Creative Infographics

I think it's helpful to even just browse good examples of data visualization -- it helps me think about how I might want to present data. See http://www.william-garrity.com/blog/tag/infographic.

Fast Company's Co.Design ("Our focus is on highlighting the world’s best examples of design and innovation, working in concert.") presents 

8 Of The Year's Most Creative Infographics

THE BEST AMERICAN INFOGRAPHICS OFFERS 165 PAGES OF DRY FACTS AND FIGURES TRANSFORMED INTO EYE CANDY. HERE ARE EIGHT OF OUR FAVORITES.

Fancy flowcharts! Colorful maps! A running cheetah made see-through! In this age of information overload, infographics have evolved into a vital new vernacular, transforming the Internet’s daily avalanche of facts and figures into digestible and often beautiful images.

Ironically, perhaps, this site has what I find to be an awkward architecture: the graphics themselves are presented as big thumbnails in a huge top banner. Arrow-click to browse and click on a thumbnail to go full size. 

Click image thumbnail for full size.

Longlist of Data Visualizations

For inspiration -- over 300 data visualizations. 

Looking for an idea about how to present your data, to tell their story? See this longlist of over 300 data visualizations compiled as submissions for the 2013 Kantar Information is Beautiful Awards by Information is Beautiful (". . .  dedicated to distilling the world’s data, information and knowledge into beautiful, interesting and, above all, useful visualizations, infographics and diagrams"). 

Submissions are categorized as 

• Data visualization
• Infographic
• Interactive
• Motion infographic
• Tool

Go browse!

Meterorites, 1900-2000 

What Health Care is So Expensive

Global Land Temperatures (interactive)

Update on Sunday, November 24, 2013 at 02:21PM by williamgarrity

And the winners: http://www.informationisbeautifulawards.com/2013-winners/. 

Data Visualization

Here is a pair of resources to help with data visualization efforts. 

1) http://www.visualizing.org/ is ". . .  a community of creative people making sense of complex issues through data and design. . . and a shared space and free resource to help you achieve this goal."

One can (see http://www.visualizing.org/about) 

• Explore and discuss the best in data visualization and infographics created by the community 
• Share and embed visualizations using the Visualizing Player 
• Drive into complex issues with expert-curated galleries
• Upload, host, and showcase your work for a wide audience
• Find and discuss open data sets
• Enter challenges and participate in unique events
• Publicize and host your data sets through Visualizing.org
• Collect visualizations and discussion around your data by creating a Data Channel
• Gain exposure and insight by collaborating on challenges and events
• Engage your students in challenges and become eligible for marathons by becoming an Academic Partner
• Collect and share student projects in one place with galleries
• Organize examples and resources for teaching
• Explore and discuss the best in data visualization and infographics created by our community 

Most important and useful (to me, anyway) is http://www.visualizing.org/explore, which affords multiple ways for one to browse for and get inspired by great examples of visualizations. Browse by

• topic -- environment, economy, health, etc. 
• form -- chart, time series, map, etc. 
• tools -- Adobe CS, R, Spss, etc. 

2) http://flowingdata.com/ is less elaborate -- it is more an individual's pursuit; its creator, Nathan Yua, blogs about and collects good examples of data visualization -- and has more accessible tutorials. 

Update on Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 05:00PM by williamgarrity

Just came across this: http://mashable.com/2013/03/05/data-visualization-projects/

Relative Strengths and Weaknesses of Leading Social Networks

Via PCMag.com's Stephanie Mlot, a summary of and infographic about the leading social networks' -- Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linkedin -- comparative growth, monthly visitors, and marketing ROI. 

"Infographic: Which Social Networks Make the Grade?" 

January 14, 2013 

Social media hit the roof in 2012, but how did each individual network compare to its rivals? 

Now that the dust has settled on the year that gave us Pinterest, a Facebook-Instagram acquisition, and even the news that MySpace is resurfacing, marketing software provider Pardot has graded Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

"With so many social networks to manage and likely more on the way, it is important to understand the growth rates, visitor counts, optimal uses, and strengths and weaknesses of the major social networks to determine where to exert your limited time and resources," Pardot said in a blog post. 

Based on each network's growth, monthly visitors, and estimated marketing return-on-investment (ROI), Twitter comes closest to earning straight A's. The micro-blogging site scored a B-minus in terms of growth, but took home an A-minus in monthly users and a solid A for ROI. Boasting 37 million monthly visitors, Twitter is second only to Facebook's massive following, but its 13 percent growth over the year beat Facebook's 4 percent drop. 

Summary continues and full infographic at link. 

The Next 150 Years

 From the BBC -- "Tomorrow’s world: A guide to the next 150 years" -- 

As we begin a new year, BBC Future has compiled 40 intriguing predictions made by scientists, politicians, journalists, bloggers and other assorted pundits in recent years about the shape of the world from 2013 to 2150.

-- in the domains of Computing and Robotics, Politics and Business, Science and Nature, Society, and Technology. 

This is also, in and of itself, a wondeful infographic.