We’re in the days where the bar has been set very low on what an “infographic” is. Looking at the daily offerings, just stick some data in a table with a pretty font, make some of the numbers big, and bingo you have an “infographic”.
But really, our standard needs to be higher. For me, something’s an infographic when visual design is employed to make information easier to digest. The design push us to see the information in an intended way. It’s the direct hit of data into our understand vein. I can get meaning at a glance. The format of the information is part of the message – it tells us something.
Here’s a good example for tracking triathlon training progress:
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664045/infographic-of-the-day-ben-frys-tritrack-simplifies-triathlon-training
