Digital Message Making

1. Digital Message Making The Art Institute of California

2. objectives • Learn about infographics and how to design them • Begin Assignment #2– Concept Generation through Combination

3. infographics

4. Earliest infographics

5. What is an infographic? 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.

6. A quick comparison Infographic Data Visualization

7. Why create an infographic? • A combination of pictures, symbols, colors and words can communicate complex information more clearly than raw data and dense text.

8. Types of infographics 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)

9. Statistics-based infographics

10. Statistics-based infographics

11. Types of infographics Timeline-based • These often use charts to show data over a period of time

12. timeline-based infographics

13. timeline-based infographics

14. Types of infographics Location/Geography-based • These usually take the form of maps to show information about specific areas

15. Location-based infographics

16. Location-based infographics

17. Types of infographics Process-based • These usually use diagrams to show the steps involved in creating something

18. Process-based infographics

19. Process-based infographics

20. anatomy of an infographic • Title/Headline • The information (represented by text and graphics) • Credits (attributing the data sources) If necessary, a brief description of your infographic may be helpful Also, if necessary, a key or legend to explain what symbols mean 1 2 3

21. Steps to making an infographic 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

22. Steps to making an infographic 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

23. Steps to making an infographic 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…

24. Steps to making an infographic 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

25. Steps to making an infographic 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)

26. Steps to making an infographic 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?

27. Additional infographics • On the class blog, there are links to additional resources: • Webpages and websites dedicated to infographics/data visualization • Articles with tips on creating infographics

28. End • Questions?