Data Visualization vs Infographic

In class we discussed what we thought were the differences between data visualizations and infographics.

Personally, I don't think that there is one clear line, and its not something that we can clearly say that x is an infographic of y is a data visualization. The class exercise helped us to think about what we thought fell into the category of infographics, and what would fall into the category of data visualization. According to Tufte, a data visualization should have a low data-ink ratio and a high data density for it to be a good data visualization.

But I think creators out there do not really think about that, or if what they are doing is an infographic or data visualization. Many creators out there are not bounded by this idea that an infographic should contain A, B, C, D, while a data visualization should contain W, X, Y, Z. I think that these people make infographics because they want to show information to a certain audience in a simple to read, and meaningful way.

Ideally, we believe that an infographic should have a focus, where the reader is being drawn to. A data visualization is more a presentation of facts, of statistics, and information. An infographic would have a certain slant to it.

An infographic should also have a high level of information. This information need not be figures, numbers, charts, etc. It can just be information written in words, or drawn in a diagram. Just like the example in the reading:

This doesn't have any statistics, or numbers at all, but it provides us with a lot of information with regards to the body. Other groups have mentioned that a infographic should have some form of data visualization, but I disagree. I believe that an infographic should have information, whether it be numbers, facts and figures, or just text.

We also thought that an infographic should have some context, where we understand what the infographic is telling us. In a way, we get to see what the infographic is trying to tell the reader, and it gives the reader a call-to-action. I don't think that many infographic designers think about this, but perhaps it is something that is already at the back of their minds, and they release the infographic to their target audience, who knows what they should do.

The last factor is on structure, where we felt that an infographic ideally should be told like a story. The structure is the chain that holds the beads of information together. It should provide us with an idea of where to start, and how to see it.

Although I feel that the exercise is quite interesting, as I have never really thought about the differences between data visualization and infographics until this class. Ultimately, I don't think that the designers and creators will try to draw the line between a data visualization and infographic. I believe that this exercise of differentiating a data visualization and infographic is more for the academic world. And it is not a bad thing, as it makes us think of the reasons behind a simple name. I highly doubt that designers will change or put in more effort into designing their infographic even if there is a clearer line drawn in the future, but of course, that is something that waits to be seen.