English 
Italiano 
It has long been known that visual informations may help in exposing and understanding concepts. They could clarify the wording besides, or even suggest unexpected interpretations, as remarked on instantshift and by David McCandless on TED.
The practice of depicting information into a visual synthesis has a long tradition dating back to the seventeenth Century.
Scientific graphics were the very first attempts, but later the press represented the main scope of data visualization: newspapers and magazines used to improve their arguments with undoubtedly effective illustrations: Good magazine showcases an impressive collection.
Diagrams and concept maps provide clear overviews of complex data and it is no exaggeration to recognize that a new discipline is born, an art where the more a work is straightforward, the better it’s shaped.
Then it was easy to adopt the motion: by the middle years of the last Century, animations became more and more elaborate and refined, above all in the documentary genre that constitute their natural setting. A few examples are I.O.U.S.A. and Beautiful Lab.
On the Internet, impressive infographics combine visual impact with the power of knowledge. The most comprehensive and important collections are visualcomplexity and information aestethics.
In most cases, given the nature of the data, infographics are not only a valuable way to communicate but also the most effective.
At the formal level, the most interesting representations are the result of meticulous work on extremely significant data: this is primarily found in academic studies, research (Density Design), exhibitions (ImpulsBauhaus, Autostadt Mobiglobe).
Multimedia installations, often presented with touch screen interfaces, are the most advanced mean of expression but also the browser technology can display real time processed graphics from a website to every monitor: see also Eurovision 2009 results, Diseasesome and Gephi.
The world of business and advertising, however, seems not to have taken this issue seriously and had not yet taken the opportunity to exploit infographics.
The Web Trend Map project focuses on the market by offering a foretaste of the potential applications, but it seems rather transversal.
From one point of view, though services such as slideshare carry out an approach that encourages the structuring of visual information, a reference standard has not already been defined, probably because it involves in large part internal data; on the other hand, the emotional marketing is still the dominant way to appeal consumers.
However, in the new era of consumer awareness, it could be the right time for bolder attempts.
