Infographics Blog

What It Shows

This infographic compares the worst oil spills in history, taking into account not only size, but economic and environmental damage. Figures for the current spill in the Gulf of Mexico are estimates, and this infographic uses these estimates to put the current spill into historical perspective.

Why It’s Good

This infographic isn’t tremendously ambitious, but it doesn’t need to be. The visuals are done in a cool way, and you come away with a good perspective of the different types of damage for the spills. While the final figures may be off, I think it’s good to work with estimates to get some perspective on a current issue, and they make the fact that they’re using estimates clear.

I also like that while the infographic serves as a nice reference of comparison for previous oil spills with the core of the important information, there is a clearly intended point to this one. Fast Company talks money, and their point here is that the spill may not be the biggest, but it is the most costly, based on its proximity to the coastline.

What It’s Missing

I would have liked a little but more information as to why the current spill is so much more expensive to fix. The article briefly explains, but I would have liked this addressed in the infographic itself, and perhaps in a bit more detail in the article

This infographic was made for Fast Company, in an article that can be found here.