“The Best Infographics" (03:14)

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Gareth Cook talks about the new book that presents a cross-section of the year’s best infographics. He traces his fascination with infographics to his time as the Boston Globe’s science reporter and provides an overview of the presentation.

History of Maps and Graphs (07:38)

Cook connects infographics to the history of mapmaking which he traces back to a 13,000-year-old hunting map found in Spain. He recalls Scottish engineer William Playfair’s seminal, 18th century use of line and bar and pie-chart graphs. He describes a Civil War-era map that Abraham Lincoln used to track slavery in southern states.

Why Are Infographics So Effective? (06:12)

Half of our brains are involved in visual processing. Cook discusses pre-attentive processing which allows our brains to quickly react to visual stimulus.

Information Overload (10:15)

Cook describes an “arms race” between technology that overwhelms us with information and new creations that help us sort that information out, i.e. books were followed by indexes, the Internet by Google and other search engines. Infographics are one such tool. Cook shows examples covering a number of topics.

Interactive Infographics (03:25)

Cook discusses interactive infographics that present battleground state data from the 2012 presidential election and wind speeds. See a bad infographic on Obamacare, one that is meant to confuse instead of clarify.

Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg (15:24)

Cook discusses infographics he is considering for the second edition of “Best Infographics.” He introduces Viégas and Wattenberg of Google who discuss interactive dot maps tracking the tweets of New York City residents and tourists, and racial demographics across the United States. They take questions from the audience.

Graphic Designer: Nicholas Felton (12:09)

Felton who was named one of the country’s 50 most influential graphic designers by “Fast Company” magazine. He discusses infographics on Nobel Peace Prize winners and State of the Union addresses.

Graphic Designer: Nigel Holmes (12:06)

Holmes analyzes infographics on what makes up the Midwest and mountain pass snowpack. An audience member challenges his viewpoint.

Graphic Designer: John Grimwade (13:45)

Grimwade discusses infographics on the wanderings of Tibia, the feline subject of “Lost Cat” by Caroline Paul and Wendy McNaughton, and a video clip from the movie “Oblivion.”