# \#DataReads: Infographics March 25, 2015 [ Chris Sommerfeld ](#chrissommerfeld) - March 25, 2015 - [Data Visualization](/data-visualization) *Our #DataReads series curates links and examples for those looking for an introduction to a particular civic data topic.* These days it seems infographics are everywhere. News sites like [FiveThirtyEight](http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/), [Fast Company](http://www.fastcompany.com/section/infographic-of-the-day), and [The Upshot](http://www.nytimes.com/upshot/?_r=0) often post infographics that illustrate data about complex issues in an accessible way. Companies from small tech startups to Fortune 500 giants are using infographics to share corporate insights and to market products in an interesting and digestible way. Given their visual nature and creative design, good infographics are often shared and posted across Twitter and other social media platforms. The utility of infographics for presenting complex data has prompted some government agencies and offices to begin creating them. Infographics present an interesting opportunity for cities looking to visually communicate performance measures or key information. Highlighting key data and putting the information into a visual context often helps citizens better understand it. Compelling and easy-to-share infographics are a great way for cities to convey important data and key messages to a broader audience. The White House leads the way in government infographic production. New infographics are posted every few weeks in a section of the official website headlined “[White House Shareables](http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/all).” The site enables visitors to quickly share any infographic they’re viewing on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. Some of the [infographics](http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/wh_gatsby_large.gif) are actually animated gifs or image files that loop short animations. In addition to the infographics on the website, the President has also taken to using them as an accompaniment to his [State of the Union](http://www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2014) address. Some cities are producing infographics as well. For instance, Boston included several in its recent [Greenovate Boston](http://www.cityofboston.gov/eeos/pdfs/greenovate%20boston%202014%20cap%20update_full.pdf) action plan update, as did San Francisco in its [Downtown Plan](http://www.sf-planning.org/ftp/files/Citywide/Downtown_Annual_Report_2013.pdf). While many municipalities are including infographics in the context of large reports (the documents mentioned are 80 and 24 pages, respectively), fewer have taken to creating the types of standalone infographics that have continued to grown in popularity with other organizations. New York City is an exception. In addition to the frequent [infographic tweets](https://twitter.com/NYCMayorsOffice/media) coming out of City Hall, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is also a frequent creator of digestible and sharable infographic content. While their website does not make it as easy to share the infographics as some sites do (such as the White House), NYCHA does actively share them on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/NYCHA/media). NYCHA has also established an [Infographics Hub](http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/news/infographics.shtml) on its site that contains several different sets of infographics designed to communicate agency programs, metrics, and goals in a way that is quick to read and easy to comprehend. For instance, their “[NYCHA Metrics](http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/downloads/pdf/nycha-metrics-infographic-20140721.pdf)” infographic uses simple graphics to explain waitlist statistics, occupancy rates, service levels, and links to NYCHA’s online performance metrics [dashboard](https://eapps.nycha.info/NychaMetrics). The City of Los Angeles is another great example of a municipality creating a dynamic performance data portal. The dashboard [website](https://performance.lacity.org/) (just over a year old) displays high-level data in continuously updated tiles. The data provided covers city economics, safety, sustainability, and government services. It’s easy for citizens to review, but not easy for them to share. Developing targeted infographics would help the city in communicating the data and getting the message out to those citizens that are less likely to keep checking the website over time. For agencies and offices already employing designers and data scientists, producing infographics should be relatively straightforward. Most of these teams are likely already working with data visualization and design software programs such as [Tableau](http://www.tableau.com/) and [Adobe Creative Cloud](http://www.adobe.com/creativecloud.html). For organizations needing more of a primer on how to get started, The Guardian published a [helpful beginners guide](http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/aug/28/interactive-infographics-development-data) just last summer. If software costs and up-front training are an issue, check out [this list](http://www.creativebloq.com/infographic/tools-2131971) of free infographic software. In addition to the municipal examples shared above, Randy Krum’s collection of interesting [government infographics](http://www.coolinfographics.com/blog/tag/government?currentPage=1) can also provide some helpful inspiration. ## About the Author ### Chris Sommerfeld ![chris150.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum10826/files/styles/hwp_1_1__100x100_scale/public/datasmart/files/chris150.jpg?itok=-Nurh6yU) Chris Sommerfeld is dual degree Master in Public Administration and Master in Business Administration candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and MIT Sloan School of Management. Before beginning his graduate studies, Chris worked as business strategist for Deloitte Consulting's innovation practice, Doblin. Previously he was a New York City Urban Fellow in the Mayor's Office of Operations and a second grade teacher through the Teach For America program. He recently interned at Amazon. Current research interests include technology-driven public service delivery, public and private sector data integration, and government innovation offices. See also:- [ Civic Data ](/topics/civic-data) - [ Data Visualization ](/topics/data-visualization) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)