Although this video is 3 years old, it has some important information about data visualization and info graphics. I realized that until this video I took data visualization completely for granted; I never appreciated how much time and effort is put into each visual to portray the data in just the right way.
Two important questions the journalists in the video said must be answered are: “How do you get the story from the data?” and “How do you organize it so the audience reacts?” The mission of the graphic is to show data in a unique, understandable way since humans are mostly visual people. There is a craft associated in the field; creating the wrong data visualization ruins both the data and the ability for the audience to understand it. But in addition to understanding it, the audience must understand the purpose and reason for the data. Some journalists said they allowed the audience to make their own conclusion, some said that a story should accompany the data to supplement the audience’s knowledge.
Journalists have about 4-5 seconds to catch the attention of the reader when they come to their webpage, and I think that info graphics and data visualization are a great way to keep the reader interested. Some of the graphs they showed in the video were extremely impressive. I especially liked the Ebb and Flow of Movies, created for The New York Times. It’s has an interesting linear appeal, with different colors. At first I was a bit confused by the graphic, but I saw the key on the side of the page and after reading it, it made complete sense. That also proves how creating data visuals is almost an art form.
One of my favorite data visualization examples was Nicholas Felton’s 2005 Annual Report, all using data from his own life. It was visually appealing and although none of the data directly connected to my life, I was interested. It’s a fantastic way to summarize a year, to create a visually pleasing representation of all personal qualitative data.
My favorite quote from the video was, “Transparency is the new black.” Maybe it is because I started watching ‘Orange is the New Black,’ so it stood out to me, but it also has some truth. The government has been releasing data to the public that isn’t hidden by anything else; it’s just the facts. Formatting data into a clear, understandable visual makes the data even more useful. It leads to openness with an audience and is important not just journalists, but for consumers. Data visualization has become even more important in the 3 years since this video, and I think it’s will only increase in usefulness and significance.