% classified themselves as entrepreneurs. These responses (from more than 3,000 freelancers worldwide who have worked online) quantify the mindset of freelancers today, providing a glimpse into the professional landscape of tomorrow.

There are some great statisitics in this design, but it’s disappointing that some of the data near the end is just shown in text instead of visualized.

I really apprecaite the data transparency. They also published the full results of the survey in a SlideShare presentation.

Thanks to Alexia for sending in the link!

Find Your Perfume Persona

2013-06-10T17:00:31Z

The Find Your Perfume Persona infographic from PerfumeBargins.com informs us that there are 4 groups that perfumes can be divided into. Then the infographic breaks down well known perfume brands and tells us how much of each group is in each brand.

There is a whole world of fragrances out there from zesty and fresh citrus scents to the warmer and softer jasmines and vanilla smelling perfumes. It’s important to match up the right perfume with your own personality. Perfumes react differently on all of us and you can build up your own signature perfume persona. Our brain can unconsciously identify a staggering 10,000 different smells and what we find appealing in a perfume often is a smell that the brain registered as a positive olfactory memory and is associated with a happy time in our lives, often from childhood. You may will find that you prefer and pick perfumes from the same olfactory smell groups.

I like the design tactic of combining fragrances with colors so the reader can have a visual representation of combining fragrances.

I wish there was a higher resolution version of the infographic available to make the text easier to read. The footer should contain the URL link to the original infographic, and some type of copyright or Creative Commons license.

Thanks to Daniel for sending in the link!

How to Woo a Designer

2013-06-10T11:00:55Z

Want to learn how to woo a designer instead of offending them? The How to Woo a Designer infographic from 99designs.com gives us a look into the designers’ world. Both the best sides and the worst sides.

The 99designs designer survey was conducted in September and October 2012 and received 2,379 responses. Survey sources include graphic designers active in 99designs’ community and graphic designers not affiliated with 99designs.

We asked our survey respondents to list some of the best and worst things a client has ever said to them.

Good information whether you’re an inside designer or a design freelancer working for clients! Some of the data could have been visualized better. The ranking of misconceptions looks like a bar chart with the colored rectangles behind the text, but they fit the text size and don’t represent the data.

The design should include a clear title in the infographic (not just on the web page), the URL link back to the original infographic, some type of copyright or Creative Commons license statement and credit to the designer. Come on, it’s an infographic about designers on an online marketplace for graphic designers! Give the designer some credit!

Thanks to Lauren for sending in the link!

Job Hunting in 2013

2013-06-07T18:40:47Z

Another social media positive! The Job Hunting in 2013 infographic from Adzuna says that 50% of Britons use social media for job hunting. Also 90% of Big British employers use social media to recruit new workers.

In the past few months our incredible data nerds at (our snazzy new) Adzuna HQ have been witnessing something special. So we decided to conduct a little poll, make a little infographic, and help the nation get down with, what we’re coining as, the Social Job Search Revolution. And the results were truly staggering; over 50% of you now turn to Facebook and Linked in to get hired with a little help from their friends.

Thanks to Christian for sending in the link!

Most Reliable Cars

2013-06-06T20:10:22Z

Are you looking for a new car? The Most Reliable Cars infographic from MoneySupermarket rates how reliable the manufacturers are as well as specific car models. The lower the score, the more reliable the car is. If your current car isn’t on the list. Maybe it is time to get a new one.

It is never a pleasant experience to find yourself stranded next to a broken down vehicle at the side of the road, particularly during the winter. Breakdown cover can help to reduce the pain somewhat, but it is still worth making sure that you pick the most reliable car available.

MoneySupermarket.com has therefore teamed up with Warranty Direct to put together the following lists which highlight the most reliable cars on the road. This is decided upon by taking into account overall reliability and the average cost of repairs for these manufacturers and models – coming up with an overall Reliability Index (RI) score. Just for reference- the average RI is 100, and the lower the score the better.

We’ve broken this down by both car make and by individual vehicle models to come up with a definitive list which could prove invaluable to you during the car buying process.

This is a really good use of bar charts. The company logos or car photos and the relevant data is built directly into the chart so there is no need for a chart legend. Very easy to read and understand.

Thanks to Mark for sending in the link!

Dean Meyers - What Makes an Infographic Cool?

2013-06-05T11:00:17Z

Guest post by Dean Meyers

Gun Deaths, Infographics, and Emotional Storytelling

How do we get emotionally connected to a story? By finding where we can relate or empathize at the personal level. The best infographics tell their stories with emotional impact, helping us relate to the facts or the results of actions rather than just displaying them. Otherwise, they become yet another collection of data, perhaps with some striking visuals to make them appealing, but not much better than the spreadsheets they come from. The most memorable infographics will have a strong storytelling component that resonates with us emotionally.

As an example, during the rush to expose data due to the heated battles over gun control after the Newtown shootings, I saw a lot of infographics where data is displayed on a map. This is typical of what I found: (see http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/mass-shootings-map).

Even though there is some slight interaction with the map on this page, it’s still a pretty cold reading of data. Interactivity and facts, yes, but how can I connect with this information?

Here is an interactive infographic that tells us the effect of people killed by guns in a much more personal way:

Stolen years from a life… Who wouldn’t be drawn into discover more about the facts shown here? We all think about our lifespan, and this infographic takes thousands of potentially anonymous datapoints and allows us to both see the mass effect or lets us drill down in a variety of ways to these very personal, relatable stories.

