Infographics in the real world
Quite a while back I started a Flickr Group I called “Infographics in the real world.” I wanted a place for myself and others to capture photos of informational graphics found in public places (basically, anything not paper- or screen-based).
I was looking for interesting visual communications that helped explain some complexity—whether created by amateurs, often created with a charming naïveté, or by professionals.
- For example, I saw the above “How Saké is made” on a trip to Oregon in 2002. It’s what sparked the collection.
- And in 2005 I came across this simple visual showing the parts of a train at St. Louis’ Museum of Transportation.
- Then there’s this wonderful homemade road trip map seen at a St. Louis yard sale in 2008 (but strangely NFS!).
- And this ski trails map in Breckenridge, Colorado that I saw just last year.
As you can tell, the collection has been slow going and slow growing. The reality is that you see very few infographics out there in the real world. This continues to surprise me. (Another reality, one completely and frustratingly unexpected, is how few Group contributors actually read the rules of the Pool. Literally thousands of screenshots of personal portfolio infographics and magazine visuals have been submitted—and rejected. Maybe that’s the price I pay for having such a great Flickr URL: www.flickr.com/groups/infographics)
Have you seen any infographics out there in the real world? Upload them to the Group and share on Twitter, Instagram, &c!
