Infographics

What is an Infographic? Infographics are at their best when they combine an interesting topic with clear visuals and statistics to tell a compelling narrative.


 * Information graphics ** or **infographics **are visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics are used where complex information needs to be explained quickly and clearly, such as in signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education. They are also used extensively as tools by computer scientists, mathematicians, and statisticians to ease the process of developing and communicating conceptual information.

**Introducing Infographics to Students with a Global Focus**

 * ** [|Supplies Unchained] **
 * ** [|Curious Planet: The Creative Economy] **
 * ** [|The Shape of Globalization] **
 * ** [|Globalization of Men’s Olympic Basketball Team] **
 * ** [|Starbucks and McDonald’s] **

**Tips and Techniques**
Ideas for infographic formats include:
 * Timelines;
 * Flow charts;
 * Annotated maps;
 * Graphs;
 * Venn diagrams;
 * Size comparisons;
 * Showing familiar objects or similar size or value.

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**Resources to Learn more about Infographics**
Infographic Designs, Examples and Best Practices

**Tools to Create Infographics**
How to Design Your Own Infographic >> Easel.ly lets you easily (get it?) create various charts by just clicking and moving the mouse. No data skills required. >> It doesn't get any easier than Good Labs . This site includes basic Venn diagrams and Pie Charts—but if you're new to the Infographic world, or students only have class time computer access, these are a snappy way to upgrade a presentation or lecture with some visual stimulation for the audience. >> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This infographic will be an especially favorite tool for **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">history teachers **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> but every teacher will find it to be beneficial. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1484be; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Stat Planet <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> is a free Infographic Generator that allows teachers and students to build visual aids, **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">using maps and general world statistics, **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">in the form of interactive **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">charts and graphs **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">. The program even has a good deal of global data housed right there at your fingertips.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #666666; font-family: 'Lucida Sans','Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Software, sites, and tools to create infographics
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0081cd; font-family: 'Lucida Sans','Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; text-decoration: initial;">Piktochart <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Piktochart is a great way to visualize just about anything. You can drag and drop your way to visual success by using Piktochart’s themes and other ready-made tools. Piktochart lets anyone (even those without design skills) become a graphic designer in no time!
 * Infogr.am <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">One of the most simple tools, Infogr.am lets you actually import data right into the site and then translate it all into useful visualizations.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0081cd; font-family: 'Lucida Sans','Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">easel.ly
 * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Good Labs **
 * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Good Labs **
 * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Stat Planet **
 * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Hohli Charts **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">! For simple streamlined graphs and charts, check out <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1484be; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Hohli <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">. While it's equally as **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">easy to use as Good Labs **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">, it offers additional options in terms of **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">more complex pie charts **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> and visual perspectives. This is another one that would be easy for students to incorporate in a class-based computer project.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">And, for those who disdain templates or who prefer the blank canvas, try using some of the more generic poster generators, into which students can import their out-of-program charts and images:
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #133b61; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: initial;">[|Smore]
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #133b61; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: initial;">[|Postermywall]
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #133b61; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: initial;">[|Thinglink]
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0081cd; font-family: 'Lucida Sans','Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; text-decoration: initial;">Inkscape
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0081cd; font-family: 'Lucida Sans','Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; text-decoration: initial;">Splashup
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans','Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">Sumo Paint
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0081cd; font-family: 'Lucida Sans','Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; text-decoration: initial;">Sketchpad
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0081cd; font-family: 'Lucida Sans','Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; text-decoration: initial;">Pixlr
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0081cd; font-family: 'Lucida Sans','Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; text-decoration: initial;">iPad app: Visualize
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0081cd; font-family: 'Lucida Sans','Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; text-decoration: initial;">Android app: PicsArt - Photo Studio
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0081cd; font-family: 'Lucida Sans','Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; text-decoration: initial;">Dipity <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">It’s easy to use Dipity to create certain types of web content in a highly visual format. Consider using Dipity as a tool to map out the history of just about anything by creating multimedia timelines.

Assessment

 * Infographics Rubrics [] **