Today it’s easy to take for granted the massive shift abstract art had on the art world and society as a whole. It’s easy to forget that at one time “realism” was par for the course and even the expressionists made sure you could identify the objects in their works. Then, just a little over 100 years ago, abstract artists appeared on the scene forever changing what could be considered art. This interactive visualization by New York’s Museum of Modern Art explores the similarly forgotten fact that many of the first abstract artists where highly connected to one another. [Read more...]
Compendium of Shapes You Forgot From Geometry Class
The folks over at Pop Chart Labs have done it again, producing another extensive, poster-based charting of beautiful information. This time though, rather than focusing on beer breweries or even celebrity hairstyles, they are getting geometric. Their new florescent design, The Synoptic Scheme of Shapes, points out just how much we all slept through geometry class… or maybe it just shows how much fun shapes can be when you aren’t getting tested later. My favorite part? I finally figured out the name of my long-time favorite shape: a superellipse. [Read more...]
The World Gets Swirly: Tracking Wind Data in Real-Time
It’s hard to imaging a visualization more beautiful than this new animated map of wind speeds across the continental U.S. Individual lines delicately weave their way across the land in Vincent van Gogh like fashion, tracing near real-time wind forecasts around the nation and giving us a mesmerizing view of everything from breezes to gales. [Read more...]
Dencity: What Does 7 Billion Look Like?
The earth recently passed a huge milestone: an estimated 7 billion people now inhabit our home planet. That number is nothing to blink an eye at, yet most maps displaying the population of the world make little visual reverence to how astounding that mass of people really appears: enter a new map called Dencity. [Read more...]
The Complex World of Microsoft Acquisitions
Looking like a fantastically complex version of the London Underground map, this information rich graphic details the many acquisitions and investments of the behemoth Microsoft corporation. At first glance it is quickly apparent that the multi-faceted company has its hands in just about every sector of business, and with the recent $8.5 billion purchase of Skype, their influence is only expanding. [Read more...]
Life Expectancy & Retirement Years Worldwide
Just how long do people in your country live and how long do they take for retirement? Life expectancy varies from country to country as does the length we reserve towards the end. This side by side comparison reveals that Austrians can expect many free twilight years, while many Mexicans are getting none.
A Typographical Map of the World
Shaping a squeaky clean map of the world using just place names to define boundaries, Chartis Graphein’s poster over at Design Ahoy is really well done. The letterpress print has embossed longitude and latitude lines, adding to the many subtle details of the surprisingly information rich map. It’s the perfect way to memorize all those places you’ve been dying to visit. Find the 20 by 29 inch print available through Design Ahoy’s Etsy store.
The X-Men Family Tree: Infographic
Ok, X-Men fans… we’re throwing down a challenge: Can you name each and every mutant in this genealogy of the ‘uncanny’ crew? Can you find Juggernaut? Pretty easy. Rogue? Iceman? Unless you’ve been locked up in your poster covered bedroom for the last 20 years, this is going to take all of your mutant powers.
Not up to the task? Here are some answers from Redditor deathbearbrown.
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The Evolution of Video Game Controllers
Remember the smooth new plastic feel of your first game controller? The sound the buttons made as your sore thumbs crushed them in rapid fire after an all-nighter beating your favorite game? Chances are you’ve become close friends with a few systems over the years, so take a trip down memory lane with an in-depth graphical history of button pushing evolution. If you like this one, you can pick it up over at Pop Chart Lab.
Click to enlarge:
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