Nowadays, the cornucopia of graphics seems like a given. However, it was not so long ago that infographics were scarce and lived in closed ecosystems. The majority of graphics were published in newspapers, magazines, or books, and only after they had passed through various loops of editorial vetting. They were expensive to produce, print, and distribute, and there were only a few professionals with the skills and experience needed to create them.

如今，圖形的聚寶盆似乎已成定局。 但是，不久之前，信息圖表還很稀少，生活在封閉的生態系統中。 大多數圖形僅在經過各種不同的編輯審查循環之后，才能在報紙，雜志或書籍中發表。 它們的生產，印刷和分發成本很高，只有少數專業人員具備創建它們所需的技能和經驗。

“Social graphics have their own merits and they’re here to stay. It’s important to learn more about them and take advantage of the opportunities they offer”

“社交圖形有其自身的優點，并且會持續存在。 重要的是要更多地了解它們并利用它們提供的機會。”

With the arrival of personal computers and desktop publishing, the process of making graphics changed dramatically and information designers acquired amazing new capabilities: from the ability to visualize big data, to creating complex 3D models, or applying GIS cartography to plot data on maps.

隨著個人計算機和臺式機發布的到來，制作圖形的過程發生了巨大變化，信息設計人員獲得了驚人的新功能：從可視化大數據的能力到創建復雜的3D模型，或者應用GIS制圖在地圖上繪制數據。

This digital revolution also marked the beginning of interactive experiences that allow readers to explore visual information dynamically on their desktops. We are currently experiencing a golden age of sophisticated, data-rich visualization.

這場數字革命也標志著交互式體驗的開始，該體驗使讀者可以在桌面上動態瀏覽視覺信息。 我們目前正經歷著復雜的，數據豐富的可視化的黃金時代。

‘The US has a 1.39 billion-pound surplus of cheese. Let’s try to visualize that.’ A Vox.com story from June 20218. (Graphic: Javier Zarracina / Vox)

'美國的奶酪盈余為13.9億磅。 讓我們嘗試將其形象化。 Vox.com的故事始于20218年6月。(圖片：Javier Zarracina / Vox)

The arrival of social graphics and motion graphics that are specifically created for social networks has brought about new changes for infographics, as new players have entered into this ecosystem. Are these social graphics weaker than their bigger counterparts on websites or in print? Whether it’s true or not doesn’t really matter: social graphics have their own merits, and they’re here to stay. Learn more about them and take advantage of the opportunities they offer.

隨著新玩家進入這個生態系統，專門為社交網絡創建的社交圖形和動態圖形的到來為信息圖表帶來了新的變化。 這些社交圖譜是否比網站或印刷版中的社交圖譜弱？ 真實與否無關緊要：社交圖形有其自身的優點，并且會持續存在。 了解有關它們的更多信息，并充分利用它們提供的機會。

The Social Advantage

社會優勢

So what are the main characteristics of these social graphics? First off, they are based on the attention economy. Unlike graphics on desktop computers or in print, most of these graphics appear in an ever-changing stream of content with only a few seconds to capture the reader’s attention. This creates draconian design constraints: visuals have to be attractive and easy to decode from a mobile phone-screen real estate is precious. Typography has to be versatile so it can be read on different screen sizes and ratios.

那么這些社交圖形的主要特征是什么？ 首先，它們基于注意力經濟。 與臺式計算機或印刷品上的圖形不同，這些圖形中的大多數都出現在不斷變化的內容流中，僅需幾秒鐘即可吸引讀者的注意力。 這產生了嚴苛的設計約束：視覺效果必須具有吸引力，并且必須易于從手機屏幕解碼，這是非常寶貴的。 字體必須是通用的，以便可以在不同的屏幕尺寸和比例下閱讀。

‘A simple guide to CRISPR, one of the biggest science stories of the decade.’ A Vox.com story from December 2018. (Graphic: Javier Zarracina / Vox)

``CRISPR的簡單指南，這是十年來最大的科學故事之一。'' 一個Vox.com故事，來自2018年12月。(圖：Javier Zarracina / Vox)

Despite such limitations, social graphics can convey a substantial amount of information. For instance, during the Summer Olympics 2016, the New York Times published a series of GIFs on Twitter and Facebook summarizing the results of track and swimming events: these award-winning graphics used to design and animation to offer a compelling comparison of the events’ key moments and were worthy opponents to their desktop counterparts.

盡管有這些限制，社交圖形仍可以傳達大量信息。 例如，在2016年夏季奧林匹克運動會期間， 《紐約時報 》在Twitter和Facebook上發布了一系列GIF，總結了田徑和游泳比賽的結果：這些屢獲殊榮的圖形用于設計和動畫制作，對比賽的結果進行了令人信服的比較。關鍵時刻，是臺式電腦的當之無愧的對手。

Editing is crucial for every graphic. However, it is even more so in a social graph, since it has to transmit as much information as possible in just a few seconds. On a website, the space is unlimited; in a social media feed, getting seen is competitive-even more so than it ever was in print. Social graphics have to get to the point and remove any and all superfluous details. For instance, we tried to make a social graphic explainer on viruses as succinct as possible, paring it down to only the most relevant information.

