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Real education happens when you blend information with entertainment. It’s one thing to give someone a dusty stack of esoteric books to read for homework, it’s something else entirely to present the info in an engaging, intuitive, and accessible way. Welcome to the wonderful world of information graphics, aka infographics!

The r/Infographics subreddit is an old online community that has an enduring love for infographics. Today, we’re featuring some of the best ones the community has shared. Scroll down to check ‘em out! They won’t just amuse you, you’ll end up learning lots, too.

Bored Panda got in touch with Steven Wooding, who is part of the Omni Calculator team, the creator of the Weird Units Converter, and a member of the Institute of Physics in the UK, with a few questions about presenting data in such a way so as to connect to the audience better. Read on for his insights.

#2

If Only We Could Get One For Avocados

If Only We Could Get One For Avocados

R3333PO2T Report

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Adam Zad
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Avocados: No... No... Not yet... Not yet... No... NOW! NOW! EAT ME NOW! Too late.

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#3

American Insulin Prices Are Off The Charts

American Insulin Prices Are Off The Charts

Big_Maintenance_1789 Report

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Corvus
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not like people need insulin to survi... oh wait, they actually do!

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Steven, the creator of the Weird Units Converter and a member of the Omni Calculator project, shared a few of his thoughts with Bored Panda on presenting data in a way that engages others better. We were interested to know how scientists can tell what data to focus on when showing others their findings if they feel like everything might potentially be worth others' attention.

"I would focus on findings that have the greatest impact on the most people in the potential audience," he said.

"If a finding is less important and only interests a niche group of people, it can be left out with little impact on the presentation," Steven told us.

#5

Geography Terms

Geography Terms

MrJones- Report

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh man, I remember seeing this one from a geography book that was published in the 80s. Although the version I saw also had an isthmus.

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#6

The Evolution Of Letters

The Evolution Of Letters

Lustikheimer Report

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Domi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why didn't anyone show me a picture like this in elementary school? It is really informative and explains a lot.

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We were also curious in learning about why the way in which data is presented has such a different impact on the audience. Steven, from the Omni Calculator team, explained why visuals are so powerful when sharing information.

"We are visual beings and much prefer a picture to a lot of text," he said, adding that text is a relatively recent way to communicate.

"It is easier to make general conclusions from a graph or diagram without getting bogged down by the noise of too much detail," Steven said.

"Part of impacting an audience is being memorable, and images are much easier to remember than bullet point lists. Adding a bit of entertainment also helps to be memorable and generally stops people from tuning out from what you are saying."

#7

Decline Of Faith Amongst Young American Adults

Decline Of Faith Amongst Young American Adults

reddit.com Report

#8

Minimalist Infographic. Poisonous vs. Venomous

Minimalist Infographic. Poisonous vs. Venomous

reddit.com Report

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Nonna_SoF
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you bite it and you die it's poisonous. If it bites you and you die it's venomous. If you bite it and it dies you're venomous. If it bites you and it dies you're poisonous. If you bite each other and neither dies it's kinky.

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#9

Lifespan Of Animals

Lifespan Of Animals

drbatookhanxx Report

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Caro Caro
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mosquito, 1-3 months, unless it approaches Caro Caro and WHAM - it's a gonner 😁

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The r/Infographics online community has a long and storied history. Founded all the way back in July 2009, the subreddit will be celebrating its 14th birthday this summer!

Over the nearly decade and a half, the community has continued to remain relevant thanks in large part due to the interesting topic it focuses on, as well as its active community. At the time of writing, there were 221k members on r/Infographics.

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The sub’s moderators have even put together a handy-dandy infographic about what is and isn’t an infographic (talk about meta!). You can find it right over here. It should help you navigate the world of visual information a bit better.

In short, infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data, or knowledge. “These graphics present complex information quickly and clearly, such as in signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education. Do not post: brochures, flyers, posters, graphic images with swaths of text laid over them, three-page long images that simply add costs,” the mod team asks its members to focus on infographics and infographics alone.

#10

109 Billion People Have Lived And Died

109 Billion People Have Lived And Died

lllinayat Report

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IamKade
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Imagine someone flipped this thing over and all the dead people came back

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#11

I Updated Our Famous Password Table For 2022

I Updated Our Famous Password Table For 2022

hivesystems Report

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Mihai Mara
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ok, I will change my password from "admin" to "adminadminadmin", going from "instantly" to "100 years" :)))))

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#12

Head Coverings Worn By Muslim Women

Head Coverings Worn By Muslim Women

heavenlydigestion Report

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Domi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Interesting, but I'm missing an explanation here, when what kind of headdress is worn or who wears it.

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If you post things other than infographics, they’ll probably end up getting removed by the mods. For instance, if your infographic is just a picture of text, it’s gonna go. The mod team running the entire show stress that the visuals have to add something to the image.

If you transcribe all the text into a text post and get the exact same content, there’s no real point in posting it on the sub. In short, the visuals have to add some sort of info! What makes infographics, well, infographics is the importance of the visual aspects of the graphic: they’re not just for show, they are integral to the entire experience.

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Obviously, the subreddit is all about education and entertainment. There’s no room for self-promotion or actively promoting this or that company. Blatant promos get removed for the sake of fairness. r/Infographics isn’t a place for ads (well, aside from the ones that Reddit dumps on you in your feed, but that’s a whole other question entirely).

#14

Sandworm Size Chart

Sandworm Size Chart

AncientInsults Report

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Bernd Herbert
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am pretty sure that the Sarlacc is much bigger than the things from Tremors!

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#15

The Bruise Spectrum

The Bruise Spectrum

Dhorlin Report

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Pernille.
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I currently have a rainbow coloured bruise on my thigh, it is a piece of art, and I have considered renaming the pony that created it Picasso.

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Now, infographics and guides aren’t necessarily one and the same, but there’s still a bit of overlap between them. Redditors are huge fans of visuals and graphics as a whole, no matter the specific category. Not long ago, Bored Panda interviewed the founder of the massively popular r/coolguides subreddit, a community of nearly 3.2 million members. The founder, u/dadschool shared how he changed his approach to having people post infographics on the sub dedicated to guides.

#16

Leonardo Dicaprio's Dating History

Leonardo Dicaprio's Dating History

everywhere_anyhow Report

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Domi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The graph reminds me of the rise in prices (age of Leo) and our salaries (age of girlfriends).

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#17

A Logarithmic Map Of The Entire Observable Universe

A Logarithmic Map Of The Entire Observable Universe

giuliomagnifico Report

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Sponge Blob
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For those who try go guess the correct way read this graph: the higher to the top the further and older observable object is. That's why on the bottom you have current state Earth with satellites all around and on top there is Big Bang. From the sheer size of the Universe, time is inseparable from space and has to be put into "distance" equation. There's a probability some of the things on top that don't exist anymore, because the image we see of them is literally billions of years old.

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#18

How Many People Does It Take To Make A Blockbuster Film?

How Many People Does It Take To Make A Blockbuster Film?

earthlymonarch Report

The founder of r/coolguides explained to Bored Panda during an earlier interview that he had quite a tough approach toward infographics when he founded the subreddit. Nowadays, he’s far more lax and tolerant when it comes to infographics and lets the community decide what direction it wants the group to go. So there's a lot more love for infographics than just on r/Infographics!

#19

8 Things You Should Never, Ever Flush Down Your Toilet

8 Things You Should Never, Ever Flush Down Your Toilet

giuliomagnifico Report

#20

Mythical Beasts Of Wales [oc]

Mythical Beasts Of Wales [oc]

NeilParkinsonMakes Report

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Domi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I didn't read the title and I'm thinking, what a strange map of Europe. 🤣

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#21

How Much People Eat

How Much People Eat

tarandfeathers Report

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Mihai Mara
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"What people eat" - first thing on the chart was a cat. That was f*cked up.

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The secret to any good visual representation of info, whether it’s an infographic, guide, brochure, poster, or the unholy unity of all of the above, is clarity. You want to find the golden balance between giving your audience all the information that they need without overwhelming them or losing their attention.

#22

Wikipedia's Illustration For Gerrymandering

Wikipedia's Illustration For Gerrymandering

loodog Report

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#23

Ikigai: The Japanese Concept Of Finding Purpose In Life

Ikigai: The Japanese Concept Of Finding Purpose In Life

inuetc Report

#24

Highest Ocean Plastic Waste Polluters

Highest Ocean Plastic Waste Polluters

giuliomagnifico Report

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Domi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

However, a lot of waste is imported to the named countries from other countries.

