This document provides an overview of creating infographics from data. It discusses finding relevant data from government, commercial, think tank and hybrid sources. It also covers best practices for exploring data to find patterns and stories, visualizing data in infographics, and critiquing infographics. The workshop teaches how to plan infographics based on data about food insecurity in the US and sketch an example infographic on this topic. Resources for creating and finding inspiration for infographics are also listed.

1. TURNING DATA INTO
INFOGRAPHICS
an Interactive Workshop for Problem Solvers
Lorin Bruckner Jennie Goforth

2. Step 1: Find Data

3. Find Data
• Government
• Commercial
• Think Tanks / Research Centers
• Hybrid
Data Sources

4. Find Data
Orange County
orangecountync.gov
• County GIS Data
• Election Data
Chapel Hill
townofchapelhill.org
• City GIS Data
• Community Survey Results
• Development Activity
Chapel Hill Open Data
chapelhillopendata.org
• Police and Fire Incidents
• Public Library Usage
• Financial Information
• Much more!
Government Data - Local

5. Find Data
Health and Human Services
schs.state.nc.us
• Health Statistics
Environmental Quality
deq.nc.gov
• State GIS Data
• Environmental Reports
State Budget and Management
www.osbm.nc.gov
• Demographics
• Census Data
ACCESSNC
accessnc.commerce.state.nc.us
• Economic Reports
Government Data - State

6. Find Data
Census
census.gov
• American Fact Finder
• Business & Employment Data
Department of Agriculture
usda.gov
• Food and Farm Info
• Trade Reports
Geological Survey
usgs.gov
• National GIS Data
• Environmental Data
(Including Real-Time/Streaming)
Government Data - Federal

7. Find Data
referenceUSA
referenceusa.com
• Directory of Business Contact Info
ArcGIS Online
arcgis.com
• Business GIS Data
Federal Communications Commission
fcc.gov
• Consumer Complaints
• Business License Info
Small Business Administration
sba.gov
• Consumer Statistics
• Production & Sales Statistics
Commercial Data

8. Find Data
Pew
pewresearch.org
• Political, Social & Economic Trends
Odum Institute Dataverse
arc.irss.unc.edu
• Social Science
The World Bank
worldbank.org
• International Data
• Development Indicators
Roper
ropercenter.cornell.edu
• Public Opinion Surveys & Polls
Think Tanks / Research Centers

9. Find Data
Social Explorer
socialexplorer.com
• Census & American Community Survey
• User Friendly Platform
PolicyMap
policymap.com
• 150 Data Sources
• Represented on Easy-to-Use Map
DATA.GOV
data.gov
• Government Data
• Search Over 186,467 Datasets at Once!
Hybrid Sources

10. Find Data
• Primary sources have first-hand evidence.
• Raw data files are a primary source.
• Articles, blogs, etc. are a secondary source.
• Secondary sources can be inaccurate and
contain misinformation.
Primary vs. Secondary Sources

11. Find Data
• Even if two different sources are collecting the
same type of data, they will use different
methods and techniques.
• Different sources will be sampling from
different populations.
• Mixing data from different sources can
provide an inaccurate representation.
Don’t Mix Sources

12. Step 2: Explore Data

13. Explore Data
• Are there patterns in the data?
• Look for built-in visualizations
• Look for summary statistics and reports
(if published by the same reliable source
that collected the original data)
What Story Does the Data Tell?

14. Explore Data
What do the patterns in the data tell you?
What arguments can you make using this data?
Data Driven Discovery
Find Patterns Form ArgumentsAcquire Data

15. Exercise 1
1. Using one or more of the sources listed in your hand-out, find data on
national food insecurity.
2. Examine visualizations, reports and/or statistics related to the data.
3. Form three arguments based on the information you find.
Find Data on Food Insecurity in the U.S.

16. Exercise 1
Arguments About Food Insecurity
1. 1 in 8 Americans struggle with hunger.
2. Some states, including North Carolina have even higher
rates of food insecurity.
3. Food insecurity has increased over the past 15 years.
Source: USDA Report - Household Food Security
in the United States in 2015

17. Step 3: Visualize Data

18. Visualize Data
• Data visualization helps us explore and
understand complex patterns in large
quantities of data.
What is Data Visualization?
• An infographic is a type of data
visualization with specific goals.
• Those goals are to illustrate,
narrate and often persuade.
What is an Infographic?
0
10
20
30
40
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
BillionsofDollars
U.S. History of Taxation
on Cigarettes
Federal State
Source: blog.turbotax.intuit.com/tax-news/cigarette-taxes-in-photos-7219

19. Visualize Data
Infographics Illustrate
Source: miva.com/blog/ecommerce-and-tablet-users-on-the-riseSource: custommade.com/buy-local

20. Visualize Data
Infographics Narrate
Source: ncta.com/platform/broadband-internet/
behind-the-numbers-growth-in-the-internet-of-things-2
Source: worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/06/19/Infographic-
Climate-Change-in-Sub-Saharan-Africa-South-Asia-South-East-Asia

21. Visualize Data
Infographics Persuade
Source: fastcompany.com/1691581/how-ups-keeps-blue-skies-greenSource: ensia.com/infographics/catch-and-deceased

22. Visualize Data
• Bar graphs
• Pie charts
• Line graphs
• Maps
Common Data Visualization Elements in Infographics

23. Visualize Data
• Pictograms
• Timelines
• Large “pop out” labels
• Multiple blocks of text
Elements Unique to Infographics

24. Best Practices for Infographics

25. Best Practices
• Who are you trying to reach?
• What are their demographics?
• What is their reading level?
• How much do they already know about the subject?
• What is likely to surprise them?
• What appeals to them?
• What turns them away?
Think About (or Research!) Your Audience
?

