Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Reading Response: The New Basics, Graphic Design Sources

As a graphic representation of a structure, situation or process, the creation of a diagram serves to visually present pure information and/or editorial content. This includes making connections within a network. These centralized, decentralized, and distributed networks can be seen in technology, nature and society. The purpose of a diagram is to accurately and clearly represent this data by practicing analytical design. Within this, it is important to remember the use of point, line, plane to scale, color, hierarchy and layers and how these can be used in the creation of information graphics.

In addition to the importance of these design elements, the challenge of representing data in a visually interesting way remains. The second reading encourages the use of numerical relationships and reminds me of the authority or confusion information graphics has the ability to communicate.

What a Graphic Displays of Data should have:
  1. Serve a clear purpose
  2. Show the data
  3. Cause the viewer to think about the data
  4. Avoid distorting the data
  5. Lead the eye through and to different pieces of the data
  6. Reveal at several levels of detail (from fine to broad)
  7. Integrate the statistical base of the data and verbal descriptions (Ex/ title)
  8. Do not confuse design variation with data variation
  9. Do not show more information-carrying dimensions than actual number of data dimensions
  10. Assist in remembering the information
  11. Respect the viewer's intelligence

Principles of Graphic Integrity:

  1. Proportional correspondence
  2. Data-ink proportionality
  3. Clear Labeling
  4. Contextual relevance
  5. Device relevance
  6. Shape relevance
I think that both readings were very helpful as I start to create maps in the processes of designing infographics. This was especially useful to read beforehand, at the project was being introduced. In the arrangement of different kinds of data as well as elements such as my icons, it seems to be easy for me to get lost in the information and assume that the viewer is as familiar with the information as I am. Finding a proportional balance between the visual and formal properties as well as accurately presenting clear data that is interesting and available at a glance Within the maps I have already made, I find my progress at either one extreme or another; clear formal qualities and lacking in a visually pleasing design or vice versa. I am really excited to explore this project and create visually interesting compositions through qualitiy infographs.

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