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Design 3: Visual Organization and Information Design

Information Graphics I

Strategies for creating successful information graphics

Organize

Organizing the available information and coming up with a plan for presenting it is the first and probably the most difficult stage in designing any infographic. The train accident infographic explains the collision of two trains triggered by an automobile veering off a nearby highway.

Anatomy of an accident, El Pais.

The key to reconstructing an event like this is to establish the role of geography, the cause, the chronological sequence, and the facts of the objects involved. All of these pieces of information have to be organized effectively with the right amount of detail and emphasis to make sure the viewer experiences the incident as an authentic whole.

Make Visible

This may seem like a no-brainer since this is the essential quality of an effective infographic. See how Matthew Vescovo's information diagram illustrates all the uses of a mother's saliva in cleaning and grooming her child.

On a more abstract but none the less effective strategy, the fishermen of Marshall Islands have for centuries used maps made using shells tied together by bamboo sticks, to visually represent the distance between the various islands, their locations with respect to each other, and the direction of currents.

Shell Map, Marshall Islands.

Establish Context

Going back to the train accident example, establishing context begins with locating the geography of the accident site so that the viewer get the bearings on the topography of the event. The designers have chosen the top view because the key components are the highway and the tracks below. Notice the view is closer when the first collision happens and gets wider during the second collision. Through this the difference in scale of collision is established. The viewer is able to experience the fact that a small vehicle has triggered a catastrophic collision.

A more simple example of this idea is this next information graphic by Nigel Holmes. Notice how the context of the first image of the horse and the man are essential to understanding what the reaming steps illustrate.

Simplify

Representations that are simple and direct are easier to interpret. We get easily distracted by extraneous properties of representation.

Break it down to each step and supporting steps where needed to add depth to the information graphic. Below the designer Nigel Holmes created a simple sequential diagram to illustrate how to wave like a queen.

Add Redundancy

Redundancy is a concept which has emerged from the information theory to communication. One of the purposes of adding redundancy to a stream of information is to make it easier for us to digest information.

Redundancy enables the reader to correct errors that may have been introduced into the stream of information. For example visual noise is any factor in the process that works against the predictability of the outcome of the communication process. For example, traffic lights communicate through color. They also use position to reinforce the message. Three levels of redundancy appear in the design of this German traffic light. Color, position and pictogram all to help pedestrians cross safely.

While adding redundancy offsets noise, too much redundancy is inefficient. Using repetition, reiteration and restatement, we run the risk of burdening or boring the audience, or even worse confusing them.

So, maintaining an optimal balance between predictability and uncertainty is the key to success in communication.

Show Cause and Effect

When we try to comprehend something, we are looking for information to understand the underlying mechanisms. Reasoning is about examining causality.

A decision diagram below shows cause and effect by taking the viewer through a decision diagram about whether a particular credit card is suitable for them or not. Each decision points to an outcome which helps the person determine if the type of credit card would be of any value to them based on their spending needs.

Decision Diagram. Are Reward Cards for you?

A more simple example of cause and effect (and compare and contrast) can be seen easily in this information graphic of a person eating too many hot-dogs. From the 4th to the 6th step you can compare the two pictograms and see the cause and effect of the behavior.

Compare and Contrast

Together with what is the cause, and what is the effect, the third important question that needs to be answered is, compared to what?

In addition to the hot dog graphic above you can also see in the NYT graphic about the spread of SARS (see below) that a comparison comes across through the use color-coding, which differentiates primary, secondary and tertiary infections. Dots are used to indicate the number of infected people. This helps us to make a quick visual comparison of the volumes infected people across different countries.

The NYT graphics on the spread of the SARS virus exemplifies multiple aspects of good information design including the principle of simplicity – most notably in its visual treatment of the map and use of colors.

The graphic talks about a spread from country to country. Hence a coarse representation is good enough to convey that message. Colors are used to indicate the primary, secondary and tertiary spreaders of the virus and it is critical piece of information. Hence you see only 3 colors in the entire graphic.

