40 Interesting Infographics That Might Change Your Perspective On Things, As Shared On This Online Group
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.
This post may include affiliate links.
If New York City Were 100 People (Nytimes)
If Only We Could Get One For Avocados
American Insulin Prices Are Off The Charts
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.
We Could Fund Us…
Geography Terms
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.
The Evolution Of Letters
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."
Decline Of Faith Amongst Young American Adults
Minimalist Infographic. Poisonous vs. Venomous
Lifespan Of Animals
Mosquito, 1-3 months, unless it approaches Caro Caro and WHAM - it's a gonner 😁
I wish dogs were higher up on that list. Er lower? Basically, I wish they lived a lot longer.
every dog ive known lived longer then 13. mine lived for 17 and the dog i have now is 9 and still acts like a puppy. i think the proper average age is 15 but wen u go into dog specific terms its 13 for big dogs 15 for little. i never pay attention to lists like these bc there r tons of factors that can change them. just like humans animals can easily outlive the average lifespan due to life conditions. the oldest current living dog i believe is 22 but thats not the oldest in history. my friends rabbit lived much longer then listed here. an orca my friends marine bio organization has been watching over is over 100. 2 generations of marine biologists have been watching over it. i wont say the organization name or name they gave it cuz its the internet and who knows wat ppl will do with the info. its all about living conditions i get this list is average life span but the average life span is extended for anything if life conditions r better.
Load More Replies...Whoa... Some of these surprised me, but the immortal jellyfish - WTF?! Now I've got something new to read about..
There are some really cool videos on YouTube showing how the Immortal Jellyfish reverts back to its original form on the ocean floor and begins to expel thousands of new jellyfish polyps. And then those polyps grow into adult jellyfish and they revert back and create new generations of jellyfish polyps and so on. If they don't die of disease or predation, they never die. It's fascinating!
Load More Replies...Did anyone else see the ring tailed lemur as a diplodocus going the other way
Clam is represented, but greenland shark is the obvious one to add. And bacteria. And foxes (2years!?!). And...
Load More Replies...Wait a second, Quahog? Is that why Family Guy has been on the air for so long?
One of the saddest insect/animal facts that I learned was that the gorgeous Luna Moth cannot eat in its adult form and only lives for one week.
There is a fundamental error in this diagram. A mayfly does not "live" for a few hours or days. A mayfly's lifecycle is approximately one year. The eggs are laid into water, and the nymph hatches out soon after. The nymph lives in the water for almost an entire year, feeding and growing. It then emerges and molts into the adult winged form, which dies after a few days. The same is true of the dragonfly, except that it can take several years in the nymph form. To suggest that their entire life is just the winged adult form is like saying that humans only live for 55 years because our childhood doesn't count.
If I get reincarnated, put me down for Dumbo Octopus! Long enough lifespan to be able to explore what being a Dumbo Octopus is all about, yet short enough to not feel trapped in it.
I've read some species of ant live up to 7 years. Makes you think twice about stomping on one.
No Greenland Shark at 300-500 years? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_shark & https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/11/400-year-old-greenland-shark-is-the-oldest-vertebrate-animal
Tuataras aren’t lizards, they are a similar but different species of reptile that they are now the only member of.
Forget Mars, scientists should research the immortal jellyfish
Everything about the octopus is weird. If we're looking for alien intelligence, it's them. Plus I think the infographic should say Jumbo Octopus... Not Dumbo as they're smart as hell.
Load More Replies...Wow, I had absolutely no idea that the sea urchins and clams could live that long!
Imagine being that jellyfish though like...tired of being an adult...go back to being a baby lol
Where's the Greenland Shark? 250-500 years... https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/greenland-shark.html
Yes it is. The universe moves whether you watch it or not.
Load More Replies...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.
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.
109 Billion People Have Lived And Died
I Updated Our Famous Password Table For 2022
Ok, I will change my password from "admin" to "adminadminadmin", going from "instantly" to "100 years" :)))))
Head Coverings Worn By Muslim Women
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.
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).
147 Words To Use Instead Of Very
Sandworm Size Chart
I am pretty sure that the Sarlacc is much bigger than the things from Tremors!
The Bruise Spectrum
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.
Leonardo Dicaprio's Dating History
A Logarithmic Map Of The Entire Observable Universe
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.
How Many People Does It Take To Make A Blockbuster Film?
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!
8 Things You Should Never, Ever Flush Down Your Toilet
Just curious, but wouldn't the medicine just dissolve in the water?
Mythical Beasts Of Wales [oc]
How Much People Eat
"What people eat" - first thing on the chart was a cat. That was f*cked up.
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.
Wikipedia's Illustration For Gerrymandering
Ikigai: The Japanese Concept Of Finding Purpose In Life
Highest Ocean Plastic Waste Polluters
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.
Travel Etiquette Around The World
I’m going to be really preoccupied with my feet if I ever go to a Arab country.
80% Of Deaths Of Children Under Age Five Are Preventable
A Presidential Venn Diagram
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.
The Size And Location Of The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Predominant Ancestry Of Population
No wonder there's this rumor among Germans that the US almost had German as its primary official language.
What Happened To Green Cars?
Colored cars have all but disappeared! I googled the reason and it was basically "they don't sell." I miss color on the road!!
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.
The Best-Selling Music Artists Of All-Time
Everything That's Owned By Amazon
Differences In When Europeans Eat Dinner
I doubt anyone in Europe eats dinner that early. Source: I'm European, nobody here eats dinner in the morning.
Orgasm Percentages
The Most Banned & Challenged Books Of The Last 8 Years
The Oldest Logos That Are Still In Existence Today (Based On Distinct Core Elements Still Being Used)
Timeline: The Domestication Of Animals
It's pretty bold to claim that humans have domesticated cats. Everyone knows that the cat decided to become domesticated because people are useful.
The Wealthiest People Of History & What They Would Make In Today's Dollars
History Of Pandemics
This is really out of date. Total for COVID-19 is about 7 million at this point. Not 4700. Also it's still ongoing.
The Countries That Use The Most Toilet Paper
Note: this post originally had 75 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
I found it almost impossible to read the print. I understand the limitations of putting lots of statistics in a small column, but meh.
At least the "BP is anti-American" brigade can't complain about this one. It's so US-centric it's as if the rest of the world doesn't exist.
I guess... but it sure does put a spin on "Bored Panda"... because posts like these are certainly boring to the rest of the world
Load More Replies...I found it almost impossible to read the print. I understand the limitations of putting lots of statistics in a small column, but meh.
At least the "BP is anti-American" brigade can't complain about this one. It's so US-centric it's as if the rest of the world doesn't exist.
I guess... but it sure does put a spin on "Bored Panda"... because posts like these are certainly boring to the rest of the world
Load More Replies...