I have never really thought much about concrete. Sure, we step on it every day, but outside of that (like most people) I spend more time looking at the world ahead than down at the surface below me. However, when you put a snazzy concrete infographic in front of me, one that I can click on to discover charts, surveys, and stats about what consumers think of concrete of all kinds, I can quickly dig up my inner concrete fan.
Wikipedia describes an infographic as a graphic visual representation of information, data, or knowledge used to communicate a concept or to process information. In 2010, these designs are popping up online to explain everything from social media's impact on the midterm elections in the United States to World of Warcraft's worldwide domination to the numbers behind the pornography business.
Aside from helping people understand big ideas and complex numbers, infographics done well can get you noticed on the web, whether you're a student writing about the decline of Yahoo! or a newspaper trying to make a name for yourself in the world of visual storytelling or an accounting site talking about coffee's place in the global economy. As SEO.com explains, publishing infographics is "the new fad for attracting linkbait and traffic," a trend that has skyrocketed this year.
Here are just a few of the most creative infographics to hit the web in 2010, thanks to the viral effect of content sharing on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Do you have a favourite infographic? Share your link in the comments.
- Michael Anderson's Infographics Resume
- Disney VS Marvel Infographic
- GOOD Magazine's World Health Infographic
- Global Map of Social Web Involvement
- A Crude Awakening
