‘Best American Infographics’ compiled in new book
Brooklyn BookBeat: Launch party in DUMBO
As we find ourselves in the era of big data, information must be captured and organized in ways that are accessible and easy to understand—but they can also be creative and visually arresting, as seen in this first volume of the brand new Best American series, “The Best American Infographics 2013.” It’s an exciting look at the top infographics from the past year, the most informative, influential bursts of art and knowledge—on the environment, politics, social issues, health, sports, culture—to experience, absorb, and share.
Infographics, short for information graphics, are organizations of data about any one thing or many—and they often tell an interesting story along the way. They can be humorous (What Were the Gayest [And Straightest] Super Bowl Halftime Shows? by Tom Scocca), serious (The Money in Politics Navigator by Andrew Garcia Phillips), aesthetically beautiful (Wind Map by Fernanda Viegas and Martin Wattenberg), or hard to face (Sexism Visualized by Brian McGill), but the best of them are useful and essential, and captured in this volume.
With a forward by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gareth Cook and an introduction by Talking Heads band member David Byrne, “The Best American Infographics” is entertaining from the first elegantly-designed page to the last. With distinct sections on a variety of topics, including mixology and pop culture, the book offers information in a compact, visually pleasing manner, particularly relevant for the design-science-technology-art-oriented reader.