Citizendia
Your Ad Here

The Washington Metro subway map
The Washington Metro subway map

Information graphics or infographics are visual representations of information, data or knowledge. Information as a concept has a diversity of meanings from everyday usage to technical settings Debt AIDS Trade in Africa (or DATA) is a Multinational non-government organization founded in January 2002 in London by U2 's Knowledge is defined ( Oxford English Dictionary) variously as (i expertise and skills acquired by a person through experience or education the theoretical or practical understanding These graphics are used anywhere where information needs to be explained quickly or simply, such as in signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education. Graphics (from Greek grc [[wiktγραφικός γραφικός]] see -graphy) are Visual presentations on some surface such as a wall An information sign is a very legibly printed and very noticeable Placard that Informs people of the purpose of an object or gives them Instruction on the A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, Regions, and Themes Journalism is the profession of writing or communicating formally employed by publications and broadcasters for the benefit of a particular Community of people Technical writing, a form of Technical communication, is a style of formal writing used in fields as diverse as Computer Hardware and Software Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency They are also used extensively as tools by computer scientists, mathematicians, and statisticians to ease the process of developing and communicating conceptual information. Computer science (or computing science) is the study and the Science of the theoretical foundations of Information and Computation and their A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study and research is the field of Mathematics. Statisticians or people who made notable contributions to the theories of Statistics, or related aspects of Probability, or Machine learning. They are applied in all aspects of scientific visualization. See also Visualization and Information graphics Visualization is any technique for creating Images Diagrams or

Contents

History

Early experiments

In prehistory, early humans created the first information graphics: cave paintings and later maps. Stone Age Paleolithic See also Paleolithic, Recent African Origin, Early Homo sapiens, Early human migrations "Paleolithic" Cave paintings are Paintings on Cave walls and ceilings and the term is used especially for those dating to Prehistoric times A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, Regions, and Themes Map-making began several millennia before writing, and map at Çatalhöyük dates from around 7500 BCE. Çatalhöyük (ʧɑtɑl højyk in Turkish also Çatal Höyük and Çatal Hüyük, or any of the three without Diacritics çatal is Turkish Later icons were used to keep record of cattle and stock. The Indians of Mesoamerica used imagery to depict the journeys of past generations. Mesoamerica or Meso-America (Mesoamérica is a Region extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua, defined Illegible on their own, they served as a supportive element to memory and storytelling.

In 1626 Christopher Scheiner published the Rosa Ursina sive Sol which used a variety of graphics to reveal his astronomical research on the sun. Christoph Scheiner SJ ( 25 July 1573 (or 1575 in Markt Wald near Mindelheim in Swabia He used a series of images to explain the rotation of the sun over time (by tracking sunspots).

In 1786, William Playfair published the first data graphs in his book The Commercial and Political Atlas. Year 1786 ( MDCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common William Playfair ( Sept 22, 1759 – Feb 11, 1823) was a Scottish Engineer and Political economist, who is considered the founder of The book is filled with statistical graphs that represent the economy of 18th century England using bar charts and histograms. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland See CategoryBar chart templates for Wikipedia templates to make bar charts In Statistics, a histogram is a Graphical display of tabulated frequencies, shown as Bars It shows what proportion of cases fall into each of In 1801 Playfair introduced the first area chart in Statistical Breviary. Year 1801 ( MDCCCI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Tuesday An area chart displays graphically quantitive data It is based on the Line chart.

Charles Minard's information graphic of Napoleon's invasion of Russia
Charles Minard's information graphic of Napoleon's invasion of Russia

1861 saw the release of a seminal information graphic on the subject of Napoleon's disastrous march on Moscow. Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. The French invasion of Russia in 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. The creator, Charles Joseph Minard, captured four different changing variables that contributed to the failure, in a single two-dimensional image: the army's direction as they traveled, the location the troops passed through, the size of the army as troops died from hunger and wounds, and the freezing temperatures they experienced. Charles Joseph Minard (27 March 1781 in Dijon &ndash 24 October 1870 in Bordeaux) was a French Civil engineer noted for his inventions in the field In mathematics the dimension of a Space is roughly defined as the minimum number of Coordinates needed to specify every point within it

James Joseph Sylvester introduced the term "graph" in 1878 and published a set of diagrams showing the relationship between chemical bonds and mathematical properties. James Joseph Sylvester ( September 3, 1814 London – March 15, 1897 Oxford) was an English Mathematician Year 1878 ( MDCCCLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common A chemical bond is the physical process responsible for the attractive interactions between Atoms and Molecules and which confers stability to diatomic and polyatomic These were also the first mathematic graphs. In Mathematics and Computer science, a graph is the basic object of study in Graph theory.

