Five speakers from throughout the communication industry visited Ohio University to talk about the importance of visuals in the news.
About 70 people gathered in Baker University Center Theatre to hear the first of the speakers, Juan Velasco, senior editor for Arts and Graphics at National Geographic, talk Tuesday morning about graphics and how they relate to the public.
The session, titled “Visualizing meaningful data for global audiences,” centered on how data visualization can inform the public in a variety of ways.
The event was just one of several as a part of the sixth annual Schuneman Symposium. The central theme of the symposium was data visualization as a whole.
Other panels included a keynote speech by Lisa Strausfeld, the global head of data visualization for Bloomberg; John Sale, assistant managing editor for visuals at The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn.; Zach Wise, associate professor from Northwestern University’s Knight Lab; and Sara Quinn of Poynter Institute.
Scripps School of Journalism offered these lectures throughout the day to the public for free.
The symposium also allowed several journalism professors and visual communication professors the opportunity to cooperate and make the event possible.
The symposium was an “opportunity to have communication professors work together on a big project,” said Robert Stewart, director of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.
Velasco said the different types of data visualization — graphs, photographs and illustrations — look very different from each other, but the purpose of all of visuals is a common goal.
“Our mission is to educate the public,” Velasco said.
To Velasco and his coworkers, simplicity is usually key when it comes to data. The department works closely with scientists and does all of their own research.
“In most cases, it’s about simplicity and having a story to tell,” Velasco said.
However, in some circumstances, the most detailed data visuals are the ones that get the most attention.
Several of National Geographic’s visuals have gained a large amount of exposure because of their accuracy and advancement.
These include a WWII map of Germany that was used by the Allies military when they fought in Europe.
Velasco worked on analytical graphics at the New York Times before moving to his current position at National Geographic.
The team he works with at National Geographic is very concerned with ensuring that the visuals coincide with the stories.
“We try to have photography that is very meaningful. … We try to go to a place where textile photography cannot go,” Velasco said. “You have to have a story to tell.”
@w_gibbs
wg868213@ohiou.edu
