East Meets West: An Infographic Portrait
by Maria PopovaGerman punctuality, Western ego and how to stand in line like a Chinese.
We love with infographics — what an elegant way to depict complex concepts with brilliant simplicity. We also have a longtime love affair with social psychology, some of which deals with the fascinating cultural differences between Eastern and Western mentality — from the individualistic tendencies of the West versus the pluralism of Asian societies, to how differently Westerners and Easterners read the emotions of others. Naturally, we’re head-over-heels with designer Yang Liu‘s ingenious East Meets West infographic series, tackling everything from differences in self-perception to evolution of transportation.
Born in China but living in Germany since she was 14, Liu has a unique grip of this cultural duality — and she channels it with great wit and eloquent minimalism in graphics that say so much by showing so little.
Lifestyle: Independent vs. dependent
Attitude towards punctuality
Problem-solving approach
Size of the individual's ego
Perception: How Germans and the Chinese see one another
How to stand in line
Complexity of self-expression
The evolution of transportation over the last three decades
The volume of sound in a restaurant
Catch an interview with Liu about the project over at the always-excellent NOTCOT.
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