26. Best Practices
• Your story should be based on the
patterns you found in the data.
• Beginning – introduce the
problem or argument
• Middle – use your data to back
up your assertions
• End – wrap it up with a
conclusion and/or call to action
Tell a Story

27. Best Practices
Beginning
Middle
End
Source: blog.worldvision.org/sponsorship/infographic-a-story-of-good-health

28. Best Practices
• Plan a blueprint or wireframe for your infographic.
• Use an asymmetrical grid.
• Have a focal point.
• Balance white space to avoid clutter.
Use Spatial Hierarchy

29. Best Practices
• Use titles, headlines and body text.
• Separate different levels of text using size, weight, color, position and contrast.
Use Typographic Hierarchy
Good Read: webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/understanding-typographic-hierarchy--webdesign-11636
TITLE
HEADLINE
BODY

30. Best Practices
• Choose a palette of no more than 5 colors
(black, white and grey count as different colors)
• Different palettes evoke different emotions
(Read Eiseman, Leatrice. Color: Messages and
Meanings: A Pantone Color Resource. Gloucester,
MA: Hand Books Press, 2006.)
• Use online resources to browse color palettes.
• Colour Lovers (colourlovers.com)
• Adobe Kuler (color.adobe.com)
Use Color Wisely

31. Best Practices
• Make sure the portions in your
pie charts add up to 100%.
• Make sure the vertical axes in your
bar charts start at 0.
• Make sure your bar lengths
make sense when compared
to one another.
• Avoid manipulation and deception.
• Cite your source.
• Failure to do the above makes your
audience see you as untrustworthy.
Be Accurate and Honest
Source: viz.wtf

32. Best Practices
• Every visualization should have clear and justifiable
reason for being included.
• Visualizations should be easily understood and
interpreted by your audience.
Creativity is Good, but Clarity is Key.
Source: viz.wtf

33. Infographics Critique

34. Critique
1. What do you
like about this
infographic?
2. What are some
problems with this
infographic?
3. How could it be
improved?
Source: bpl.org/press/2013/09/16/boston-public-library-by-the-numbers

35. Critique
1. What do you
like about this
infographic?
2. What are some
problems with this
infographic?
3. How could it be
improved?
Source: www.good.is/infographics/african-electricity-and-renewable-energy

36. Critique
1. What do you
like about this
infographic?
2. What are some
problems with this
infographic?
3. How could it be
improved?
Source: about.beyond.com/Content/Resources/images/BabyBoomers_GenInfographic.jpg

37. Critique
1. What do you
like about this
infographic?
2. What are some
problems with this
infographic?
3. How could it be
improved?
Source: grasshoppermarketing.com/infographics-best-practices

38. Exercise 2
1. Brainstorm ways to turn the food insecurity arguments
into an infographic.
2. Sketch the infographic!
Sketch an Infographic About Food Insecurity
1. 1 in 8 Americans struggle with hunger.
2. Some states, including North Carolina have even higher
rates of food insecurity.
3. Food insecurity has increased over the past 15 years.

40. Resources

41. Resources
Tools
TYPE PROS CONS EXAMPLES
Static easy to create, share and reuse
lacks audience
participation, can
become outdated
Excel, Google sheets
Piktochart, infogr.am
Adobe Illustrator
Interactive
invites exploration,
can show more data and be
dynamically updated
complex to create, must
be viewed on the web
Tableau, ArcGIS Online,
HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript
and other programming
languages

42. Resources
Websites
Inspiration
dailyinfographic.com
coolinfographics.com
good.is/infographics
What Not To Do
viz.wtf

43. Resources
Workshops
NAME WHEN WHERE REGISTER
Tableau I
Wednesday, Oct. 5
10:00 – 11:15 am
HSL (live stream from Davis) HSL Website
Tableau II
Wednesday, Oct. 7
10:00 – 11:15 am
HSL (live stream from Davis) HSL Website
Create a Logo in Illustrator
Wednesday, Oct. 26
10:00 – 11:00 am
UL skillfUL Website
Build an Infographic in Illustrator
Thursday, Oct. 27
10:00 – 11:00 am
UL skillfUL Website (wait list)
Elevate Your Charts in Excel
Wednesday, Nov. 2
10:00 – 11:00 am
UL skillfUL Website
Web Mapping
Tuesday, Nov. 8
2:00 – 3:30 pm
Davis Research Hub Website

44. Questions?