Lesson 13
Understanding Infographics
NEW MEDIA MENTOR FOR DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
What is an Infographic
An infographic is a popular way to present data by
distilling the words, data points, key concepts and
illustrations that might be present in a report and
creating a visual representation of the material.
NEW MEDIA MENTOR FOR DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
NEW MEDIA MENTOR FOR DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
Infographic Samples
The Oscars 2012
The future of Solar
NEW MEDIA MENTOR FOR DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
Facebook User Statistics 2012
Is a picture really worth a thousand words?
• Research shows visual
communication may be more
powerful than verbal communication
NEW MEDIA MENTOR FOR DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
Content Created by LOOKBOTHWAYS LLC
Made possible by a grant from WebRoot
iKeepSafe
© All Rights Reserved
October 2011
How much is 2.5 billion gigabytes of data?
It is equal to a full-length episode
of “Glee” running continuously for
214,000 years.
NEW MEDIA MENTOR FOR DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
Content Created by LOOKBOTHWAYS LLC
Made possible by a grant from WebRoot
iKeepSafe
© All Rights Reserved
October 2011
Critical thinking required
• Does the infographic cite its sources? Are the sources
reputable?
• Is the data relevant? How old is the data?
• What is the motive of the organization, person, or group
that created the infographic?
• Are you being manipulated through the text, colors or
graphics?
• Does the infographic represent an accurate outline of the
data?
NEW MEDIA MENTOR FOR DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
Content Created by LOOKBOTHWAYS LLC
Made possible by a grant from WebRoot
iKeepSafe
© All Rights Reserved
October 2011
Anatomy of an Infographic
• Color Coding
• Graphics
• Reference Icons
Visual
Content
• Time Frames
• Statistics
• References
Knowledge
• Facts
• Deductions
NEW MEDIA MENTOR FOR DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
Content Created by LOOKBOTHWAYS LLC
Made possible by a grant from WebRoot
iKeepSafe
© All Rights Reserved
October 2011
Who is your audience?
Who will see or use your infographic?
• Will it be kids, adults, or other experts in the topic
area?
Your audience has a huge impact on the colors, icons,
images, and content complexity
NEW MEDIA MENTOR FOR DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
Content Created by LOOKBOTHWAYS LLC
Made possible by a grant from WebRoot
iKeepSafe
© All Rights Reserved
October 2011
Infographic of Infographics
NEW MEDIA MENTOR FOR DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
Content Created by LOOKBOTHWAYS LLC
Made possible by a grant from WebRoot
iKeepSafe
© All Rights Reserved
October 2011
Takeaways
• Before believing any data presented in an
infographic, look at the sources, dive beneath
the surface, and know the motivation of the
creator
• When creating an infographic, your job is to put
the pieces together in a way that tells an
accurate story in a compelling way
NEW MEDIA MENTOR FOR DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
Content Created by LOOKBOTHWAYS LLC
Made possible by a grant from WebRoot
iKeepSafe
© All Rights Reserved
October 2011
This iKeepCurrent lesson is brought
to you by iKeepSafe
TM
TM
NEW MEDIA MENTOR FOR DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP