ToW #10 - Infographic on Salt Intake: "Salt Mountains"

Yes, I did randomly select this infographic. 

I originally thought that it was about those huge piles of sediment that you see at mining sites.

        Made by the aptly named company GDS Infographics, this is a rather unengaging though powerful infographic that effectively compares the salt content of various foods with daily required salt intake. Though little information can be found about GDS Infographics (maybe they should make an infographic about themselves), its overflowing online portfolio tells me that the designer(s) behind it has a lot of experience. The inclusion of sources on "Salt Mountains" also lends itself to the credibility of GDS Infographics. Given the current state of health of the average American and the inclusion of the monstrously tall "Average US intake" mountain, it seems that the main reason behind the creation of this infographic was to ignite some movement towards salt intake awareness. Of course, given that it is only concerned with salt intake within the US, it is clear that this infographic was intended for Americans who eat or know someone who eats a lot of salt-rich food (i.e. all of us). While "Salt Mountains" was seemingly made for Next Generation Food, it seems that the denoted website, www.nextgenerationfood.com, is out of commission, adding to the ambiguity of the infographic's context.

        Being an infographic, "Salt Mountains" inherently appeals to logos. But how does it do this? In two simple ways: through its visual and numerical comparisons and through its orderly sorting system. Of course, its comparisons are its main premise, being perceived both through the number values in mg of salt and through the easier to understand mountains depicted throughout. But alas, these comparisons are not all that easy to see from a glance; the viewer has to read (which takes effort, often a deal-breaker) what each mountain represents, taking them out of the overall visual dissemination of information. If, say, pictures of each food item were depicted, the infographic would be both more engaging (allowing for easier view of the comparisons) and more visually appealing. Then, the sorting system, embodied by the upwards legend and the color coding, is a more passive appeal to logos; it doesn't exactly impose anything on the viewer. Instead, it is more a tool for the viewer to use in understanding the infographic. Again, if there were pictures of each food item, the viewer would be able to see the categories without a key. Because of these shortcomings, the entire infographic is pretty unengaging, hiding the powerful message about salt moderation beneath a layer of cognition.