Abstract:

Infographics have long ceased to be the exclusive domain of newspaper infographic departments. With the rise of the digital age and the speed at which information is generated and consumed, infographics have become a valuable graphic resource not only in the journalistic field but also in the corporate and educational fields. The conciseness, clarity, and simplicity of this format make it ideal for transmitting a large amount of information in small spaces thanks to its ability to combine images, icons, graphics, texts, and photographs in a single graphic resource. The technological revolution has caused the appearance of not only a wide variety of media from which users consume this type of information, such as websites, newsletters, and social networks but also the development of multiple digital tools that facilitate the design and generation of this type of graphic resources.

This work shows the updating of the didactic contents of the subject Graphic Expression and Infographics which is taught in the third year as a mandatory subject of the Degree in Audiovisual Communication. The objective of the subject is to train the student in the presentation of concepts, contexts, and methodologies related to infographic graphics using digital technologies related to the various contexts of visual communication and graphic expression. This will allow the student, once the skills have been acquired, to join a professional team and be able to work for any media.

Until now, the content presented to students was full of infographic examples only in printed media and from the journalism sector. After the update was carried out, the content offered to the student has been expanded on new media, both printed and digital, as well as the use of new technological tools and even online creation and collaborative tools for the design of infographics. Digital technologies have provided us with numerous excellent tools to explore, expand, and realize graphic ideas with faster, more flexible, and cheaper means.

Creating these messages in a professional manner and with great technical and graphic quality implies not only mastery of the computer tools that help us generate them but also knowledge of the different existing theories on a characteristic work methodology and graphic design, developing students' ability to synthesize data and convert complex ideas into simple representations. Students have been able to develop an infographic by combining text with other graphic elements such as icons, symbols, illustrations, and images. In the future, it is proposed that each student carry out a small survey of effectiveness in terms of understanding and design to a small sample of their target audience, in order to be able to evaluate their own infographic design.

Keywords:

Infographics, graphic design, communication, ICT, visualization.