Britain's Boom to Bust

Britain's Boom to Bust

Ed Conway, the Telegraph's economics editor, talks us through Britain's boom and bust using eight key graphs – savings, GDP the FTSE and unemployment to name but a few

These graphs, with the aid of audio narrative, give key insight to the UK economy

Importantly, Conway talks to the graphs

The data

The visual facts

Without these key visual facts, it would be hard for the viewer/reader/listener to follow and be able to quantify the report

David Kinross built this excellent interactive

I think it is the first time at Telegraph.co.uk we have used such AS scripting to combine audio and information graphics to show and explain news and comment

But designed in a crisp, intellectual way

Minimal design

Maximum information

Information caviar

UPDATE
David Kinross has supplied some hot technical background for the coding involved in producing the interactive... many thanks David


Stuff used in the code

Movement

All Tweens are done using open source Tweenlite library.

Tweenlite

http://www.greensock.com/tweenlite/

Sound

Build the MP3 player using these 3 native AS3 classes

Sound Transform

http://www.adobe.com/livedocs/flash/9.0/ActionScriptLangRefV3/flash/media/SoundTransform.html

Sound Channel

http://www.adobe.com/livedocs/flash/9.0/ActionScriptLangRefV3/flash/media/SoundChannel.html

Sound

http://www.adobe.com/livedocs/flash/9.0/ActionScriptLangRefV3/flash/media/Sound.html

MS excel to XML conversion

The XML feeds which the flash file runs off where generated using PC freeware 'toXML'

toXML
http://www.blogsdna.com/5470/convert-excel-to-xml-files-with-toxml.htm

Operation Panther's Claw

Infographics traditional style

Like the good old days of war explanations

The comment 'opener' in the Daily Telegraph today showed the how and the whereabouts of latest offensive in Afghanistan

Is it accurate?

We think so!

The interesting debate between 'data' based in infographics and those which recreate the uncertainty of news reporting on deadline

Its great to base everything on fact, which is now why we celebrate the modern phenomenon of data sheets and spreads of statistics

But we should not forget the great pleasure the reader(s) receive from illustrating a sequence or moment in time, however long or short, of an event so far away that there is no way on earth they could never, ever visualise

That is why we do it for them. It's part of our job description

Stef Bayley built most of this for the Sunday Telegraph, unfortunately editorial real estate was gloved in the opposing corner 

Luckily for the Daily, four days later, the story was still breaking news and I decided to run Stefan's research and visual labour in all of its glory

The infographic runs with a comment piece by Allan Mallinson, ex military, which is an interesting account of 'slogans' by Government and MoD. Both very different.

Gordon Brown has not yet labelled this front in Afghanistan as a 'war'

Yet it clearly is. To label its so would mean serious investment

But without the infographic, or the visual, one would never truly appreciate the huge scale of the operation in theatre

It is however, not based on fact or data, but first-hand impression

Is it right or wrong that we can be confident in not only delivering fact and figures, but also recreate and explore means and methods that show the news?

And to take our readers to a place that neither words nor photography can chart?

Just like Peter Sullivan, John Grimwade, Duncan Mill, Jaime Serra, Charles Blow, Juan Velasco and the boys from Bilbao?

Please leave comments and debate on this subject. I feel strongly that although reporting the fact is of huge importance, surely we can also excite and add our impression, as reporters and visual commentators of the news, that our view [as an infografista] counts!

HMS Poseidon infographics

HMS Poseidon, which sank north of the British naval base Weihai in 1931 following a collision with a Chinese merchant boat, has been in the news lately as China has been accused of secretly salvaging the sunken submarine with the remains of 18 crewmen on board

But look at these pages, the first a fantastic diagrammatic explainer showing what and how the crew could have escaped, of course some did. This was published in the Illustrated London News on July 18

The second from the Daily Herald on Wednesday June 10. The the collision making the front page splash, which included a single column locator map

A colleague Keith Hoggins, pointed these out while he researching the story for the Daily Telegraph

We all remember great illustrations from our childhood

Most based on 'boys toys' and military craft

Almost 80 years these graphics would still be publishable in our press

They are content driven, and in my view 'content' is all, whether visual or the written word

Air accident [3]

Today's print infographics

They do indeed shed some light on this story

These breaking news examples of simplicity and clarity

The Guardian, example 4, is a solid, clear narrative explaining where flight AF447 departed, where it was supposed to arrive, and located where contact was lost with the Airbus

The Telegraph, example 1, shows other details, such as the nationality breakdown of those on the flight, craft details and route information in a very 'graphic' manner, lively and interesting

Although I doubt whether the Airbus landed or that contact was lost over Africa

As yet, nothing has 'rocked my boat', although I have not seen other examples yet, but please, if you come across something interesting, please send them to me

Air accident [2]

Online explanations for the airbus crash

Well not explanations, but visual reporting

I don't know how old these infographics are, but they seem to do the job

But they are distant

They seem to be removed from the location, albeit we do not know where the aircraft came down

Surely the BBC has the better explanation at this point in time, than el Pais in Spain, and O Globo in Brazil. I could not get onto the Le Monde site, I guess over-subscribed

Although there is something simple, but interesting from Chiqui Esteban, the 'new narratives director' of lainformacion.com

But I'd like to know more about the storm

And how frequent are they at this time of year

Where are the diagrams of the dimensions of the craft, compared to other transatlantic carriers? So many questions...

Not pointing my finger, but thinking aloud

PCF fever sweeps UK

Grimwade discovers new pandemic sweeping UK

Hardcore supporter and fan of information graphics based on journalism and illustrative abilities, JG reckons there has been an outbreak of 'PCF' in the UK press: Proportionate Circle Fever...

Ha ha ha. Fantastic, and one has to agree!

Grimwade, pictured above and graphically pointing to one of his masterpieces, said of the UK infographics posted on this blog "all we wanted to know and more". What a gent.

Thanks to infographic meister dude, Karl Gude for allowing me to plunder his pic archive!

Malofiej 17

In eight days time, infografistas of the world will arrive in Pamplona, in the Navarra region, north Spain

It is always worth a visit, and always good fun.

Fun, intellect, and wit is the currency of choice.

Spend as much as you can.

Many of the worlds greatest infographic designers will be there.

And so will I.

I will also blog from Pamplona, if I can see my keyboard in the small hours

Cheers