How SARS spread, The New York Times.

Create Multiple Dimensions

Using multiple dimensions includes both space and time. From the most simple standpoint space can be represented in layers and distances. For example Fig 5 shows the cards inside and outside the envelope as well as the outline of the unseen portion of the magicians hand.

Fig 5 From Edward Tufte's Visual Explanations, p.57.

The NYT SARS graphic too is multidimensional. The graphic informs us about space (map of South East Asia), volume (numbers of infected), and movement of infected people (arrows to indicate the direction of spread).

9. INTEGRATE: It is importance to tell a "coherent story". This means avoiding references for figures and examples, which are physically removed from the flow of the text. Also information for comparison should be put side by side. That is, within the eye span, not stacked in time on subsequent pages. Notice how this illustration diagram of the human ear integrates each of the labels into the illustration, rather than into a series of letters and a key or legend. This integrates all the essential information into one field of vision.

Fig. 5 from Edward Tufte's book Visual Explanations p. 74.

How it all comes together

Charles Minard’s Map of Napoleon’s Army's Russian Campaign: French engineer Charles Joseph Minard in 1861 charted the ill-fated campaign by Napoleon’s army during the Russian Campaign of 1812. This map (below) along with several dozen others that he published during his lifetime, set the standard for excellence in graphically depicting statistical data such as flows of people and goods in space and time.

Probably the best statistical graphic ever drawn, this map by Charles Joseph Minard portrays the losses suffered by Napoleon's army in the Russian campaign of 1812. Beginning at the Polish-Russian border, the thick band shows the size of the army at each position. The path of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow in the bitterly cold winter is depicted by the dark lower band, which is tied to temperature and time scales.

Edward Tufte, who considers Minard's map as the best statistical graphic ever drawn, identifies six separate variables that are captured in the map. First, the line width continuously indicates the size of the army. Second and third, the line shows the latitude and longitude of the army as it moved. Fourth, the direction that the army was traveling, are distinguished by colors, tan for advance and black for retreat. Fifth, the location of the army with respect to certain dates. Finally, the temperature along the path of retreat. Few, if any, maps before or since have been able to coherently and so compellingly weave so many variables into a captivating whole.

Related Information

• Instructo Art by Matthew Vescovo
• Tokyo Gas Bousai Drops is an excellent example of an information design used to inform consumers of how to safely turn on their natural gas after an earthquake. Tokyo Gas is giving out restart guides printed on tins filled with candy called Tokyo Gas Bousai (disaster) Drops.
• A Periodic Table of Visualization Methods
• Ready.gov includes several information graphics with emergency instructions
• WeFeelFine.org has been using interactive information design to capture and present human feelings from a large number of weblogs. Every few minutes, the system searches the world's newly posted blog entries for occurrences of the phrases "I feel" and "I am feeling". When it finds such a phrase, it records the full sentence, up to the period, and identifies the "feeling" expressed in that sentence (e.g. sad, happy, depressed, etc.). The interface allows visitors to view the data in multiple ways.

In Class Exercise

Sequential Information: Making Paper Airplanes

The goal of tossing an airplane is to get it to glide smoothly and gently, flying straight or in a gradual curve. Ken Blackburn, shown here, must have the knack: From 1983 to 1996, he held the Guiness World Record for time aloft for paper airplanes. In 1998, he regained the record with a 27.6-second flight.

Step 1

Please break up into your peer groups. We will be working collaboratively on this exercise.

Maker/Player

One person should volunteer to make and fly the paper airplane.

You will make a paper airplane and then compete with the other groups' airplanes in a race to see whose plane flies the farthest. Your goal is to fly it as far and smoothly as possible. If you are not sure how to create a paper airplane see notes and links below.

