Infographics aren’t new, though it seems that there is a trend I see amongst start up companies to issue them to announce a milestone, as companies have traditionally done with press releases or commemorative issues, stamps etc.

I am thrilled to see this since my love affair with infographics and visual displays of data began at MOMA’s exhibit Design and the Elastic Mind in 2008.

Today on TechCrunch there was an article entitled: Badgeville Raises $12 Million, Celebrates With An InfoGraphic. A lot more fun than a press release, an  infographic also serves as a curation tool for the company – a great way to organize, filter and publish select information. It seems to me that these iconic,  information packed images are like a shorthand visual improvement upon the social media press release format, and very viral ones at that.  The infographic  provides not just information but context on the topic, placing it in time and space; this allows anyone to view it and immediately grasp an entire subject,  industry or slice of history.

As curation tool, the infographic provides a canvas upon which the curator can publish their selected information, drawing your attention to not only the  information they have compiled, but also expressing their point of view in how they see it interacting within the parameters of the universe they are framing.  The visual choices and display of information are additional layers of point of view, further enriching their canvas.

According to Marketing Tech Blog, Guide to  Infographics, Infographics are popular for 4 reasons:

• Search engine rankings – the graphics get linked to alot, which rewards the site hosting the infographic
• Informative – a good infographic shows a new to look at a topic, conclusion or p.o.v. [curation]
• Eye candy – attractive way to absorb information
• Marketing and Advertising – more engaging than written text and permanent as video