Visual.ly Makes Infographics Available To The Masses

Why try to understand complex information through dry text when you could get it in a clearer, easier and more interesting way through infographics? Information graphics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge and they are taking the web by storm. Even the usually slow-to-adapt news websites have increasingly used resources on a graphics team. The New York Times, for example, has a whole section dedicated to infographics.

Visual.ly, a young company based in Silicon Valley, wishes to take data visualizations one step ahead. On their website visual.ly turns infographics into entertainment, picking out the best and most interesting ones from around the web. The site also connects graphics designers  specializing in infographics with potential customers. Every designer can create a portfolio and  keep track of their infographics’ popularity and comments.

Visual.ly has already partnered with sites such as CNN, eBay and National Geographics. “We realized that if an article with a regular picture or chart would get X views, an article with an infographic will attract 10 times more traffic and views” said Tal Siach, Visual.ly’s  Chief Marketing Officer. .

“More and more people are starting to get interested in data visualization, not only people that work with statistics but the average internet user as well- infographics don’t have to be about serious matters or tools for business or education, they can be something fun that you make one time for your friends,” he added.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCmO8YKzv9U&feature=player_embedded#![/youtube]

The most interesting feature on visual.ly might be yet to come, however. The team is creating a feature they say will allow anyone on the web to easily create their own infographics. As graphics creation is currently confined to trained graphic designers, Visual.ly’s tool could introduce infographics to a whole new audience.

Twitterize - visual.ly

“Our focus is on the user’s experience. We want to aim for a product that the user can log on to and after a few minutes, using our algorithms, will get a cool infographic,” Siach told NoCamels.

One feature is already available, called “Twitterize Yourself”, which makes it possible to create simple graphics for your profile, or to compete with another user for best graphic.