Observers

The rest of the team members within each group are to document the actions of the maker of the paper airplane. Be prepared to write down and/or sketch your observations. Note everything! Document step by step everything that the member of your group does while they are making and flying paper airplanes. Be sure to note how the paper airplane was made. How many folds and steps were taken? What folding techniques did the maker of the paper airplane do while making your groups plane?

When all the paper airplanes have been made and are ready to fly we will all meet in the hall way where we will race our planes to see whose flies the farthest.

During the race observers...

Which design, designer and group won the race. Who came in second and third place? And approximately how far did each of the planes fly? What was the pattern of flight? What did the player do when launching their plane into flight? Any notable techniques? Take note of everything as you and your group will need as much detailed information as possible for the next step.

How to make a paper airplane

Below are simple directions on how to create and fly a paper air plane. There are many more designs located online at http://www.paperairplanes.co.uk/planes.php

A. Take an A4 (210 x 297 millimeters) or Letter (8.5 x 11 inches, or approx. 216 mm x 279 mm) sized sheet of paper and fold it in half.

B. Fold the short corner edge of one side down and outside to the first fold (i.e. produces a 45 Degree angle). Do This for the opposite short corner edge too.

C. Fold down the new fold you have created to the original fold you did in (1). Repeat for the other side.

Do (C) again for both sides

D. Hold Center-fold and open wings out.

E. Now Throw!!!

Step 2 Documenting a process

Each of the teams should now regroup and review all of your observers' notes.

On paper outline each of the steps your maker / player took to create your airplane.

Use these steps and any relevant details to compose a map of the process by which you created and flew your paper airplane. Be sure to include in your map the results of the race. Who won, how far did each of the planes fly, etc.

The process map should include the major decision points in making and flying the airplane. Include any rules and guidelines to successfully elaborate the process. Pay close attention to the conceptual steps in any activity or concept which you are visualizing. Consider layout, orientation and information hierarchies to ensure an intuitive visual map.

When creating your process map, be aware of how you will use any of the gestalt principles and organizational structural systems we've been discussing in class to make your process map imply some progressive movement and connection between each step.

As a group draw out up to three different maps by hand on one or more large sheets of paper. Review them as a group and select the most effective map to refine. Revise the map where needed and redraw your group's final map.

Elect one person from your group to present your solution to the class.

Materials

• Large sheet(s) of paper (e.g.. 14x17")
• Pencil to lightly map out lines
• Rule and Straight Edge
• Mechanical Pen to lay our your final design

Assignment

Serendipity: Library Exploration

ser·en·dip·i·ty

1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.

2. The fact or occurrence of such discoveries.

3. An instance of making such a discovery.

Word History:

We are indebted to the English author Horace Walpole for the word serendipity, which he coined in one of the 3,000 or more letters on which his literary reputation primarily rests. In a letter of January 28, 1754, Walpole says that “this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word.” Walpole formed the word on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip. He explained that this name was part of the title of “a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of....”

GOOD FORTUNE, ADVANTAGE, BIG BREAK, BLESSING, FLUKE, FORTUNATENESS, GODSEND, GOOD LUCK, HEALTH, KARMA, KISMET, LADY LUCK, LUCKINESS, LUCKY BREAK, MAZEL TOV, OCCASION, OPPORTUNITY, PROSPERITY, SMILE, SNOWBALL CHANCE, STROKE, SUCCESS, TRIUMPH, VICTORY, WINDFALL, BREAK, BREAKS, CERTAINTY, CIRCUMSTANCE, CONCLUSION, CONDITION, CONSTELLATION, DIVINE DECREE, FUTURE, HAPPENSTANCE, HEREAFTER, HOROSCOPE, INEVITABILITY, INTENT, INTENTION, KARMA, KISMET, LOT, LUCK, MOIRA, OBJECTIVE, ORDINANCE, PREDESTINATION, PREDETERMINATION, PROSPECT, WEIRD

Objectives

As design students you are becoming familiar with a process that suits your particular way of working. You are aware of what is comfortable for you, what works, what will allow you that break into solving the given design problem. While this safe way of thinking often can provide comfort, which is good because we all need to remain sane, it can also lead to prescribed ways of thinking that may begin to reduce your body of work to a formula.

