Informer

All design is about communicating. It may be about relaying a feeling, mood, need, desire, or just simply about getting the facts across. Advertising tends to lean more towards creating a feeling associated with a certain product. Packaging design does the same, but often requires more of the "hard facts."

And then there is a specific discipline called "Information Design." This is a whole different breed. Basically, it's about taking hard facts, and translating them into a representative visual. I've recently started working on an information graphic for one of my clients, and I can tell you, it's not as easy as it seems at first glance! But it's certainly interesting.

From Wikipedia:
"...there are two key differences between graphic design and information design. First, because effectiveness is critical, information designers argue for their solutions primarily in terms of effectiveness, and engage routinely in testing and user modeling. Second, information design recognizes and uses a broad range of communication modes and channels, not just graphic ones, and language plays a central role"

The AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) hosts an award program each year called AIGA 365. There are some fascinating examples in their archives. But they also have a section devoted entirely to information graphics. Below is a sample designed by World Vision.