Creating an infographic
This week, I created an infographic of my own using household elements and the techniques I studied. My infographic represents the number of fires, injuries and deaths related to fires in the U.S. in 2021. I showed this data by gathering a lighter and a candle from my house. These two items were helpful in my design because they related to the cause of the infographic and were also a part of the design. The candle was in the shape of a “0”, therefore I made it the number zero in “2021". Plus the lighter was in the shape of a “1”, so it acted as the “1” in “2021”. Additionally, the information I used for this statistic came from the U.S. National Fire Protection Association.
Visual maps like infographics allow audiences to consume large chunks of information more easily and less overwhelmingly. According to SAS, because of the way humans process information, data visualization in the form of charts, graphs, and infographics is sometimes easiest for people to comprehend.
In my infographic, I used graphical elements such as lines and graphical properties such as shapes to get my message across. According to the Interaction Design Foundation, graphical elements are the visual elements that appear in the spatial substrate of a visual map. On the other hand, graphical properties are properties that can be applied to the graphical elements which make them more or less noticeable to the eye and/or valuable toward the message.
Furthermore, while I was designing this infographic and gathering the household materials, I took a lot of inspiration from illustrator and designer Sarah Illenberger. Illenberger is known for creating infographics using simplistic household materials like fruits, vegetables, tissues, paper towels and more. Her work is also rather simplistic, yet also very powerful. Illenberger also purposefully places the objects where they are in her infographic. This purposeful placement gave me the idea to do the same with my candle and lighter.
Sharing information through visuals is especially important for complex information or statistics. For example, according to the National Museum of American History, Henry D. Hubbard with the National Bureau of Standards created a periodic chart of atoms for people to better visualize the information. The chart was often given to college students to help them learn and memorize the material more easily. Oftentimes, complex information can not only be difficult to explain but also difficult to memorize. Therefore, taking time to visualize the information can be equally as important as writing it.
Lastly, data visualizations with charts and graphs are also a useful tool for businesses to pick up as well. According to Hubspot, your data is only as good as your audience’s ability to understand it. Therefore, all companies should look into visual mapping to guarantee customer comprehension and satisfaction.
Citations:
“Chemistry | National Museum of American History.” National Museum of American History, https://americanhistory.si.edu/mobilizing-minds/chemistry. Accessed 13 November 2023.
“Statistics.” U.S. Fire Administration, https://www.usfa.fema.gov/statistics/. Accessed 13 November 2023.
“Visual Mapping – The Elements of Information Visualization.” The Interaction Design Foundation, 27 July 2020, https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/visual-mapping-the-elements-of-information-visualization. Accessed 13 November 2023.