Infographic Analysis

Image by Daniel Zeevi via Flickr

Cheetah: Nature's Speed Machine

There are countless infographics in the world that use visualization to inform people about various subjects. An infographic I selected is titled Cheetah: Nature's Speed Machine. The reason I chose this graphic is that it’s very simple and visually impressive. The way the infographic is organized and animated adds to its effectiveness in informing the viewer. It is an excellent way of displaying information and keeps me engaged in the graphic. There is a lot of information that I found to be very interesting. They don’t give you too much information and include just enough to effectively inform the viewer. The use of graphics and visuals within it helps when navigating the image and understanding its content. The use of comparisons is great to help grasp and comprehend how fast this animal is. The theme and colors of the image perfectly fit in with that of a cheetah.​​

There isn’t much I would change about this graphic. If there was one thing that I would change, it would be the font size. I think the font is too small and could be enlarged to make it easier to read. While that small detail could be changed, I think the image accomplishes the overall goal of information visualization as, “The focus is on visual displays in which graphical approaches play a central role in communicating information in a meaningful way” (Meirelles 13). This is essential to creating a great infographic that is able to inform the viewer. 

While this infographic is effective in educating people, there are certain elements of other graphics that are not. As Tommy McCall stated in his TED Talk, good graphics, “...can transmit data with incredible efficiency” (McCall). This can be difficult to achieve when there is too much information spread around in one area. I don’t believe the cluster of information in a graphic to be successful. Images will tend to put as much information into one graphic as possible without a simplistic organization of data. This sometimes leads to no space within the image, making it difficult to read and decipher. Another element that isn’t very effective is the excessive use of words in a graphic over images. The purpose of infographics is to avoid a lot of wording. Some graphics aren’t able to achieve this and it results in a more complicated image that takes away from the simplicity of information design. Overall, this image checks all the marks of an effective infographic. It perfectly showcases how simple and informative these graphics can be.

Works Cited:

McCall, Tommy, director. Tommy McCall: The Simple Genius of a Good Graphic | TED Talk, https://www.ted.com/talks/tommy_mccall_the_simple_genius_of_a_good_graphic?subtitle=en. 

Meirelles, Isabel. Design for Information: An Introduction to the Histories, Theories, and Best Practices Behind Effective Information Visualizations, Quarto Publishing Group USA, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/empire-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3399922.

Zeevi, Daniel. “What Makes a Good Infographic?” Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/dashburst/8448339735.