Data visualization

The Info on Infographics

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Infographics are all the rage lately.

And by lately, I mean my computer still puts a red squiggly line under infographics.

So, for my computer and for those who are also pondering infographics, here is the definition:

(in·fo·graph·ic) /ˌinfōˈgrafik/ noun, a visual image such as a chart or diagram used to represent information or data.

Infographics are becoming pertinent to businesses’ success, especially on social media. Why? We are visual people. We are busy people. We have short attention spans. We don’t have the time or the desire to read a long article. We want to know what matters to us and we want that information quick. Infographics appeal to us. And when something keeps our attention in a positive way, it is only right to share that with others. Spreading the love, so to speak. If done well, infographics can gain some mileage.

“Left brain thinking” was the focus of the late 1900’s and the first decade of the 21st century. If you could receive and retain loads of information, your career path was paved with gold.

However, there is a shift taking place. The right hemisphere of the brain is getting a lot more appreciation these days than it used to. Those who doubted the importance of the right hemisphere are realizing that “right brain thinking”, the creative, innovative, conceptual part of the mind, is necessary in society now.In A Whole New Mind, the author, Daniel Pink, pointed out that “the right hemisphere doesn’t march in a single-file formation of A-B-C-D-E. Its special talent is the ability to interpret things simultaneously.” (Pink, 19) Infographics force the brain to interpret various pieces of information concurrently and in a different way than usual, which activates the right side of the brain. More and more people are interested in R-Directed thinking, as Pink calls it, and therefore infographics are getting more attention as well.

I am on the infographic train and I suggest you hop on board as well.

Image

via http://visual.ly/infographic-about-infographics-0

Interesting articles about infographics:

http://socialmediachimps.com/infographics/why-infographics-data-visualization-works/

http://mashable.com/2013/09/22/infographic-hiring/

http://socialmediatoday.com/feldmancreative/1697881/most-important-thing-you-need-know-about-infographics