The simple genius of a good graphic（一）

簡單天才般的好圖表（一）

I love infographics. As an information designer, I've worked with all sorts of data over the past 25 years. I have a few insights to share, but first: a little history.

infographic： n. 信息圖表

insight['?nsa?t]：n. 洞察力,；見識,；深刻的理解

我愛信息圖表,。作為一個信息設(shè)計師,，在過去25年中,，我跟各種各樣的數(shù)據(jù)打交道,。我有一些見解要分享,，但首先講點歷史。

Communication is the encoding, transmission and decoding of information. Breakthroughs in communication mark turning points in human culture. Oracy, literacy and numeracy were great developments in communication. They allow us to encode ideas into words and quantities in numbers. Without communication, we'd still be stuck in the Stone Ages.

decode[?di?'ko?d]：v. 解碼,；譯解,；譯碼

Breakthrough['bre?kθru?]：n. 突破，突破性進(jìn)展,；關(guān)鍵問題的解決

Oracy['??r?si]：n. 口語能力

literacy['l?t?r?si]：n. 識字,；讀寫能力；文化，教養(yǎng)

numeracy['nu?m?r?si]：n. 識數(shù),；計算能力

溝通是對信息的編碼,、傳輸和解碼。溝通的突破標(biāo)志著人類文化的轉(zhuǎn)折點,。在溝通方面,，語言，文字和算術(shù)能力得到了很大的發(fā)展,。它們讓我們可以把想法編碼為文字并量化成數(shù)字,。 沒有溝通能力，我們就會被困在石器時代,。

Although humans have been around for a quarter million years, it was only 8000 years ago that proto-writings began to surface. Nearly 3000 years later, the fist proper writing systems took shape.

盡管人類已經(jīng)存在25萬年,，但人類最早期的書寫浮出水面只有8千年。在將近3000年后,，首個合適的書寫系統(tǒng)成形,。

Maps have been around for millennia and diagrams for hundreds of years, but representing quantities through graphics is a relatively new development. It wasn't until 1786 that William Playfair invented the first bar chart, giving birth to visual display of quantitative information. Fifteen years later, he introduced the first pie and area charts. His inventions are still the most commonly used chart forms today. Florence Nightingale invented the coxcomb in 1857 for a presentation to Queen Victoria on troop mortality. Highlighted in blue, she showed how most troops' deaths could have been prevented. Shortly after, Charles Minard charted Napoleon's march on Moscow, illustrating how an army of 422000 dwindled to just 10000 as battles, geography and freezing temperatures took their toll. He combined a Sankey diagram with cartography and a line chart for temperature.

coxcomb['k?ks?ko?m]：n. 自命不凡的蠢家伙（尤指過分注意衣著者）

troop[tru?p]：n. 群；組,；軍隊,；大量；vi. 群集,；結(jié)隊,；成群前行

mortality[m??r't?l?ti]：n. 死亡率；死亡數(shù)目,；必死性

dwindle['dw?ndl]：v. 減少,；縮小

toll[to?l]：n. 傷亡人數(shù)；鐘聲,；通行費,；代價；v. 敲鐘

地圖存在幾千年,，圖表則有數(shù)百年之久,，但通過圖形來表示數(shù)量還是一個相對較新的發(fā)展。 直至1786年威廉·普萊費爾發(fā)明的首個條形圖,，才催生了數(shù)量信息的視覺顯示,。15年后，他引入了首個餅圖和面積圖,。他這些發(fā)明仍是今天最常使用的圖表類型,。1857年弗洛倫斯·南丁格爾發(fā)明了鋸齒圖來向維多利亞女王介紹部隊死亡率。藍(lán)色強調(diào)部分,，她展示了軍隊的大多數(shù)死亡可以如何被避免,。不久之后,，查爾斯·米納德繪制了拿破侖進(jìn)軍俄羅斯的圖表,，展示了一支42.2萬人的軍隊是如何在戰(zhàn)斗,，地理和冰凍的影響下付出慘痛代價減少到只有1萬人的。他將?；鶊D與制圖學(xué)和溫度線圖表結(jié)合在一起,。

I get excited when I get lots of data to play with, especially when it yield an interesting chart form. Here, Nightingale's coxcomb was the inspiration to organize data on thousands of federal energy subsidies, scrutinizing the lack of investment in renewable over fossil fuels. This Sankey diagram illustrates the flow of energy through the US economy, emphasizing how nearly half of the energy used is lost as waste heat.

yield[ji?ld]：v. 生產(chǎn),；獲利,；屈服；彎下去,；n. 投資收益,；生產(chǎn)量

inspiration[??nsp?'re??n]：n. 靈感；鼓舞人心(的東西),；吸氣

scrutinize['skru?t?na?z]：v. 仔細(xì)檢查,；細(xì)看

renewable[r?'nu??bl]：adj. 可更新的；可再生的

fossil['fɑ?sl]：n. 化石,；食古不化的人,；守舊的事物

emphasize['emf?sa?z]：vt. 強調(diào)；著重,；使突出

有很多數(shù)據(jù)可以擺弄總令我興奮,，特別是當(dāng)它產(chǎn)生一個有趣的圖表形式時。這里,，奈廷格爾的鋸齒圖是成千聯(lián)邦政府能源補貼數(shù)據(jù)組織的最佳呈現(xiàn),，審查了可再生能源投入相較化石能源的不足。這個?；鶊D展示了美國經(jīng)濟(jì)中的能源流動,，強調(diào)了近一半的能源消耗是作為廢熱流失的。

I love it when data can be sculpted into beautiful shapes. Here, the personal and professional connections of women for Silicon Valley can be woven into arcs, same as the collaboration of inventors birthing patents across the globe can be mapped.

sculpted[sk?lpt]：v. 雕刻,；n. 雕刻,；雕塑；雕刻品,；雕塑品

woven['wo?vn]：adj. 編織的,；動詞weave的過去分詞.

collaboration[k??l?b?'re??n]：n. 合作；通敵

我喜歡把數(shù)據(jù)雕刻成漂亮的形狀,。這里,，硅谷女性的個人和職業(yè)聯(lián)系可以被編織成弧線，就跟全球范圍內(nèi)發(fā)明家的協(xié)作可以映射出來一樣,。