Design at Mason Gross

What we know about the world is increasingly shaped by infographics — from the blue state–red state divide to an analysis of history’s best basketball players and a gorgeous portrait of New York City’s Twitter traffic. To launch the debut of a new annual series, The Best American Infographics, editor Gareth Cook explains why this medium is experiencing a golden age and uncovers its deep roots in art, cartography, and the brain’s natural visual intelligence. Several top designers involved in the project — Nicholas Felton, John Grimwade, Nigel Holmes, Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg — will engage the audience in discussions of some of the works being considered for next year’s volume.

“When infographics work…they take you somewhere no other medium can go; they allow and facilitate intuitive insights; and they reveal the hidden patterns buried in mountains of data.”

— David Byrne, from the Introduction to The Best American Infographics 2013

The program will be followed by a book signing and public reception with many of the winning artists.

About the Speaker
Gareth Cook is the series editor of The Best American Infographics. He is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, a regular contributor to NewYorker.com, and the editor of Mind Matters, Scientific American’s neuroscience blog.