What are Infographics and Data Visualizations?
According to Visual.ly, an online community for creating and sharing infographics and data visualizations, infographics and data visualizations are defined as:
“Infographics are images created to explain a particular idea or data set. They often contain beautiful graphics to increase their appeal and help catch your attention. Many of them use data visualizations.” – Visual.ly
“Data visualizations represent numerical data in a visual format. They can be anything from a simple bar chart to a complex three dimensional CAT Scan representation.” – Visual.ly
Lately, I’ve been seeing infographics all over the internet. One of my favorite sources for news and information, Mashable, uses infographics frequently to breakdown complex information and present it to readers like myself visually. Type INFOGRAPHICS into mashable’s search engine and you’ll discover tons of infographics about the 2012 election, recycling, gaming, the job market, social media and more!
Visual Presentations is the upcoming project my team must present to our technical writing class in 2 weeks. So when I started studying visual presentations I got really excited about infographics because they are perfect for showing data in a more engaging way. Some of the infographics I’ve seen use bar graphs, pie charts, tables, signs, maps, photos and more. The best thing I’ve learned about infographics has to be the ability to use this information for my college coursework. Many of the infographics I have studied are backed by legitimate sources which are normally cited at the bottom. For example, I’ve found two really interesting infographics concerning libraries and the librarian profession. Note how aesthetically pleasing and eye catching the information is shown. Honestly, I can’t imagine fully enjoying this information if it were in written paragraph form and this is information that normally peaks my interest!
Lastly, I urge you to browse visual.ly if you’re a creative person interested in making an infographic for you next project. I’ve just discovered the website myself so I’m still learning, however I think it’ll be a fun and free tool to use for upcoming school or work projects.
*Click the infographic to enlarge
What are QR Codes?
I’ve been seeing qr codes everywhere! If you’re on a campus computer at Indiana University East, you’re probably staring at one on the desktop monitor advertising surplus computer equipment. According to Mashable, QR codes or Quick Response Code is a trademark for the matrix bar code. I was surprised to read that this technology stems from the automotive industry. Its similar to the UPC code that you’d find on grocery items but the QR code can store more information.
To use a QR Code you must have a camera-enabled smartphone such as an Android, iPhone or Blackberry device. You’ll probably need to download a QR code scanning app, which are normally free, then you can begin scanning these codes. Once you can a code you may be directed to a website, Facebook or Twitter page and more. I’ve seen QR codes in many places, linking people to the information they desire. For example, I’ve seen these codes on library books and in newspapers. Once you scan them you might be directed to more information about the author or the story. Here’s a link about using QR codes as a low cost method for promoting books!
Here’s a QR code that links to an article about Targets marketing technique for the holiday season. I made it pretty easily using www.qrstuff.com!
I’m really interested to see where QR code technology leads us. Recently, I saw a news program talking about QR Codes on tombstones. Loved ones would be able to scan the code and see more details about the person or leave notes and comments. Hmm? I could see the problems there. My main concern is the fact that websites aren’t always static. They constantly change. Sometimes links to websites are faulty. Can the QR code keep up?
Literary Scribbles 