Courtesy of Ivan Cash

Infographics are everywhere these days, and for good reason—they convey huge amounts of data in the fraction of the time it takes to read a single paragraph of a dry, number-driven report. The information provided is often as intensive as what you'd find in a news story, but in this format, the data engages a broader audience.

Creative and entertaining, smart and impactful, data visualization is becoming an increasingly important form of journalism.

But for every good infographic, there are at least a hundred awful ones left in its dust. So many magazines and newspapers are guilty of producing poorly designed infographics with inaccurate data and skewed perspectives.

As Stew Langille, the CEO of data visualization start-up Visual.ly, told WIRED Design, crafting a great infographic requires far more than just hiring a graphic designer—you need someone who can think like a journalist and distill complex data sets into a clear and concise narrative.

In the two and a half years he worked at GOOD magazine, former design director Dylan Lathrop produced countless thoughtful and gorgeous infographics. This one in particular is stunning—it captures raw data—Texas death row inmates' last words and the frequency with which they arise in final statements—in a way that is captivating visually and engaging intellectually.

What do you think the key is to making an effective infographic? Share your thoughts—and images of great/terrible infographics—in the comments below.