Visualising content

Visualising content – the debate continues

Further to my comments on 'illustrative historical and scientific infographics', there is currently an interesting debate on Max Gadney's blog under the 'Popular Science' posting

Max and Ciaran Hughes have exchanged views on these works, the styles of the late Peter Sullivan and where we can redevelop our techniques and communication devices

Max has put together a wonderful collection of illustration and infographic which he has found in the Popular Science archives. He notes;

There is no doubt that one of the best things about National Geographic at the moment is their broad and deftly used palette of graphic treatments. I'll probably do another post as to why they are so good but this one is about another magazine that caught my eye with its broad palette of visual devices.

Many publications are dominated by graphic design style-guides – or the voguish mores of their designers, both forces conspiring to ignore some very useful visual communications devices

Powerful rhetoric and I like it

It is indeed interesting times, the sterility, albeit very interesting ways of visualising numbers and data, but there is a strong and a very clear yearning by various media groups and creative chaps not to forget the very illustrative techniques that encourage our readers and viewers to 'feel' as well as 'learn' and 'understand'