On Infographics

I’m loving INFOGRAPHICS right now. I have a friend whose work includes making infographics for international clients. I mentioned it to my husband and then he said, “Ah..pareho lang pala kami ng ginagawa.” I answered back, “Naaah, yours is the boring kind.” Haha!

Husband works as a Business Analyst and part of his job is to make graphical representations of data. The old way to present such is graphics, pies–the usual stuff one could make in Excel or PowerPoint. His though has something to do with dashboards, performance metrics, and management software. All I know is that I can now ask him about HTML5, JQuery, Webex, etc. Still boring. :p

Meanwhile, this very creative churchmate of mine who used to work for an iCompany as a graphic artist, is making infographics. She said it isn’t as easy as it seems but I support what she does. It doesn’t only require creativity and Master Level Skills at Photoshop, the work entails analysis. Utak ang kailangan.

Others think infographics are “dumbing down” information but honestly, when it comes to presentation of data, it’s better if they can be visualized. Most people are visual learners. Babies learn by visuals. Adults are more capable of understanding concepts and ideas but with “too much information” being sent our way every single day, those people, businesses, or companies who want to inform and educate need to communicate more effectively.

Naldz Graphics posted 10 Reasons Why Infographics Are Important:

1. It makes info more appealing.
2. It shows valuable ideas.
3. It is attention-grabbing.
4. It is easier to understand.
5. It lessens boredom.
6. It awakens one’s interest.
7. It is accessible.
8. It is more persuasive.
9. It is memorable.
10. It can easily relay info. (Source)

I could go on and on explaining The Importance of Infographics but I would only be repeating ideas. Feel free to read UKWebFocus’ The Growing Importance of Infographics, Strategic Bit, Jeff Bullas, and McClenahan Bruer’s article on Infographics for Better Branding Messaging.

Anyway, this one particular INFOGRAPHIC caught my eye because it’s been Tagalized! I’ve been featuring a number of infographics for work but this one, is our very own version. Bob Reyes of Mozilla Philippines and other Mozillians in the country translated the infographic made by Kálmán Kéménczy, another Mozillian from Hungary.

So far, more than 3 Billion Firefox Add-Ons have been downloaded. NOT only in the Philippines but worldwide. I’m seeing a trend here: milestones of tech startups are best described by infographics. No one’s complaining because they are a delight to see.

Geeky much? I’m not a developer or a designer. How I wish could learn software development and make mobile apps. I’m interested in these kind of stuff because of work. I can’t say I’m a die-hard Mozilla fan girl (still on Team Apple) but Firefox is my main browser. No matter how much I tried to make use of Chrome or Safari for web browsing, Mozilla Firefox browser is still the most reliable in my book. 🙂

I like the colors and the design but I must admit it’s hard to read. ‘Hard to read’ in a sense I have to slowly read the words to understand and for the simple reason that Tagalog words are longer.

I’ve only seen few infographics made by local designers. I’m sure there are more. Why, my sister has recently started making an infographic for work and I was impressed. Really. 😀

What’s the coolest infographic you’ve seen lately?

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Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.
2 Timothy 4:2