IEEE VIS 2024 Content: The Language of Infographics: Toward Understanding Conceptual Metaphor Use in Scientific Storytelling

The Language of Infographics: Toward Understanding Conceptual Metaphor Use in Scientific Storytelling

Hana Pokojná - Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

Tobias Isenberg - Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Orsay, France. Inria, Saclay, France

Stefan Bruckner - University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany

Barbora Kozlikova - Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

Laura Garrison - University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. Haukeland University Hospital, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

Room: Bayshore V

2024-10-16T12:54:00Z GMT-0600 Change your timezone on the schedule page
2024-10-16T12:54:00Z
Exemplar figure, described by caption below
image_VisualMetaphors This image illustrates our process (from left to right) for identifying and classifying visual conceptual metaphors in scientific infographics: 1) deconstruct a given infographic to its component graphics, 2) identify component graphics as visual conceptual metaphors versus visual abstractions, 3) classify the conceptual metaphor type (structural, ontological, orientational, or imagistic), and 4) provide infographic metadata and classify the spatiotemporal scale of the phenomenon visualized to enable detailed investigation in our Visual Exploratory Tool.
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Keywords

Visualization, visual metaphors, science communication, conceptual metaphors, visual communication

Abstract

We apply an approach from cognitive linguistics by mapping Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) to the visualization domain to address patterns of visual conceptual metaphors that are often used in science infographics. Metaphors play an essential part in visual communication and are frequently employed to explain complex concepts. However, their use is often based on intuition, rather than following a formal process. At present, we lack tools and language for understanding and describing metaphor use in visualization to the extent where taxonomy and grammar could guide the creation of visual components, e.g., infographics. Our classification of the visual conceptual mappings within scientific representations is based on the breakdown of visual components in existing scientific infographics. We demonstrate the development of this mapping through a detailed analysis of data collected from four domains (biomedicine, climate, space, and anthropology) that represent a diverse range of visual conceptual metaphors used in the visual communication of science. This work allows us to identify patterns of visual conceptual metaphor use within the domains, resolve ambiguities about why specific conceptual metaphors are used, and develop a better overall understanding of visual metaphor use in scientific infographics. Our analysis shows that ontological and orientational conceptual metaphors are the most widely applied to translate complex scientific concepts. To support our findings we developed a visual exploratory tool based on the collected database that places the individual infographics on a spatio-temporal scale and illustrates the breakdown of visual conceptual metaphors.