The 'Information is Beautiful' Awards

The Olympics 1896-2008 by Paula Filippone 

The longlist for the Information is Beautiful Awards was announced this week and it is impossible not to be inspired by the nominees. Categories include Infographics / Information design and Data Visualisations and there is also a section for the best tool or website. Piktochart, recently highlighted by Alex, is just one of the applications to make the list.

The infographics really encapsulate the value of presenting data and information in a visually engaging way. In contrast with tabular or more traditional representations, the graphics are immediate, accessible and undoubtedly help to generate a wider audience. However the visualisations also manage to capture something bigger still, serving as a social, political and cultural record. Who Is Occupy Wall St?, The European Debt Crisis and Cover Mania all immortalise aspects of our current social landscape in a way that emphasises the value of both data and dissemination.