Covering Science and Technology: Opportunities for Greater Scope and New Methods

Lulu Rodriguez, Michael F. Dahlstrom

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

This chapter summarizes the scholarly literature on both static and interactive infographics. It deals with a discussion of the similarities and differences between infographics and data visualizations. The chapter looks at the 1980s and the influence of British graphic designer Nigel Holmes, whose colorful, whimsical infographics in Time magazine helped spark the graphics craze. It introduces Edward Tufte’s guidelines for preventing misleading or inaccurate displays of data, along with the findings of other scholars who identified common errors in media graphics. The 1990s saw an increase in scholarly research about how infographics help readers understand and recall information in accompanying stories. Drawing on the literature about information visualization, the chapter considers how human cognitive processes underlie effective techniques for representing abstract data that the mind can process and understand. It also deals with an examination of interactive infographics as a storytelling tool and suggestions for further research.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationThe Routledge Handbook of Magazine Research
Subtitle of host publicationThe Future of the Magazine Form
EditorsDavid Abrahamson, Marcia R Prior-Miller
PublisherRoutledge
Pages323-344
Number of pages22
ISBN (Electronic)9781315722283
ISBN (Print)9781138854161, 9781138297449
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 5 2015

Publication series

NameRoutledge Media and Cultural Studies Handbooks

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Arts and Humanities
  • General Social Sciences

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