The development of a visual language in the 20th century

In 1936 Otto Neurath introduced a system of pictographs intended to function as an international visual or picture language. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Otto Neurath (1882 - 1945 was an Austrian philosopher of science, sociologist, and political economist. A pictogram ( also spelled pictogramme) or pictograph is a Symbol representing a Concept, object, activity place or event Isotype included a set of stylized human figures which were the basis for the ubiquitous modern stick figures. In Graphic design and Sociology, an Isotype is a system of Pictograms designed by the Austrian educator and philosopher Otto Neurath A stick figure is a very simple type of drawing made of sticks and circles generally of the Human form although stick figures of other types of Animals are possible

In 1942 Isidore Isou published the Lettrist manifesto. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Isidore Isou ( January 31, 1925 &ndash July 28, 2007) born Ioan-Isidor Goldstein, was a Romanian born French Lettrism is a French Avant-garde movement established in Paris in the mid-1940s by Romanian immigrant Isidore Isou.

The 1972 Munich Olympics were the venue for Otl Aicher to introduce a new set of pictograms that proved to be extremely popular, and influenced the ubiquitous modern stick figures used in public signs. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Munich, in what was Otl Aicher, also known as Otto Aicher ( May 13, 1922 - September 1, 1991) was one of the leading German Graphic designers A pictogram ( also spelled pictogramme) or pictograph is a Symbol representing a Concept, object, activity place or event A stick figure is a very simple type of drawing made of sticks and circles generally of the Human form although stick figures of other types of Animals are possible

The Pioneer Plaque
The Pioneer Plaque

Also in 1972 the Pioneer Plaque was launched into space with the Pioneer 10 probe. The Pioneer plaques are a pair of Gold anodized Aluminum plaques which were placed on board the 1972 Pioneer 10 and 1973 Pioneer 10 ( Pioneer-F) was the first Spacecraft to travel through the Asteroid belt, which it entered on July 15, 1972 Inscribed into the plaque was an information graphic intended as a kind of interstellar message in a bottle, designed by Carl Sagan and Frank Drake. A message in a bottle is a form of communication whereby a message is sealed in a container (archetypically a glass Bottle, but could be any medium so long as it floats Carl Edward Sagan ( November 9 1934 &ndash December 20 1996) was an American Astronomer, astrochemist, author Dr Frank Donald Drake (born May 28 1930, Chicago) is an American Astronomer and Astrophysicist. The message is unique in that it is intended to be understood by extraterrestrial beings who would share no common language with humans. CETI (Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence is a branch of SETI research that focuses on composing and deciphering messages that could theoretically be understood Extraterrestrial life is Life originating outside of the Earth. It depicts a picture of a man and a woman standing in front of a simplified silhouette of the probe in order to give a sense of scale. It also contains a map locating the sun relative to a number of pulsars, and a simplified depiction of the solar system, with the probe's path from earth into outer space shown with an arrow. Pulsars are highly magnetized rotating Neutron stars that emit a beam of Electromagnetic radiation in the form of radio waves

Modern uses

Today information graphics surround us in the media, in published works both pedestrian and scientific, in road signs and manuals. They illustrate information that would be unwieldy in text form, and act as a visual shorthand for everyday concepts such as stop and go. A stop sign is a Traffic sign, usually erected at Road junctions that instructs drivers to stop and then to proceed only if the way ahead is clear An arrow is a graphical Symbol such as → or ← used to point or indicate direction being in its simplest form a line segment with a triangle affixed to one end and

In newspapers, infographics are commonly used to show the weather, as well as maps and site plans for newsworthy events, and graphs for statistical data. Some books are almost entirely made up of information graphics, such as David Macaulay's The Way Things Work. David Macaulay (born December 2, 1946 in Lancashire, England) is an Author and Illustrator. For the Unknown Instructors album please refer to " The Way Things Work (album " The Way Things Work is a book Although they are used heavily in children's books, they are also common in scientific literature, where they illustrate physical systems, especially ones that cannot be photographed (such as cutaway diagrams, astronomical diagrams, and images of microscopic or sub-microscopic systems).

Modern maps, especially route maps for transit systems, use infographic techniques to integrate a variety of information, such as the conceptual layout of the transit network, transfer points, and local landmarks.

Traffic signs and other public signs rely heavily on information graphics, such as stylized human figures (the ubiquitous stick figure), icons and emblems to represent concepts such as yield, caution, and the direction of traffic. Most countries post signage known as traffic signs or road signs, at the side of Roads to A stick figure is a very simple type of drawing made of sticks and circles generally of the Human form although stick figures of other types of Animals are possible Public places such as transit terminals usually have some sort of integrated "signage system" with standardized icons and stylized maps.

Technical manuals make extensive use of diagrams and also common icons to highlight warnings, dangers, and standards certifications.

