I feel like there are WAY too many infographics that fall down because they pack way too much data into the presentation. The ones that succeed tend to pick a single data-point (or a very small set of related data points), and use it to illustrate a single concept. It's so tempting to try to show off everything you learned from the data-set, but it can also get overwhelming, really quick. It's an easy trap to fall into, especially for the infographic designer that probably enjoys getting completely lost in data.

Over the weekend, I came across this visualization by designer Michael Deal, which I think is fantastic. He explores the matches in the World Cup by visualizing passes, shots on goal, and goals scored across an entire game. It's a lot of information, but it's insanely digestible. I'm an utter noob when it comes to soccer, and I'm kind of frustrated that I don't have my head wrapped around the game enough to enjoy watching it. But by spending just a couple minutes with this visualization, I can see a picture of the games that not only makes sense to me, it makes me want to learn more.

For example: (click the images for the full infographic)

This must have been a really frustrating game for Spain. They dominated on passes and shots for the entire game, but Switzerland ended up taking the match.

This shows how Italy was dominant in the game in a way that the 1-1 tie doesn't illustrate.

Michael has some other awesome infographics on his site.