Page 144 - DCAP104_EXPOSURE_TO_COMPUTER_DISCPLINES

Unit 7: Graphics and Multimedia

shows lines of authority, or a systems flowchart that shows sequential movement. Illustrated Notes
graphics use images to related data. The snapshots features used every day by USA Today are
good examples of this technique. Tables are commonly used and may contain lots of numbers.
Modern interactive maps and bulleted numbers are also infographic devices.
7.1.2 Elements of Information Graphics

The basic material of an information graphic is the data, information, or knowledge that the graphic
presents. In the case of data, the creator may make use of automated tools such as graphing software
to represent the data in the form of lines, boxes, arrows, and various symbols and pictograms. The
information graphic might also feature a key which defines the visual elements in plain English.
A scale and labels are also common. The elements of an info graphic do not have to be an exact
or realistic representation of the data, but can be a simplified version.

7.1.3 Interpreting Information Graphics
Many information graphics are specialised forms of depiction that represent their content
in sophisticated and often abstract ways. In order to interpret the meaning of these graphics
appropriately, the viewer requires a suitable level of graphicacy. In many cases, the required
graphicacy involves comprehension skills that are learned rather than innate. At a fundamental
level, the skills of decoding individual graphic signs and symbols must be acquired before sense
can be made of an information graphic as a whole. However, knowledge of the conventions for
distributing and arranging these individual components is also necessary for the building of
understanding.
7.1.4 Interpreting with a Common Visual Language

In contrast to the above, many other forms of infographics take advantage of innate visual language
that is largely universal. The disciplined use of the color red, for emphasis, on an otherwise muted
design, demands attention in a primal way even children understand. Many maps, interfaces,
dials and gauges on instruments and machinery use icons that are easy to grasp and speed
understanding for safe operation.

7.2 Multimedia

Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term
can be used as a noun (a medium with multiple content forms) or as an adjective describing a
medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which only use
traditional forms of printed or hand-produced material. Multimedia includes a combination of
text, audio, still images, animation, video, and interactivity content forms.
Multimedia is usually recorded and played, displayed or accessed by information content
processing devices, such as computerized and electronic devices, but can also be part of a
live performance. Multimedia (as an adjective) also describes electronic media devices used
to store and experience multimedia content. Multimedia is distinguished from mixed media
in fine art; by including audio, for example, it has a broader scope. The term “rich media”
is synonymous for interactive multimedia. Hypermedia can be considered one particular
multimedia application.

7.2.1 Major Characteristics of Multimedia
Multimedia presentations may be viewed by person on stage, projected, transmitted, or played
locally with a media player. A broadcast may be a live or recorded multimedia presentation.
Broadcasts and recordings can be either analog or digital electronic media technology. Digital
online multimedia may be downloaded or streamed. Streaming multimedia may be live or on-
demand.

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