Principle 1: Inforgraphic should not make an argument without enough justification in order not to mislead audience
I do not like this infographic not only because it says that "pink is bad" but also because it says so without any good reasons. Do the quotes "77% of women who wrote a gender-neutral essays, said they would donate to ovarian cancer research" and "44% of women who wrote an essay about gender said they would donate to ovarian cancer research" support the claim of "The color pink is bad for fighting breast cancer"? NO WAY!!! The two quotes at the left side do not make sense even more.
IMG retrieved from http://onetooneglobal.com/blog/2011/07/05/think-pink/
Principle 2: Infographic should not use too small texts in order to ensure readability
You can see a larger version of the image below by clicking the image or the URL below. What you will find is that it is hard to read the texts even if the image is enlarged!!! The quality of the content does not matter if none can read the texts and make sense of the infographic.
IMG retrieved from http://dadofdivas-reviews.blogspot.com/2010/08/pepto-bismol-giveaway.html
Principle 3: Infographic should not be too long or wide in order to fit a screen and paper
The following two infographics do consist of readable size of texts. However, since they are too long/wide, they shrink when we see them in a window or on a paper. Accordingly, it is hard to see what are written and described on them.
IMG retrieved from http://www.onlinenursingprograms.com/code-pink/
IMG retrieved from http://voltagecreative.com/editorials/graphic-history-color-pink/
Non-Example
I do not say the following is a perfect infographic. Yet, it does not seem to make an argument without enough justification, it generally consists of readable size of texts, and it's not too long or wide and fit a screen or a paper!
IMG retrieved from http://www.samsill.com/infographic-what-cause-is-important-to-you
Hi Kei,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thought-provoking blog post! I agree with your first principle. It seems like the author of the infographic used the statistics in order to imply that the color pink could be detrimental to the movement. However, that claim is not backed up by any specific study. I think it is unethical whenever anyone uses statistics and percentages because they give the impression of hard science rather than as legitimate justification.
The Pepto infographic is an interesting one. I wonder where the author intended for it to be shown. It seems like the text would only be readable if the graphic were in the form of a large poster. Of course, that brings up the questions, in what location would one find a giant Pepto infographic poster!?
I actually like the long infographic. Although, I understand how it could be difficult to read on any platform besides the internet. I think it is interesting how an infographic can take on different forms depending on where they are designed to be read. For example, now that touch computing is so popular I would love to experience a touch-based, interactive infographic!
Thanks again for the post!
-Scott
Thanks Scott!!
DeleteHope you are having wonderful holiday :)
I actually do like infographics incorporating statistics. Without any data or support, it is hard for me to believe any claims. Yet, as we have learned in undergrad stat courses, it is certainly unethical and ridiculous to show percentages without showing the total number.
I had a same concern about the Pepto infographic. As you say, it might be intended for a large paper. However, in order to make the texts large enough to be read, the poster must be really really really big! Also, poster is something should be understand by comparatively far distance. In any event, I like pink and hope to see a giant pink poster :)
Yeah, as you say, it seems the long and wide infographics are more for touch computing devices. I’m a person who do not have a strong spatial ability and feel cognitive load if a graph or something cannot be seen in one window or page. Yet, there would be many people like you. Again, as you said, it is very important for us to be mindful about the audience :)
Kei