Tom McMahon

The New Arizona State Flag

The New Arizona State Flag

Bulgarian Artist Stefan Kanchev

Bulgarian Artist Stefan Kanchev

via Found in Mom's Basement

Chlorodont

Chlorodont

Touchdown! New York Clinches 2014 Super Bowl Bid: Great New York Post Cover

Touchdown! New York Clinches 2014 Super Bowl Bid: Great New York Post Cover

Cartoonist Mike Lynch Draws The Birds Outside His Window

Cartoonist Mike Lynch Draws The Birds Outside His Window

Great Cities in Type

Great Cities in Type

This Is NOT What It Looks Like

This Is NOT What It Looks Like

via Joe Sherlock

The Very Dismal Economy of Rockford, Illinois: A Lesson in the Subtleties of Infographics

By all accounts, the economy of Rockford, Illinois, my old stomping grounds, is in tough shape. Highest unemployment in Illinois. (Just across the state border, Beloit has the highest unemployment rate in Wisconsin.) The Rockford Register-Star publishes a monthly infographic summing up the conditions and trends:

The Very Dismal Economy of Rockford, Illinois

Lots of information in one table at just the right level of detail. A terrific infographic. Except they don't quite publish it that way. They make one change that makes the graph much better for their readers in the Rockford area. Here's what they actually publish:

A Lesson in the Subtleties of Infographics

All the same information is there, but toning down the fire-engine red makes the graph much more palatable for the Rockford Register-Star readers. It makes the negative indicators less garish, and makes the few positive indicators stand out even more. Look, the folks of Rockford, Illinois know all too well how tough their situation is; they don't need to be slapped in the face with it, least of all by their local newspaper that is struggling desperately to hang on to every single reader.

Kudos to Alex Gary of the Rockford Register-Star for this infographic. Well Done!

The First Five Coins in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program Unveiled

The First Five Coins in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program Unveiled

Big Town

Big Town