Elements of information graphics

The basic material of an information graphic is the data, information, or knowledge that the graphic presents. Debt AIDS Trade in Africa (or DATA) is a Multinational non-government organization founded in January 2002 in London by U2 's Information as a concept has a diversity of meanings from everyday usage to technical settings Knowledge is defined ( Oxford English Dictionary) variously as (i expertise and skills acquired by a person through experience or education the theoretical or practical understanding 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 musical instrument is spelled Cymbal. A symbol is something --- such as an object, Picture, written word a sound a piece A pictogram ( also spelled pictogramme) or pictograph is a Symbol representing a Concept, object, activity place or event The information graphic might also feature a key which defines the visual elements in plain English. See also List of glossaries A glossary is a list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms A scale and labels are also common. The scale of a Map is the ratio of a single unit of distance on the map to the equivalent distance on the ground A label is a piece of Paper, Polymer, Cloth, Metal, or other material affixed to a container or article on which is Printed

Modern practitioners

A statistician and sculptor, Edward Tufte has written a series of highly regarded books on the subject of information graphics. Edward Rolf Tufte (ˈtʌfti (1942 is an American Statistician, and Professor Emeritus of Statistics, Information design, Interface design 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' (alluding to the 2-dimensional world of the Victorian novella Flatland). For other uses see Flatland (disambiguation Flatland A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 Science fiction

The work done by Peter Sullivan for The Sunday Times in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, was one of the key factors in encouraging newspapers to use more graphics. Peter Sullivan (1932–1996 was a British Graphic designer best known for his work on Information graphics in The Sunday Times. The Sunday Times is a Sunday Broadsheet Newspaper distributed in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Sullivan is also one of the few authors who have written about information graphics in newspapers. Likewise the staff artists at USA Today, the colorful United States newspaper that debuted in 1982, firmly established the philosophy of using graphics to make information easier to comprehend. USA TODAY is a national American daily Newspaper published by the Gannett Company. The paper received criticism for oversimplifying news and sometimes creating infographics that emphasized entertainment over respect for content and data, sometimes referred to as chartjunk. Chartjunk refers to all visual elements in charts and graphs that are not necessary to comprehend the information represented on the graph or that distract the viewer from this information While worthy of much of this derision, its role in establishing infographics as a practice cannot be ignored.

Nigel Holmes is an established commercial creator of what he calls "explanation graphics". Nigel Holmes (1942 is an British Graphic designer and theorist who focuses on Information graphics and Information design. 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. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and

Close and strongly related to the field of information graphics, is information design. Information design has been defined as the art and science of preparing information so that it can be used by human beings with efficiency and effectiveness Actually, making infographics is a certain discipline within the information design world. Author and founder of the TED (conference), Richard Saul Wurman, is considered the originator of the phrase, "information architect", and many of his books, such as Information Anxiety, helped propel the phrase, "information design", from a concept to an actual job category. TED ( Technology Entertainment Design) is an annual conference that defines its mission as "ideas worth spreading" Richard Saul Wurman (born 1935 in Philadelphia is an American Architect and Graphic designer.

While the art form of infographics has its roots in print, by the year 2000, the use of Adobe Flash-based animations on the web has allowed to make mapping solutions and other products famous and addictive by using many key best practices of infographics. Adobe Flash (previously called Shockwave Flash and Macromedia Flash) is a set of Multimedia software created by Macromedia and currently

Likewise, their use in television is relatively recent, for in 2002, two Norwegian musicians of Röyksopp issued a music video for their song Remind Me that was completely made from animated infographics. " Remind Me " (and in late 2002 " Remind Me "/" So Easy " is a song by Norwegian duo Röyksopp, released as their In 2004, a television commercial for the French energy company Areva used similar animated infographics and both of these videos and their high visibility have helped the corporate world recognize the value in using this form of visual language to describe complex information efficiently. AREVA ( is a French public Multinational industrial conglomerate that is mainly known for Nuclear power; it also has interests in other

Interpreting information graphics

Many information graphics are specialised forms of depiction that represent their content in sophisticated and often abstract ways. Depiction is a distinctive kind of representation Figurative pictures are the paradigm example In order to interpret the meaning of these graphics appropriately, the viewer requires a suitable level of graphicacy. Graphicacy is concerned with the capacities people require in order to interpret and generate information in the form of Graphics. 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. Decoding is the reverse of Encoding, which is the process of transforming information from one format into another The musical instrument is spelled Cymbal. A symbol is something --- such as an object, Picture, written word a sound a piece However, knowledge of the conventions for distributing and arranging these individual components is also necessary for the building of understanding. A convention is a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted Standards norms social norms or criteria, often taking the form of

Ease in interpreting information graphics with a common visual language

In contrast to the above, many other forms of infographics take advantage of innate visual language that is largely universal. The disciplined use of the color red, for emphasis, on an otherwise muted design, demands attention in a primal way even children understand. Many maps, interfaces, dials and gauges on instruments and machinery use icons that are easy to grasp and speed understanding for safe operation. The use of a rabbit and a turtle icon to represent fast and slow, respectively, is one such successful use by the John Deere company on the throttle of their tractors. John Deere ( February 7, 1804 &ndash May 17, 1886) was an American blacksmith and manufacturer who founded Deere & Company &mdash

References

See also

External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic