NFL Players Infographic

Let me start by saying, I really love infographics. If done well, I think they are a great tool for displaying information in an interesting, quick and visually appealing way. I use infographics in my stories whenever possible.

Anyway, I chose one of my favorite simple infographics for this post, the “most mentioned NFL players” from 2012. Though this graphic is not new or flashy, I’ve always felt that it gets the job done and I really appreciate the creativity.

To me, this graphic satisfies all of Tufte’s tenants and the basic principles of design. It shows contrast in a very blatant and easily understandable manner, and does not contain any jargon. There is also a helpful explanation for the criteria used to determine the “most mentioned players,” so the information seems verifiable and not arbitrary. Additionally, the use of simple bar graphs adds a great deal to this graphic without overwhelming a reader. The audience could spend 10 minutes looking through each bit of information in this graphic, or take one look at it and have the gist – Tim Tebow was the most popular. To me, that is a huge factor in making a successful infographic.

Heptathlon/Decathlon Infographics

I’ve always been super intrigued by decathlon, heptathlon and pentathlon scoring, just because I like numbers, but this fivethirtyeight article triggered even more interest. I personally think the article combined data and infographics very well, and most of our reading agrees.

The infographics were effective in that they were simple, not over-cluttered and easy to interpret. While there was diverse color, the colors had meaning, especially in the bottom two graphics, showing what types of events they are by color.

Additionally, the infographics were content focused and easily comparable. Pagels used color and bars to easily illustrate the differences in event’s points. The percentages could have been better described though, as it was rather unclear what exactly the axis was.

In the first two graphs where the lines where very cluttered, Pagels wisely used white space and avoided too much on one infographic. The eye is directly drawn to where it should be–the data. The grids in the last two infographics were subtle, but could have definitely been toned down in the first two.

The graphs were great supplements to the story itself, which was very data heavy. Could be a little bit heavy for a non-math person, but that’s fivethirtyeight for you.

FiveThirtyEight Serena Williams Graphic

“The first goal of an infographic is not to be beautiful just for the sake of eye appeal, but above all, to be understandable first, and beautiful after that, or to be beautiful thanks to its exquisite functionality.”

I find that this quote in the Cairo article sums up the overarching goal of infographics. The ideal is that the infographic simplifies information and statistics so that the information is now visually digestible. In the FiveThirtyEight article I chose the creator has very simple yet obvious infographics that support his claims that Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams are dominant in the sport of tennis.

The infographic above is for Serena to prove how she has progressed throughout her career.

From the Tufte article, I got that infographic creation is really an art. It takes more than just stats, it is all about the preciseness of how to display the information. However, I found that it contradicted a lot of what the Cairo article discussed about being functional on its own. The French graphic took pages to explain why things were done the way they were and explanations on what was left out and put in. I think it shows how visual graphics have progressed into simple beings.

From the Visualizing Trouble article, I got that the basics of functionality are what matter most. While appearance is important, the ability to digest trumps the appeal. I think that the FiveThirtyEight infographics do a great job of keeping things simple. I think the two tone to represent positive and negative serves the aesthetic purpose while delivering what needs to be known. In the Djokovic graphic, it is plain as day his accomplishments and it supports the point that is made that he is dominant.

Election Story with data and infographics

I used a story that I found on NYT’s Upshot vertical to examine how the story uses the principles that we read about. This story written by Josh Katz is examining who will win the election in November.

Tuft said these were the fundamental principles of analytical design:

Should compare something
Causality, mechanisms, structure, explanation
Multivariate
Integration of evidence
Documentation
Content matters most

By going down the list, lets look at this article… This article is comparing Hilary Clinton vs. Donald Trump and looking at different ways to come to an overall statement that they believe Clinton has an 83% chance of winning. They’re also comparing different charts and different ways to calculate this by looking at how states normally vote, how other sites post election predictions, different outcomes that could happen due to electoral votes, etc.

This story has structure and the infographics are explained well but the reasoning behind the statistics isn’t. That would change the whole purpose of this piece if everything in the political sphere was explained. This piece is multivariate (more than three variables), as mentioned before it looks at Clinton winning by state in different aspects. Evidence is present and as is documentation.

The most important is content. The graphics are visually appealing, but also easy to understand – this was an important made in last article we had to read for this assingment. I really like the interactive graphic at the end, showing how difficult it will be for Trump to win.

Infographics: Teddy Bridgewater

I found a story about Teddy Bridgewater and the Minnesota Vikings on FiveThirtyEight.com. The story uses a lot of visually pleasing graphics and data tables to tell the story of how the Vikings are now in “quarterback hell.” Bridgewater injured his knee last Tuesday and will be out for the rest of the season. They added a table that compared Bridgewater’s 2015 season to some of the greatest seasons that other QB’s have had in the past 40 years. The author mentioned, “One way of measuring a young quarterback’s promise is to find historical passers who produced similar statistics at the same age, and track how those players’ careers ended up panning out.”

A timeline was included that showed past Viking’s quarterbacks and how their seasons panned out. The highest points on the graph represent high wins and the teams success. And the low points on the graph and usually closely followed by another name, meaning their were replaced. Bridgewater had a promising future with the Vikings and the visual data in this story gives readers concrete evidence of this.

