Wikipedia defines an infographic as “a graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge”. Sure, that covers a pretty wide range of things.  But think of an infographic as something more than your standard line, pie, or bar chart generated in Excel and displayed in PowerPoint.  An infographic makes data unique.  Sometimes an infographic makes data out of some pretty weird things.

In fact, the presence of the infographic has increased in recent years. What was usually confined to annual reports and the occasional news story has become something more. Something with definite viral-like popularity when done right.

For me, the better infographics usually include or combine any of the following traits:

• Visualize complex information relationships
• Humorous topics
• Large numbers / quantities showed in proportions
• Looking at non graphic data in a graphic manner (yeah, it makes sense to me).

Sometimes the simple ones are just as (if not more) effective than the complex ones.  Like anything else, it can be done poorly.  Thankfully, those are usually discarded by the collective consciousness of the internet.

I really want to have the luxury of setting aside some time to conceive of one and create it…  But I can say the same for having time to do more printmaking, photography, housework, networking, and a host of other things that need more attention than I’m able to give them.

Links to some examples of infographics  that I like…

• What does a Trillion Dollars Look Like? (by Page Tutor)
• Charting the Beatles (by Michael Deal)
• Photos on Facebook Infographic (from Fast Company)
• Military Spending (from the UK Guardian)
• The Trilogy Meter (by Dan Meth)

Graphic Design geekery – 1/0 Letterpress on Crane Lettra 220 lb stock.

If you’re not into the design details, just know that it’s super thick stock and all the information has a slight indentation because it was pressed into the paper.

It’s by far the nicest card I’ve had, and it was a little pricey, but not compared to all other comparable services I’ve been able to find.

I’ve got a similar card in mind for another long term client I have, so we’ll see after I get their impression on this card.