JenniferL_R01

"A silly theory means a silly graphic." I completely agree with this quote from our reading. But I think it's also important to point out: a silly graphic means a ruined theory. If you google infographics, you'll come across plenty of successful and unsuccessful modern infographics. The successful ones draw you in, yet still present the information in a way that is legible, logical, and understandable. Successful infographics act as a guide, helping you see quantities and relationships you may have not been able to imagine on your own. After all, the main point of this reading was to point out that a visualization of data is more valuable and understandable than data on it's own. On the other hand, the unsuccessful infographics seem to be "trying too hard." They seem more concerned with "looking cool" than presenting the information in a way that is helpful. And often times these graphics do succeed at drawing you in with their good looks, but once you try to figure out what you're looking at, you become confused and sidetracked. A boring, old school bar graph might be more successful than a modern, highly attractive, yet highly confusing infographic. I can only conclude from these personal observations that the design and the information of an infographic must work together. Design is important, but legibility and logic are still the foundation of success. I think the modern infographic designer has to remember that in the end, it is more about the information than the aesthetics. With this being said, infographics seem to be ever changing and ever evolving, and there are plenty of good looking, creative, AND successful infographics out there. The challenge is to create great design that will stand out among the competition without sacrificing the data it is supposed to carry. I think Playfair understood this concept long before the boom of modern infographics. If you look at his graph regarding mechanic wages, wheat prices, and British kings and queens, he's presented the information extremely well. He's also used color, shading, and decoration to help maximize the legibility and appeal of the information. It is an early attempt at mixing information and design worth applauding.