Where I usually speak about infographics, data visualization and data displays as storytelling tools, Michael Thompson of Accelerator Information Studios points out how Data Visualizations and Data Illustrations are very different, and why.
In his comparison, he then offers experiencial examples, (see the data illustration above, a bar graph), where data illustrations and data visualizations are used in different contexts, with different effects on the viewers.
He points out the need for guidance through data illustrations to avoid confusion: what is the context to find what we are looking for? Whereas data visualizations “give us perspectives that stimulate exploration, hypotheses and scientific experimentation”.
He asks us to remember that visualizations and data illustrations are not the data itself; they are departure points, and we need to consider both the methods (and contexts) that were used to create what we are looking at, as well as the biases, contexts and relationships the audience comes with as they look at these visual representations.