編輯對于每個圖形都至關重要。 但是，在社交圖中更是如此，因為它必須在幾秒鐘內傳輸盡可能多的信息。 在網站上，空間是無限的。 在社交媒體供稿中，被展示具有競爭性，甚至比以前任何時候都更具競爭力。 社交圖形必須準確無誤，并刪除所有多余的細節。 例如，我們試圖使關于病毒的社交圖形解釋程序盡可能簡潔，將其分解為僅最相關的信息。

“Social media users don’t just want to be consumers of graphics, they also seek a better understanding of the rules of visual communication”

“社交媒體用戶不僅希望成為圖形用戶，他們還尋求對視覺傳達規則的更好理解”

Another option we have is to use animation, such as loop cycles in GIFs or short social videos. Video content and GIFs are very versatile-and unlike interactive graphics, they work on most devices and social platforms. Years ago, creating a few seconds of animation was an extremely laborious, intensive task, but with the popularity of software like After Effects and other animation packages, the technical part of producing animations is easier today. Short video format eliminates some of the complications of shooting in the field or the need for voiceovers. Infographers can use many of the visualization tools they already use on other platforms: animated maps, charts, and typography.

我們擁有的另一種選擇是使用動畫，例如GIF中的循環循環或簡短的社交視頻。 視頻內容和GIF非常通用-與交互式圖形不同，它們可在大多數設備和社交平臺上使用。 幾年前，創建幾秒鐘的動畫是一項非常費力，費勁的任務，但是隨著After Effects和其他動畫包等軟件的普及，如今制作動畫的技術部分變得更加容易。 短視頻格式消除了野外拍攝或配音的一些復雜問題。 信息繪圖員可以使用已經在其他平臺上使用的許多可視化工具：動畫地圖，圖表和版式。

Risk and Opportunity

風險與機會

All of these opportunities also come with risks. When graphics are published without having gone through an editorial process or are read without context, they can be more easily manipulated and their information more easily distorted. Marketing agencies, PR departments, and political activists know this well, and they often use social graphics to advance their agendas or cast a critical glare at inaccurate or biased information. How can we, as a graphics community, counteract these challenges? At Vox, we have established a dialogue with our audience on social media about methods of making visual representations with graphics about graphics themselves.

所有這些機會也都帶有風險。 如果在不經過編輯過程的情況下發布圖形，或者在沒有上下文的情況下閱讀圖形，則可以更輕松地操縱它們，并且更容易扭曲其信息。 營銷機構，公關部門和政治活動家都非常了解這一點，他們經常使用社交圖片來推進其議程或對不正確或有偏見的信息投以嚴重的眼光。 作為圖形社區，我們如何應對這些挑戰？ 在Vox上 ，我們已經在社交媒體上與觀眾建立了對話，討論使用有關圖形本身的圖形進行視覺表示的方法。

‘The most popular books in all 50 states, in one map.’ A Vox.com story from November 2017. (Graphic: Javier Zarracina / Vox)

“在一張地圖上，所有50個州最受歡迎的圖書。” 2017年11月的Vox.com故事。(圖：Javier Zarracina / Vox)

For instance, we produced a video for social media explaining how to choose a map projection, when to use a y-axis that starts at zero, and several pieces analyzing the misrepresentations in the U. S. election maps. At first, these topics might only appear to interest a small audience of data visualization professionals, but we were surprised at their popularity. For instance, our map projections video has more than three million views and counting.

例如，我們為社交媒體制作了一個視頻，解釋了如何選擇地圖投影，何時使用從零開始的y軸，以及幾段分析了美國選舉地圖中的虛假陳述。 最初，這些主題可能只會引起一小部分數據可視化專業人員的興趣，但我們對它們的普及感到驚訝。 例如，我們的地圖投影視頻擁有超過300萬的觀看次數和計數。

This interest may be because social media users don’t just want to be consumers of graphics. They also want a better understanding of the rules of visual communication since they are sharing-and often creating-visual content. When someone shares a graphic, they want it to be a part of the conversation within their social circle-and that is a powerful interaction to have with readers.

這種興趣可能是因為社交媒體用戶不只是想成為圖形用戶。 他們還希望更好地理解視覺傳達的規則，因為他們正在共享并且經常創建視覺內容。 當某人共享圖片時，他們希望它成為他們社交圈中對話的一部分-這是與讀者進行的強大互動。

If we get a better understanding of such connections, we can access a unique tool in the panoply of visualization options that go far beyond the dichotomies of print vs. online, mobile vs. desktop, or interactive vs. linear narratives.

如果我們對這樣的聯系有了更好的了解，我們就可以在各種可視化選項中訪問一個獨特的工具，這遠遠超出了印刷，在線，移動與桌面，交互式或線性敘述的二分法。

Some of the best stories in the world are told in graphics. Learn about the masters and visionaries of infographics through Visual Journalism.

圖形中講述了一些世界上最好的故事。 通過 Visual Journalism 了解信息圖表的主人和有遠見的人 。

Originally published at https://gestalten.com.

最初發布在 https://gestalten.com 。