This infographic story measures up to the standards of Tufte and basic design principles. The charts made intelligent and appropriate comparisons between Bridgewater and past QB’s. The data tables were clear and easy to read. The color pallet of the line graph made distinctions between different players and the labels show when each started as QB. The graphs did not contain jargon or cram a bunch of information. And most importantly, the graphs integrated evidence to back up the main point of the article

FiveThirtyEight Katie Ledecky graphic

This is an old story, but it’s one of my favorites that FiveThirtyEight has ever done. It simply does a great job of telling a story. It quantifiably explains Katie Ledecky’s dominance and visually displays it in ways that are easy to ready. Headlines at FiveThirtyEight are typically fantastic, and so is this one — Somebody Get Katie Ledecky a Time Machine. In my opinion, the best infographic in this story is the one that explores what was referenced in that headline. It shows a timeline of when Ledecky would have been the fastest swimmer on the planet. For people who don’t understand the sport, these infographics effectively convey Ledecky’s swimming success.

I also liked the depiction of Ledecky vs. History because it showed the methodology behind determining when Ledecky would have been the best in the world. However, I think it would have been better if all six graphs used labels on the x-axis. It’s a bit difficult to understand until you scroll down and see the years. In Introduction: Infographics and Visualization, it said, “Graphics, charts, and maps aren’t just tools to be seen, but to be read and scrutinized.” FiveThirtyEight’s graphics intend for readers to do just that. While this story on Ledecky is simple, it still requires some analysis on the readers’ part in order to be properly understood. You can’t rely on a quick glance when it’s more than just a bar chart.

As mentioned in the Visualizing Trouble article, one of the most common issues I see with infographics is that people overdo it when it comes to colors, amount of data displayed, etc. FiveThirtyEight usually does a decent job of keeping its infographics simple (sometimes I still think the site makes graphics too complex). Particularly in this one about Ledecky, it’s very simple and that’s partially why I think this story is so strong. It’s easy to follow and understand. When people cannot understand a graphic, it’s impossible to tell a story.

This is a different graphic, but FiveThirtyEight’s election forecast is incredible. When I read The Fundamental Principles of Analytic Design, my mind jumped to this forecast because it perfectly epitomized the section about multivariables. The more variables you have, the better your predictions are and the more likely you are to tell meaningful stories.

LeBron : Prime Efficiency Infographic

(Not sure if the title reads as “this an infographic about LeBron’s efficiency in his prime” or “this the most efficient infographic you will ever see on LeBron” but it works.)

How did LeBron James transform himself into the 35-points-on-14-shots beast and help the Miami Heat win two titles? Kirk Goldsberry tells the story masterfully, using his trademark shooting hexmaps. The maps themselves are efficient; fitting as they show how LeBron has gotten better even as his athleticism slip away.

To me, this graphic satisfies all of Tufte’s tenants and the basic principles of design. It shows LeBron’s evolution in a blatant and easily understandable manner , without any filler. The numbers literally talk to you — there a quotes bubbles that explain what each significant stat means — and the font has a comic-sans touch that make it feel easier to read.

Goldsberry names his sources, one first reference, and leaves links for readers to go on do their research. Or fact check him. Either way, he’s still holding himself accountable for all the info in the graphic and the article.

Although colorful, the graphics are not decoration for the article. They help expand our perception. Reading the numbers on a table may do LeBron justice, but Goldsberry’s maps give you a different scope on the data. . . like a good infographic is supposed to.

FiveThirtyEight looks at the Texas Rangers

FiveThirtyEight had an interesting story last week about the Texas Rangers, who currently have the second-best record in Major League Baseball. The article takes a deep look into the team’s success winning one-run games and compares it to other teams throughout league history. After a close look at history, writer Rob Arthur laid out the reasoning why the team’s ability to win tight games doesn’t guarantee any sort of reliable winning pattern come this fall.

I believe this particular piece does a good job of illustrating its points through infographics and data. Specifically, I think the graph showing bullpen WAR and a team’s winning percentage in one-run games was a valuable one in proving a few points, namely 1) The Rangers’ bullpen is by no means the best in baseball and 2) What Texas has been able to do is a rarity. It also helps that it singles out the 2012 Baltimore Orioles, who had comparable numbers in both these categories and eventually ended up losing in the ALDS.

There are several aspects mentioned in the readings that were easy to pick out in Arthur’s story. With “Visualizing Trouble,” it specifically spelled out that data needs to show comparisons and differences, which was accomplished with the aforementioned infographic. The need to illustrate cause-and-effect described in this reading was also evident in Arthur’s story, as he later explained that the team’s lackluster bullpen is aided by the offense’s ability to come up clutch in big moments on a fairly consistent basis.

As pointed out in “Introduction: Infographics and Illustrations”, the chart concerning bullpen WAR and the Rangers’ winning percentage in one-run games is left open to be closely studied and scrutinized, especially considering there are so many plotted points on the map. It’s clear that Arthur wants the reader to focus on two particular points — the Rangers and ’12 Orioles — but provides enough information that the graph is nothing something quickly passed by.

Graphics Principles: Upshot Election Graphics

I like to check on election projections every so often, so this assignment was a good excuse to do so. I like that Upshot aggregates a lot of polls, and early on puts Trump’s chances at winning in a different context; this one happens to be a sports one.

The graphs are well-designed, and while they take a little bit of understanding of statistics to fully graps what they illustrate, it’s not too hard. The best of the graphs is the one of the swing states that shows the paths to victory in each state for each candidate. Clinton has an overwhelming majority of ways to win, and at this rate it’s evident through the graphics that she is the clear favorite. Trump has to win all of the states listed, which is easily disseminated and fascinating information.

I also like the line graph that shows the progress of the chances of each candidate to win over the past few months up to now. Overall, this is a well done graphic that gets its message across clearly and is informative in a way that is easy to comprehend and analyze.