Google and the writer who wants 'something beautiful and funny for the page'

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Google has announced a taxes infographic contest with a 5,000$ award at DataViz Challenge. Until here, everything's allright. Now, the problems.

The post title on Google's blog
Can you make tax data exciting?
Yes, Google is not asking for something intersting, comprehensible, clear, divulgative...no. Google's asking for something 'exciting'. As those writers who come to the infographics departments asking for something 'beautiful' or 'funny' because the 'page is boring. But now it's not that writer. It's Google asking.

Just for United States
In this time of globalization, where Google is one of the starring, it's precissely Google who creates a contest just for people 'physically in United States'. ???

Alberto Cairo vs. Google
As an example of what they expect Google show a bubble graphic. If Alberto Cairo finds it, Google should be afraid.

Via @rpicallo and Infosthetics

The 'mistake' and the rectification

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The image you can see above is a screen capture from as.com. They're apologising for a 'mistake' . They erased an Athletic Club defender on an infographic showing Alves in 'offside' in a play that finished with a goal. One more data: the newspaper As uses to support Real Madrid against Barcelona, so this mistake goes with their interests.

Those of you who have done these kid of infographics know that these mistakes are not usual, so clean, without traces of the brush. If there's a mistake, they've been very lucky...

Many of you working with sports graphics may have been in a situation with a writer asking to 'erase a player', draw a line that is not preceissely wit the correct perspective, or moving some things.  And these ideas barely never come from the infographics department. So, what they call a ' mistake in the graphic' could be a very different situation. I don't know how things happened exactly in this particular case. And I don't wanna to put the blame exclusively on the writer and plead 'non guilty' for the infographics department.

At least, in this case they rectificate. Via Ramón Salaverría I remember another similar thing in As too.

Lisa Evans, from Guardian Datablog, speaks about data journalism

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Here you are, courtesy of Medialab-Prado, a conference by Lisa Evans, from Guardian Datablog, on the BarCamp about data journalism organized by MediaLab Prado.

Enjoy.

From comments: This barcamp was organized by Pro Bono Publico and Access Info, with support from MediaLabPrado.

A cartogram done in real 3D

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My former Art Director at Público Fernando 'Rapa' Carballo exhibes these days and until february 27th is Antifichus at Casa de América in Madrid. A review of 200 years of his native Argentina seen with designers eyes.
To works exhibited are done with friends and collegues, and one of them is the inforaphics journalist of Publico Samuel Granados.

His project is very funny: a 3D cartogram about emigration and inmigration between american countries. But in true 3D: made with Lego pieces, as he explains, "to seize the space of the exhibition" and "allow you to watch teh cartogram from different perspectives".
One side of the map show the emigrants of each zone, the opposite shows the inmigrants (both represented by the volume of the pieces).

Photos by Samuel Granados

World Map of Infographics journalists. Second round.

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Some time ago I started a map showing infographics journalist and departments around the world. It was an open collaborative map, and somebody deleted the data and add oil companies in the south of Spain. I guess it was a mistake, but I lost all the information.

Well, let's try again. Unfortunately, this time it won't be a open map. It's closed and I'm the only one who can update it (although I can give collaborator invitations to those interested). So, if you want to be on the map, just send me an email or write a comment in this post. I will add you to the map. Once it will have enough content, I will publish it on a static place in this web. It's Google Maps, so you can take it to your web too.

The map will show professionals related with infograhics on five different categories:

- Print infographics departments (blue)
- Interactive infographics departments (red)
- Integrated infographics departments (green)
- Freelancers or business (yellow)
- Teachers (purple)

At the moment, I just have some spanish departments and professionals, as a test. I will update it daily, but please be patient. I'm waiting for your maisl and comments. And if you want to be collaborator, just ask me.


Ver Infografistas/Infographic journalists en un mapa más grande