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Your infographics have to be as brief as possible without losing important data, and that means using the visuals to reflect a part of that info in an intuitive, accessible manner. However, what seems clear to you might be confusing to the regular Joe or Jill on the street.

#25

Travel Etiquette Around The World

Travel Etiquette Around The World

James_Korbyn Report

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Olivia Lisbon
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m going to be really preoccupied with my feet if I ever go to a Arab country.

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#26

80% Of Deaths Of Children Under Age Five Are Preventable

80% Of Deaths Of Children Under Age Five Are Preventable

thisisbillgates Report

#27

A Presidential Venn Diagram

A Presidential Venn Diagram

LoboDaTerra Report

So before you go order a thousand printed copies of your infographic, show it to some people: your friends, your colleagues, your family parrot even. Get some honest feedback about what works and what doesn’t. Do some editing and proofreading. Don’t be afraid to go back to the drawing table! Though try to avoid the massive trap that is perfectionism, too. Aim for creating a great infographic, not a ‘perfect’ one.

#28

The Size And Location Of The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Size And Location Of The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

NoComplaint1281 Report

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Corvus
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So we're able to track it and measure it... the question is, why aren't we cleaning it up?

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#29

Predominant Ancestry Of Population

Predominant Ancestry Of Population

HyggeHoney Report

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Natalie Bohrteller
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No wonder there's this rumor among Germans that the US almost had German as its primary official language.

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#30

What Happened To Green Cars?

What Happened To Green Cars?

100LittleButterflies Report

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Stephanie Did It
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Colored cars have all but disappeared! I googled the reason and it was basically "they don't sell." I miss color on the road!!

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Which of these infographics did you find the most interesting and intriguing, dear Pandas? Which ones stood out to you the most from a purely visual perspective? What kinds of infographics would you love to see in the future? Share your thoughts in the comments.

#31

The Best-Selling Music Artists Of All-Time

The Best-Selling Music Artists Of All-Time

Dremarious Report

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Albert
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

According to (Dutch) Wikipedia, ABBA sold over 200 million albums, and should be on #1. I expected the Rolling Stones in the list too, but apparently they 'only' sold around 66,5 million albums

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#32

Everything That's Owned By Amazon

Everything That's Owned By Amazon

Raz0rRamon Report

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#33

Differences In When Europeans Eat Dinner

Differences In When Europeans Eat Dinner

redeggplant01 Report

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feleye avatar
Sponge Blob
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I doubt anyone in Europe eats dinner that early. Source: I'm European, nobody here eats dinner in the morning.

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#35

The Most Banned & Challenged Books Of The Last 8 Years

The Most Banned & Challenged Books Of The Last 8 Years

LuckyLaceyKS Report

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Corvus
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm pretty sure Orwell's "1984" is not pro-communism as the small icon suggests. LOL @ Harry Potter being labeled as "occult".

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#36

The Oldest Logos That Are Still In Existence Today (Based On Distinct Core Elements Still Being Used)

The Oldest Logos That Are Still In Existence Today (Based On Distinct Core Elements Still Being Used)

jaxsondeville Report

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LK
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The International Red Cross adopted the red cross against a white background in 1864. The American Red Cross was established in 1881. The red cross logo doesn't 'belong' to the American Red Cross. They are able to use it because they are part of the International Red Cross.

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#37

Timeline: The Domestication Of Animals

Timeline: The Domestication Of Animals

giuliomagnifico Report

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LillieMean
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's pretty bold to claim that humans have domesticated cats. Everyone knows that the cat decided to become domesticated because people are useful.

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#38

The Wealthiest People Of History & What They Would Make In Today's Dollars

The Wealthiest People Of History & What They Would Make In Today's Dollars

reddit.com Report

#39

History Of Pandemics

History Of Pandemics

dartmaster666 Report

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is really out of date. Total for COVID-19 is about 7 million at this point. Not 4700. Also it's still ongoing.

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#40

The Countries That Use The Most Toilet Paper

The Countries That Use The Most Toilet Paper

elviejozuloqi Report

Note: this post originally had 75 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.