Transcript Digital Message Making - In The Digital Sandbox

The Art Institute of California
 Learn
about infographics and how to design
them
 Begin Assignment #2 – Concept Generation
through Combination
An infographic (short for information graphic)
is a “graphic visual representation of
information, data or knowledge”.
--As defined by Wikipedia
Infographics is closely related to the field of
data visualization (the study of the visual
representation of data).
 Sometimes these terms are used
interchangeably.
 For our purposes, we will look at infographics
that have an illustrative quality to them.

Infographic
Data Visualization
A
combination of pictures, symbols, colors
and words can communicate complex
information more clearly than raw data
and dense text.
Statistics-based


These often use charts to show relationships
between different things
These can also take the form of “fast facts”
(short lists of bite-size information)
Timeline-based

These often use charts to show data over a
period of time
Location/Geography-based

These usually take the form of maps to show
information about specific areas
Process-based

These usually use diagrams to show the steps
involved in creating something
1.
2.
3.
Title/Headline
The information
(represented by text
and graphics)
Credits (attributing the
data sources)
1
2
If necessary, a brief description of
your infographic may be helpful
Also, if necessary, a key or legend
to explain what symbols mean
3
1. Come up with a Topic or Theme


You can’t do any research until you know what
you’re researching…
As you think about your topic, you need to ask
yourself Why am I choosing this topic?

The Why will help you consider what kind of
information you are going to gather
2. Research and Data Gathering

Find out what you can about your topic


Be sure to keep track of your sources
As you gather, think about how you will tell a
story with the information

A narrative is easier to follow than raw data without
context
3. Figure out a Color Scheme

Choose what colors will represent what
information


Create a Key/Legend
Consider color combination principles



Monochromatic colors
Analogous colors
Complimentary colors, etc…
4. Rough out a Design


Figure out how the information will flow on the
page
Figure out the eye path your audience will take

Western audiences traditionally read top-to-bottom,
left-to-right
5. Condense the Data into Graphics and
Simple Text


Boil down the information gathered into the most
interesting and essential facts
Convert the information into graphics and text
that are clear and easy to understand


Graphics should be direct (no ambiguous illustrations)
Text should be bite-size (simple phrases and
sentences)
6. Putting the Pieces Together


Organize your graphics and text on the page
During this step, ask yourself…


Is the design visually engaging?
Is the infographic clear and easy to understand?
 On
the class blog, there are links to
additional resources:


Webpages and websites dedicated to
infographics/data visualization
Articles with tips on creating infographics
 Questions?