Picture This: Main EU Institutions

Numbering seven in total, the main institutions of the EU can be a little difficult to recall for those of us who do not work in or study European politics. We might know that there is a Central Bank, or a Court of Justice, which both have clear analogs in an American context, but the other five institutions — and their purposes — might remain a little murky.

In an effort to make the EU and its institutions a little more accessible for everyone, we at CES have set one of our undergraduate interns — also a EURO major — on a professional development track to specialize in data visualization. Under the tutelage of one of our program assistants, in conjunction with workshops led by UNC Data and Visualization Services Librarian Lorin Bruckner, our student has begun developing infographics to help viewers understand the complex organization that is the EU.

In this post, our student presents an overview of the seven main institutions of the EU and their purpose, while also sharing their own insight on the process of creating infographics.

While we see them all over the place, infographics might not be a form of text that we often consider carefully. We know what our traffic signs, technological interfaces, and stylized bar graphs mean, but we do not often take the time to sit down and critically consider the design and content choices that went into making them.

For example, text usage and wording are critical to an infographic’s success. Some infographics, such as representations of quantitative data, rely very little on words. Instead, they use visual metaphors and concise numbers to contextualize and explain their data. Conversely, a description of the EU requires more words, but still necessitates the use of icons and aesthetic choices to help viewers make associations. However, just because a topic requires more text to be understood, one does not have a free license to use it gratuitously. Too much text can be overwhelming, boring, and off-putting. Likewise, inconsistent font use can be confusing, or make an infographic visually unappealing.

Because text is such an integral part of conveying and processing information, it is vital that designers find balance between the visual and informative aspects of this element. Conciseness is always key, and can sometimes require many drafts and edits to convey the correct information. Similarly, if a design relies on visual metaphors, paring down text to fit into the structural or iconographic elements of a design can be a painstaking process. In addition, consistency is always key — it is very important for the designer to develop a structured and comprehensive approach to their use of text. This can entail getting very familiar with many aspects of the words on the page. For example, it can be useful to ignore the words themselves, but instead look at the shapes and patterns they make on the page to see how they affect the balance and structure of the design. Along similar lines, the space between and around words also impacts how viewers experience the information those words contain.

Though there are many other considerations when designing infographics, text is perhaps one of the most dynamic and living. Because every viewer will experience words differently, it is important to give text the personality and structure that you think best conveys your message. Sometimes this means using different weights and fonts; other times, the focus is on giving your text space to avoid irritating the viewer’s eyes. Whatever the case, text is a fascinating element of infographic design, and can be a powerful addition to a designer’s toolkit.

Interested in reading more about the work CES students do? Check out the Students tab on our blog!

Curious to see our other infographics? Head over to the Infographics tab on our blog!

This post was produced by EURO major Brett Harris.

This post’s production was supported by a 2018–2021 Jean Monnet Center of Excellence grant from the European Union.

The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.