Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
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Quick answers
When should I pick Infographic blocks?
When the story is: dashboards, posters, one-pagers, exhibit boards.
When should I avoid Infographic blocks?
Skip it in cases like: the tiles hide that the numbers are not comparable.
Who invented or popularised it?
Isotype (Neurath, 1920s–30s) plus postwar magazine grids
What does it encode?
modular rectangles whose size and order rank importance
Is it OK in ads?
Yes if one claim is visible at a glance in Meta, Google and retail print; otherwise link to a full figure.
Will a teacher accept it?
Yes for lab reports and poster boards if axes, units and a source line are present.
Infographic blocks encodes values as modular rectangles whose size and order rank importance. Isotype (Neurath, 1920s–30s) plus postwar magazine grids.
In reports, ads and assignments it fits dashboards, posters, one-pagers, exhibit boards. Skip it when the tiles hide that the numbers are not comparable.
Principles
- Encoding — The core mark of Infographic blocks is modular rectangles whose size and order rank importance.
- History — Isotype (Neurath, 1920s–30s) plus postwar magazine grids
- Fit — dashboards, posters, one-pagers, exhibit boards
- Shared baseline — The eye compares length and position more accurately than area.
- Audience — PowerPoint, Excel or Google Sheets and Meta, Google and retail print share the same geometry.
Misconceptions
- Pretty equals true — Decoration rarely persuades; it slows reading.
- 3-D helps — Perspective distortion wrecks comparison. Keep it flat.
- More series is richer — Do not stack stories. One Infographic blocks, one claim.
- Default palette is fine — Rainbow defaults fail color-blind viewers and grey print. Change Excel or Google Sheets defaults.
Why it matters
- Work — Work: dashboards, posters, one-pagers, exhibit boards. Readable in four minutes in PowerPoint.
- Ads — Ads: one number and one shape speak first in Meta, Google and retail print.
- School — School: for lab reports and poster boards, pick the form that answers the rubric.
- Craft — Craft: honour modular rectangles whose size and order rank importance and decoration falls away.
Infographic blocks: honour modular rectangles whose size and order rank importance, and switch when the tiles hide that the numbers are not comparable.