Infographics

An old-new tool of depicting the real world

Abstract

Infographics is one of the visualization tools that explore the richness of the world. It is related to almost every field of science, being itself – in many countries – the subject of research and academic education. The name infographics is relatively new, but the underlying phenomenon is as old as human civilization. One of the main aims of communication has always been to enforce the “see and show” principle; and one of its most expressive products is infographics. The approach to the concept, as well as its systematization, classification and grouping are as diverse as the world it covers.

The concept of infographics has almost as many definitions as there have been attempts to define it. This is obviously due to the fact that the definitions of the underlying concepts are not uniform either. Infographics belongs to a wider range of visualization, i.e. it makes things optically perceptible that are not visible as taken for granted. Its main elements are the information, the message and the graphical display tool system. Its characteristic features are in the service of communication efficiency, raising awareness and making an influence. It can be typified in several ways: according to content and its structure, presentation methods, target audience and area of use.