Another feature that heightens the emotional effectiveness of this infographic is the way it creates the display. The screen shot below shows how the image starts building, from a single arc representing one lifetime, which changes color at the point the victim loses his life. It’s like watching a shooting star, launching into its glowing path but losing its color the moment life ends before finishing the grand arc. Powerful and personal. The chart builds quite dramatically, showing the first three shootings one by one as arcs slowly shoot across the dark background. It then rapidly fills in the rest of the display in less than a minute, both to show us a flood of incidents and also keeping us from getting bored as thousands of curves are drawn and the numbers pile up.

In another view, more information is revealed which, true to the storyteller’s intent, gives us yet more information that carries the emotional weight of “that could be me, or someone I know and love”. Here I have selected the data for fatal shootings of 21 year olds, to highlight how many deaths from guns have occurred so far this year to these young people. Without resorting to pictures, icons or symbols, the graph combined with the text highlights the sad fact that so many young people died that, otherwise would not have been at risk. Again, a powerful message, and one that is intended to reach us emotionally.

I recommend bookmarking the site (http://guns.periscopic.com/?year=2013) and revisiting every few weeks, as the data for 2013 is being updated regularly. The creators of the infographic, periscopic.com, have the motto, “do good with data—socially conscious information visualization”, and take storytelling to heart. They have avoided the cliches of trying to impress strictly with big numbers, or, from the other side, telling the stories of the killers. Instead, they focus on the story of the victims, people like us, and make the data that much more meaningful and memorable.

Whether static or interactive, an infographic will have the greatest resonance and be most memorable when it tells a story that touches our emotions. When we find ourselves within that story, either as the subject or when we can comprehend the information as it might relate to us, we are compelled to pay attention and remember. To create a powerful infographic, save the big graphics and clever images. Dig into the information and find the story that means something to us all.

Visual Problem-Solver Dean Meyers combines creativity, design, marketing and training experience to facilitate visual thinking in a wide variety of business, educational and strategic settings. Dean has worked in the dual fields of graphic design and technology since the mid-80’s, when he worked for Apple Computer at the launch of the Macintosh in international markets. His career has taken him from leading ad agency graphic departments into web design and development in the mid-90’s to his current practice of improving communications in user experience, general business strategy and education through his work as a visual facilitator. His interest in infographics focuses on interactivity and better storytelling across multiple media. He has been seen giving workshops and graphically recording for events including South by Southwest, the World Innovation Forum, Picnic (Amsterdam), Business Innovation Factory, Pop!Tech, LeanUX NYC and TEDMED.

LINKS:

www.vizbiztools.com

Twitter: @deanmeistr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vizbiztools

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/deanmeyers/collections/72157622622863701/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/deanmeyers/

Curated content about Visual Innovation: http://www.scoop.it/t/visual-innovation

Home Energy Savings

2013-06-04T17:15:43Z

70% of electricity in the US is generated from non-renewable sources. The Home Energy Savings infographic provided by Accent Building Products tells us how to have an energy efficient home without sacrificing comfort.

Today it is more important than ever to make our homes more energy efficient without sacrificing home comfort. An energy-efficient home will keep your family comfortable while saving you money. Unfortunately, a lot of energy is wasted through leaky windows or ducts, old appliances, or inefficient heating and cooling systems. You can use many tips to save money and energy! This infographic details many different money saving tips and shows how we spend the money on our homes.

Infographic provided by Accent Building Products, a direct distributor of the industry’s top accent home and building products. All products are shipped to you directly from the manufacturers’ factory.

It’s interesting from an online marketing and SEO perspective that I can find the infographic on gallery sites like Infographics Showcase, Infographics Inspiration, and Visual.ly but I was unable to find the original anywhere on the Accent Building Products website or blog. This means that any popularity in terms of links and visitors to the infographic itself will benefit the gallery sites, but not Accent Building Products. Only indirectly will Accent get any benefit if readers separately visit their site, but they would have to manually type in the URL because none of the infographics have a link back to the site.

This is a fun visual explanation design. The illustrations clearly put the suggestions and data into context of the areas in the house. There is a lot of text, but the small callouts make it easy to read. It would have been more effective to visualize the pieces of data that are included in the design.

Thanks to Chris for sending in the link!

The Makings of a Modern Home

2013-06-04T14:15:50Z

Keeping up with technology is always a full time job. Now even your home can have technology upgrades. The Makings of a Modern Home infographic from In Style Modern helps keep all of us current with information on updating your home with the newest technology.

There isn’t a text description on the landing page, or even in the infographic itself. The reader is left to determine if these are real, current technologies or a forecast of what’s coming. Personally I think it walks the line between the two. The Nest Thermostat is very real, but self driving cars aren’t available to the public yet.

This design would have been better in landscape orientation, where the information could have connected more easily with the locations shown in the isometric house illustration. I understand why they chose to use the Tall Format though, to make the display on the blog and in services like Pinterest easier.

Thanks to Therese for sending in the link!

The History of NFL Logo Designs

2013-06-03T16:30:40Z

Football is extremely popular in the United States. People pick sides and cheer on their teams loyaly. The History of NFL Logo Designs infographic posted on Visual.ly tells the story of each football team’s logo through the years.

In Infographics below we are going to show you some of the interesting logo design changes across the (NFL) community with their territory maps.

Cool design that shows visual evolution of various NFL logos.

Thanks to Rachael for sending in the link!