Database Reference
In-Depth Information
At the point of answering these questions, consider then whether you are
producing an infographic or a data visualization.
THe PlACe oF InFogRAPHICS
The distinction between an infographic and a visualization is a narrow one,
but can be put simply as follows:
uu
An
infographic
is a graphic used to convey a message that is known before
the creation of the infographic.
uu
A
data visualization
is a graphical aid used to discover a message buried
in data.
It is clear from these definitions that a data visualization can be published as
an infographic. But data visualizations are often interactive and dynamic, so if
the message changes (for instance, the sales figures that are being reported on
show a decrease from June to July), the data visualization updates automati-
cally and shows the new figures. Whereas an infographic designed specifically
around showing how well the sales team performed in June still shows the
same figures because an infographic is typically simply a flat graphic.
The reason for flat and non-interactive infographics typically being the case
is rather simple: infographics are often handcrafted one-offs, and the level
of effort involved in creating a data visualization that performs image trans-
forms similar to those done in a tool such as Photoshop can be challenging.
However, this work is valuable because it means that an infographic does not
become stale and out of date; it stays up to date as the data changes. (You
read more about how to do this using HTML5 in Chapter 9 and throughout
Part 3 of this topic.)
To reiterate the questions mentioned previously: When you create a data
visualization, you enable the discovery of answers through the data presented,
and as such the data presentation should be as rich as possible.
uSIng 3D eFFeCTIVely
The use of three dimensions in visualization is a controversial topic. 3D effects
are used in many ways: to add flash by creating an illusion of depth; as an
additional dimension to represent another data point; and for representation
