:: The 4th Era ::

"The heart of our work at the Pew Research Center is data. And data visualizations that tell clear stories about our research — whether it be about American politics or our changing demographics — are just as important as the words we write in a report. So, what makes a successful data visual? We think it should present information clearly and concisely, engage the reader and allow them to explore that information.

This year, the design staff looked back through our 2014 archive, and these graphics stood out as almost universal favorites. These visualizations presented a particular challenge and, for each of them, we talk about the approach we took in presenting the data."

Via Lauren Moss

2012 might be the year which we reached 'peak infographic'.

You can’t have an issue or a piece of data without putting it into a picture so it’s easier for people to understand. While this has mostly resulted in a glut of ugly graphics that don’t actually do anything with data (and you’ll see some of these below), it’s still an incredibly simple way to get information to you fast. And this year, some of our most compelling content has appeared in the format.

These are some of our favorites.

Via Lauren Moss