Too Much "Tell"

Gifford’s cranioplasty

This graphic is supposed to portray the medical procedure of removing a portion of the skull and later replacing it, or a cranioplasty, but instead I think it misses the point of having an information graphic by relying too heavily on text to explain the procedure instead of actually illustrating the steps. This violates a fundamental journalist’s rule –especially an information graphic journalist’s — to show, not tell. The skull graphic, in my opinion, lacks imagination. It could have been way more detailed and vividly portrayed. For example, in step two of the procedure, when it describes how “surgeons pull back the scalp flap, and the bone fragment or implant is attached with minuscule titanium screws and plates,” this could have been supplemented by a graphic of the surgeon pulling back the flap and securing the fragment with a detailed image of the tiny screws (and does this involve a drill? Is it similar to a drill one would use for a screw?) Needless to say, it is hard to visualize as it reads now.

That said, the graphic does do a good job of anticipating reader questions, such as what a patient does while waiting for swelling of the brain to subside (wear a helmet) and what a replacement fragment is typically made of (special plastic or original bone). It would have simply been nicer to see more visual depictions of the procedure.

http://www.azcentral.com/ic/pdf/0311giffordscranioplasty.pdf

Simple but effective line graphs

This simple AP line graphic fthat appeared in an ABC News article shows the relationship between the U.S. demand for oil and the price per barrel. I think it is interesting how the graph clearly shows how the demand reached its lowest point between 2007-2008 before the oil prices started to lower accordingly. By seeing the two graphs side by side with their corresponding timelines, this information is presented much clearer than a text piece could have explained the relationship. By being able to visualize the patterns in the data, it is easy to see why the accompanying article predicts a drop in oil prices would still be a long time coming, even after the demand drops.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=13345964

How much text is too much?

Here is an interesting graphic from the New York Times that presents information about the newcomers to Congress in an unusual way. The article is called “Freshman Voices in the Budget Fight” and it lists the stand-outs with accompanying superlatives, much like the “Most Likely to …” titles bestowed upon high school graduates. It is a very simple graphic, but the blocks of text somewhat deter the eye away from the subject matter—I think it would have been more eye-catching to start with the pictures, with their superlatives and states in larger bold print underneath. That way, the eye is encouraged to continue reading down the column to find out more about the members.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/04/07/us/politics/20110407-tea.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=thab1