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

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14330%2F25%3A00140260" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14330/25:00140260 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.computer.org/csdl/journal/tg/2025/01/10682437/20jHhfBBZ04" target="_blank" >https://www.computer.org/csdl/journal/tg/2025/01/10682437/20jHhfBBZ04</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TVCG.2024.3456327" target="_blank" >10.1109/TVCG.2024.3456327</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

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

Original language description

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.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10200 - Computer and information sciences

Project

—

Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics

ISSN

1077-2626

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

31

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

11

Pages from-to

371-381

UT code for WoS article

001449829900032

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-86000429500