An Information graphic or infographic is a visual representation of information, data or knowledge. This form of graphic is frequently used in journalism, educational materials, product manuals, and reports. Commonly it comes in the form of a chart, graph, map, or diagram. Information is a word which seems to have many different meanings, but is as a rule it closely relates to such concepts as meaning, knowledge, instruction, communication, representation, and mental stimulus. ... Data is the plural of datum. ... Knowledge is understanding soemthing or being able to do something. ... As a noun, a graphic usually refers to a computer image or picture, or an infographic, such as a chart. ... A chart is a graphic whore of some data. ... A map of the world by Johannes Kepler A map is a simplified depiction of a space, a navigational aid which highlights relations between objects within that space. ... Sample flowchart diagram A diagram is a simplified and structured visual representation of concepts, ideas, constructions, relations, statistical data, anatomy etc used in all aspects of human activities to visualize and clarify the topic. ...

Elements of information graphics

The basic material of an information graphic is the data, information, or knowledge that the graphic presents. In the case of data, the creator may make use of automated tools such as graphing software to represent the data in the form of lines, boxes, arrows, and various symbols and pictograms. The information graphic might also features a key which defines the visual elements in plain English. A scale and labels are also common. Data is the plural of datum. ... Information is a word which seems to have many different meanings, but is as a rule it closely relates to such concepts as meaning, knowledge, instruction, communication, representation, and mental stimulus. ... Knowledge is understanding soemthing or being able to do something. ... Pictogram for public toilets A pictogram or pictograph is a symbol which represents an object or a concept by illustration. ... The word key has several uses: Look up Key on Wiktionary, the free dictionary // Instrument or Tool A key (instrument) comprises a moving part of a musical instrument. ... Scale (botany) Scale (zoology) Scale (medical) Scale (music) Scale (measurement) Scale (chemical) Scale (social sciences) Scale (spatial) Scale (computing) Order of magnitude Logarithmic scale Scale model Architects scale Engineers scale This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same... The term label has the following meanings: generally, any kind of (paper) tag attached to something so as to identify the contents in a derived sense a brand name (as in record label, ...) In telecommunication, (taken from Federal Standard 1037C): An identifier within or attached to a set of data...

Notable information graphics and creators

• Almost certainly the first information graphics were maps. Map-making predates written language by several millenia. A map at the Çatalhöyük archaeological site dates to prehistory.

• William Playfair created the first known graphs in The Commercial and Political Atlas in 1786. These statistical graphs represented economic data for 18th-century England in the form of bar charts and histograms. Forty-four graphics were included in this work, and his Statistical Breviary (1801) is considered to have the first area charts.

• James Joseph Sylvester created a chemical-algebraic diagram in 1878. This was the first visual representation of chemical bonds.

Charles Minard's information graphic of Napoleon's March

• Certainly the most widely recognized information graphic is the graphic description of Napoleon's disastrous march on Moscow in 1812-1813 created by Charles Joseph Minard in 1861. In a single image, the graphic combines a map of the march, the size of the expedition showing the loss of lives, and the temperatures endured by the troops.

• Otto Neurath (1882-1945) was an Austrian sociologist, a political economist and a anti-philosopher. On a later age he started as a designer of visual information. Later on he cooperated with the graphic artist Gerd Arntz to continue developing the Isotype system. According to those two, the visual language was way more objective than the written language. The Isotype system (International System of Typographic Picture Education) is the first real information design / graphic system, which became a sort of standard and is still used by some designers or institutes.

MAPS could refer to: Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies Mail Abuse Prevention System Multi-jurisdictional Automated Preclearance System This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Excavations at the South Area of Çatal Höyük Çatalhöyük (also Çatal Höyük and Çatal Hüyük, or any of the three without accent marks -- Çatal is Turkish for fork and Höyük is Turkish for mound) was a very large Neolithic and... Prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is the period before written history became available to assist our understanding of the past. ... William Playfair (September 22, 1759 - February 11, 1823) a Scottish engineer and political economist, was an important inventor of statistical graphics. ... 1786 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... James Joseph Sylvester James Joseph Sylvester (September 3, 1814 - March 15, 1897) was an English mathematician and lawyer. ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Download high resolution version (988x565, 87 KB)Minards graph showing napoleons advance into europe (1885) This map by Charles Joseph Minard shows the advance of Napoleons army into Russia. ... Download high resolution version (988x565, 87 KB)Minards graph showing napoleons advance into europe (1885) This map by Charles Joseph Minard shows the advance of Napoleons army into Russia. ...

Modern practitioners of information graphics / design

A statistician and sculptor, Edward Tufte has written a series of highly regarded books on the subject of information graphics. Tufte also delivers lectures and workshops on a regular basis. He describes the process of incorporating many dimensions of information into a two-dimensional image as 'escaping flatland.' Edward Rolf Tufte (IPA /ˈtʌf. ...

