Special Topics Presentation

The special topic that I was a part of was Data Visualization.  Data visualization is all about visualizing information to see the patterns and connections that matter.  Through space, alignment, typography, and grids, complex information becomes easier to understand.  The three visuals that are shown above were part of the special topics presentation.  We made our project with Prezi, which is a data visualization program in itself.  The first visual presented above, I created using Microsoft Excel.  It represents JMU Tuition and Fees in an organized and color coordinated manner.  Overall, the visual represents the changes in tuition between in-state and out-of-state students from year to year.  The next two visuals were found online.  They are more complex visuals and professionally done.  The second visualization is a form of mapping which "maps" your twitter friends in the regions and states that they are from.  The last visual exerts a lot of information, but when enlarged, is quite easy to read.  The color coordinated lines, icons, shapes, and text help simplify information and facts.  There are many forms of data visualization.  Some are more complex then others, but they all help decode complexity.  The full presentation can be found at http://prezi.com/05ptvdknxhln/visual-literacy-data-visualization/