Confusion Happens When Print Tries to Imitate Web

For better or worse one of the most popular trends on the Internet is to create infographics on topics (see a bunch here). Some of these graphics are stunning and really paint a nice picture, while others are, well, let’s just say others are less than helpful. Those who follow me on Twitter know that…

For better or worse one of the most popular trends on the Internet is to create infographics on topics (see a bunch here). Some of these graphics are stunning and really paint a nice picture, while others are, well, let’s just say others are less than helpful.

Those who follow me on Twitter know that I am in Miami right now, last night I grabbed the red eye from Seattle to Miami in hopes of seeing Will Smith — only to find out contrary to the song) he doesn’t live in Miami full-time. ((That is not really why I am in Miami.)) Part of my airport ritual is to purchase a physical magazine to read during take off (when digital devices are not allowed), this time was no different.

This time around I purchased Bloomberg Businessweek and it was a special ‘Year in Review’ edition that promised:

365 days, 61 Charts, 289 Pictures, 7 Essays.

businessweek_tmb_02.jpg

I grabbed this issues because it appeared that Businessweek decided to make an entire infographic issue of a printed magazine. ((I realize infographics have been popular since before the web.)) So how did they do?

Pretty shitty.

businessweek_tmb_01.jpg
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I have never been more confused in trying to read a magazine ((More confusing that iPad apps.)), or just trying to figure out why all the numbers and charts and lines they are showing are important. I cannot recommend this issue of Businessweek to any of my dear readers.

If you need a concrete example just look at the bottom left corner of the last picture — they are not saying that those percentages represent each half of the country — no they just put percentages randomly over the top of the country and then colored it differently to show how “equal” they are. Lame.

Unrelated

I had a goal once airborne to use my MacBook Air and InDesign to finish up a form for work — middle seat in coach on Alaska Airlines does not work so well for this task. I slept instead. In fact it doesn’t work at all for this task, I needed more elbow room to properly use the track pad — frustrating. More on this when I get back though.

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