The Infographic Bible: Visualising the Drama of God's Word

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It is key to say that each contributor’s view is uniquely linked to their data set and will often differ from other contributor’s, or in fact, my own, view. This was important because I feel different theologies are not something to be feared, but to be embraced and grappled with. A healthy maturity comes from this wrestling. It is certainly true of my own journey. If someone observed an average day in your life, how would they see you spend your time? How much of your time is given to TV, Facebook, YouTube, podcasts, hobbies, and housework? How much time do you devote to Bible reading?

It was my delight to art direct and refine the whole project and with the exception of 16, I was also the designer and illustrator. Again I had an incredible team, some illustrator contributors and supporters who came in for a few specific graphics, then a couple of guys who were core design, working with me throughout the whole 5 years; there was another designer and an amazing illustrator intern who volunteered one day a week. I simply could not have done this journey without a very real relationship with Jesus, Father God (who I call ‘our Dad’) and the wonderful Holy Spirit. Small text is standard in the world of infographic books but in the case of The Infographic Bible, we were attempting to squeeze these biblical scholars’ minds and thoughts into concise, pithy sentences. This, of course, was a long, detailed process with experts in the field and creating the data was by far the most time-consuming exercise. The text’s role is to support and further explain the graphic, with the least possible amount of words. This infographic again reminded me of Tufte’s arguments for well-designed data paragraphs & tables. The light grey outline of a map of Europe act as context to both a relationship & movement network. So much data is communicated by an integrated table, colour coding, size of bubbles & flows on map. Whilst still appearing light & easy to consume. What would you see differently in the Infographic Bible?

The $1 Million Dollar Question:

Available in both a cloth over board edition and a premium cowhide over board edition in a solid walnut slipcase, the ESV Reader’s Bible, Six-Volume Set: With Chapter and Verse Numbers is a great option for those eager to jumpstart their daily Bible reading or looking for a meaningful gift for a friend or family member. Take a 1-minute survey to join our mailing list and receive a free ebook in the format of your choosing. Read on your preferred digital device, including smart phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. Some of the key people in my project support team, again in various roles, were also from Vineyard, people like Miriam, Abi, and our Chloe (see pp216-217). Carlisle Vineyard really was and still is a key place of support, they really did make up quite a lot of my personal support team and I shall be eternally thankful! The heart of this book is all about restored relationships, it had to be birthed through community we were created to flourish in it!) Once you open The Infographic Bible, you’ll find it difficult to put it down. As a teacher, you could build entire lessons around the infographics contained in this book!

Well… having worked in central London I am now based in the northern hills of Cumbria which is where I grew up. I am passionate about creativity and engaging a visual generation with creative ways to see and digest information. Love Jesus, love people, love life! Carlisle Vineyard church has been such a huge part of this project, supporting me in various ways (see pp218). Many books on systematic theology use the method of dividing God into two parts: God’s transcendent nature and God’s character. This chart type is used to visualize part-to-whole data; it works well here to show the categories and sub-categories of those parts used in the Bible to describe God. Ancient scriptures from the most popular book of all time, revolutionised to reveal its themes and narratives for a modern generation. Billions of people across the world find solace, meaning and wisdom from reading the Bible. But for some, it can be a difficult book to engage with and understand. Several times during this project I have been given the Bible verse Exodus 31:1-11. There was this incredible guy Bezalel who God chose to lead a team of creatives, he was filled with Gods Spirit, wisdom, understanding, knowledge and all kinds of skills to make artistic designs which would form the place where God met with his people and worship happened.The process began with gathering a team of people who would support the project and be the scaffold to allow an infographic to be created. That team included theological advisors, legal, admin, publishing and technical support as well as some training for me. Blue is chosen to represent heaven, the green for creation and restoring, gold for divinity, and pink for love. Specifically, the pink used has become known amongst my team and I as ‘God is love’ pink: it’s a mix of the colors I’ve used to represent the Trinity: burgundy for the Father, pink for Jesus, and gold for the Holy Spirit. Perfect for use with Bible reading plans, personal Bible reading, or family devotions, this edition invites the reader to slow down and delight in the beauty of God’s Word. I will normally always warn against radial charts. Harder to read accurately they often distract from the data to be compared. But this radial version of a unit chart to convey the sheer scale of Solomon’s wealth is aesthetically pleasing as well as enabling relative comparisons of scale. More effective than lists of numbers in the text. Analysing the themes of Jesus’ teaching by volume of references (p150)

I wanted the circle endpoints all laid on the X-axis rather than sitting adjacent to each other on the Y-axis, so that the connecting lines create a rainbow… indicating the hope that Jesus brings! As we create with God we worship him and as we worship God creativity is released! AMAZING! It’s a wonderful and powerful cycle and relationship (see pp112-113). I’ve had so many powerful moments with him, things I knew in my head but when I see the results from the data being analysed there was a deeper and profound revelation. One of those moments was seeing the totals of Jesus declaring himself being equally Son of God and Son of Man! WOW! This is a zoomed-in prelude to ‘All the Prophecies about Jesus,’ using the same data set and key, and, of course, all the same design elements.

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I would absolutely recommend “The Infographic Bible” to anyone wanting to enhance their Bible studying, and better understand Scripture. You definitely won’t be disappointed with the amazing amount of thought, effort, and work that was put into creating this sensational Bible study tool. The ESV Reader's Bible, Six-Volume Set: With Chapter and Verse Numbers is produced with materials and formatting that provide a unique reading experience fitting for God’s holy Word. In August 2018, we surveyed over 11,000 readers, asking questions about how much time they spend doing some of the things mentioned above. We then compared those responses with the average amount of time it takes to read various portions of Scripture. Karen Sawrey: Think about fitting a camel through the eye of a needle. That’s what I felt like I was doing! There are some deeper levels of information that the reader can explore should they wish to, but not doing so won’t detract from the main messages of the infographic.

Bio: Conceptual designer, illustrator, and lover of all things paper and ink, Karen Sawrey is passionate about engaging a visual generation with creative ways to see and digest information. Karen has over 20 years experience stretching across a wide range of media, including top magazines, global charities, and publishers, including HarperCollins, Hodder & Stoughton, and Penguin Random House. Having worked in central London, she now continues to flourish as a creative among the Northern Hills, still loving paper, people, and life to the full.The Infographic Bible is a colorful book full of useful details. However, the type face is so small and the font color so light, it is often hard to read and understand the information included by the author. The book, thus, becomes more of a coffee table book, than a useful reference book. Some of the graphics in this book are difficult to understand. Yet, once you do, using this book alongside your Bible-reading becomes a very powerful study tool, and brought light to things I had difficulty grasping from just reading the text of the Bible. This is definitely not a replacement for the Bible, but when used as a supporting tool, it brings the Bible to life in an amazing way.