Nigel Holmes is an established commercial creator of what he calls "explanation graphics". His works deal not only with the visual display of information but also of knowledge - how to do things. He created graphics for Time magazine for 16 years, and is the author of several books on the subject. (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...

Close and strongly related to the field of information graphics, is information design. Actually, making infographics is a certain discipline within the information design world. Modern day American information designers, like Nigel Holmes, Edward Tufte, Peter Sullivan and Sam Ward, Donald Norman; are accompanied by a very active Dutch information designer: Paul Mijksenaar. His Amsterdam and New York based design studio is specialized in the development of visual oriented information systems. They create so called wayfinding and waysigning systems for all kinds of large public transport systems and infrastructures. Examples of their work are, the signing systems for airports in the Netherlands (Schiphol, Amsterdam), but also for airports in Italy and the United States like: JFK Airport and Dallas Forth Worth. Edward Rolf Tufte (IPA /ˈtʌf. ... Peter M. Sullivan is a New Hampshire state representative for the county of Hillsborough, New Hampshire. ... Jump to: navigation, search Donald A. Norman is a professor emeritus of cognitive science at University of California, San Diego and a Professor of Computer Science at Northwestern University, but nowadays works mostly with cognitive science in the domain of usability engineering. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Another good example of modern day practitioners of information graphics is the French bureau d'études. A bureau which visualizes a lot of complex matters like the governmental structures of power in the United States. Or the way the media in the States are linked and related together in an data driven war. They create maps about autonomous knowledges and powers, art and economies, governing by networks, world governance by private bankers, or maps about the contemporary bio-control systems. The bureau visualizes these complex organization structures by mapping them, which should be a very effective way of making complex information more easily accessible. But what they want to show, is mainly how complex certain (media) structures are and what the actual relations are, without simplifying them. And without making it easy to overview and to understand. So basically the main objective within information design is not pursued and what you get as a 'reader' is an information overload. But it serves another goal and the public is very select.

List of information graphic types

• chart
• histogram
• graph
• map
• diagram
• contour map
• isotherm
• mind map
• signage systems

A chart is a graphic whore of some data. ... In statistics, a histogram is a graphical display of tabulated frequencies. ... A map of the world by Johannes Kepler A map is a simplified depiction of a space, a navigational aid which highlights relations between objects within that space. ... Sample flowchart diagram A diagram is a simplified and structured visual representation of concepts, ideas, constructions, relations, statistical data, anatomy etc used in all aspects of human activities to visualize and clarify the topic. ... Example of a topographic map with contour lines Topographic maps, also called contour maps, topo maps or topo quads (for quadrangles), are maps that show topography, or land contours, by means of contour lines. ... An isotherm is a line of equal or constant temperature on a graph, plot, or map; an isopleth of temperature. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Signage systems are visually oriented information systems, existing of signs, maps, arrows, color codings systems, pictograms and different typographic elements. ...

Interpreting information graphics

Many information graphics are specialised forms of depiction that represent their content in sophisticated and often abstract ways. In order to interpret the meaning of these graphics appropriately, the viewer requires a suitable level of graphicacy. In many cases, the required graphicacy involves comprehension skills that are learned rather than innate. At a fundamental level, the skills of decoding individual graphic signs and symbols must be acquired before sense can be made of an information graphic as a whole. Howevever, knowledge of the conventions for distributing and arranging these individual components is also necessary for the building of understanding. Self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh A portrait is a painting, photograph, or other artistic representation of a person. ... This article is about the concept of abstraction in general. ... Graphicacy is concerned with the capacities people require in order to interpret and generate information in the form of graphics. ... Understanding is a psychological state in relation to an object or person whereby one is able to think about it and use concepts to be able to deal adequately with that object. ... For other senses of the word code, see code (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Signs movie. ... Generally, convention means coming together. ...

References

• "Blood, Dirt, and Nomograms: A Particular History of Graphs", Thomas L. Hankins, Isis, University of Chicago Press (1999, 90: 50-80). [[1]]
• "Designing Infographics" (1998), Eric K. Meyer

// Isis in Egypt Early Isis Isis (Greek corruption; the Egyptian is Aset) was originally a goddess from Nubia, and was adopted into Egyptian belief very early. ...

External links

• Edward Tufte
• informationdesign.org
• Examples of information graphics
• Paul Mijksenaar
• Milestones in the History of Thematic Cartography, Statistical Graphics and Data Visualization
• Nigel Holmes, the Explanation Graphics and the Power of Pictures
• Richard Saul Wurman's excellent visual overview of information about the United States
• mappings by bureau d'étueds
• The World As Flatland
• Funnel Inc. - infodesign for marketing, branding and wayfinding