This project begins with you performing the research stage prior to knowing the outcome. You don’t know the audience. You don’t know the final context. You don’t even know if it will be a design project in the end. What you do know is that it is probably flying in the face of everything you know as a designer. What you also need to understand is that you should run with it.¹

Production

Start Here (and bring a book bag).

Go to the Gimbel Design Library in Parsons
2 West 13th Street, New York, New York 10011
Tel: 212-229-8914 x4121

Each of you has chosen a designed object. Using the Gimbel Library catalog on BobCat look up any one book related to your designed object.

For example my object is a "fork" so I looked up the subject "flatware" and got several results. I choose the title that most interested me which was "Feeding desire : design and the tools of the table" I noted the call letters "NK8450 .F44" and went onto the next part of the assignment...

Go to that number in the library stacks and look up and down the row of that number, select a book that strikes you as interesting. Wander along the aisles throughout the entire floor. As you are wandering, select a minimum of 8 more books that strike you as interesting. Write down all of the connections that fire off in your brain as you wander.

Sit and Reflect

Once you have gathered all of your books and before you leave, sit down and document the process that you went through in selecting those particular books. Take your shorthand list of connections and write a more complete narrative. You are a visual person, illustrate with words and/or images. Begin to flip through the books and engage with them, what do you find? What excites you? Where does your mind begin to go? Be as descriptive as possible.

Due next class

Borrow the books from the library and bring the books and your written text(s) to class on Monday and we will talk about where to go from here. You should be prepared to hand in a copy of your written narrative.

Bring to class next week

Next week we will be working off the computer for part of the class. Bring in several media of your own choosing to draw with and a pad of paper.

Class Journals
I will be looking at your journals next week to see how you are progressing and to discuss the 27th letter exercise with you.

Research

The 27th Letter

Objectives

Utilizing the elements of typography create an uppercase and lowercase 27th letter of the western alphabet in Illustrator. Create a name for the letter‚ a place in the alphabet‚ and a new sound for it.²

Production

Choose an existing typeface from one of the following categories: Humanist (AKA Old Style), Transitional‚ Modern‚ Egyptian (AKA Slab Serif) ‚ or Sans Serif. See Type Classifications in Thinking With Type for more information.

DO NOT WORK ON THE COMPUTER YET!
With pencil and paper compose 15 to 20 preliminary sketches of your new character using the particular characteristics of the typeface you selected in the previous step.

Pick 3 to 5 of the best character sketches and re-create digitally at a point size of 300. Choose the best one with input from your peers and instructor. Center your uppercase and lowercase letter forms in an 8 x 8 inch square.

Find a place in the alphabet where your uppercase and lowercase letter forms fit best‚ and reproduce the alphabet including its 27th letter. Position the new alphabet of 27 characters in an 8 x 8 inch square.

Write a short paragraph (50-75 words)‚ using the new 27th letter at least five times. Typeset the paragraph left-justified‚ ragged right and position it within an 8 x 8 inch square.

The text color should be black. The text should all be the same size. The size should be no smaller than 9 and no larger than 14 points. Consider the leading, tracking, and kerning of your text so that the copy is easy to read and your new character is integrated into the typeface in a seamless manner.

Include the name of the typeface that you based your 27th letter on, and print all three compositions out and mount them in your journal and save your electronic files for your final portfolio review.

Examples of "Replacing the double O" by Ashley Rio spring 2007

Upper and lower case type sample. Working as a new ligature within a slab serif AKA Egyptian typeface.

Type sample with new characters integrated into the alphabet

New character integrated into sample paragraph.

Related Information

• Font Selection Made Easy pp 104 - 107 by BY Ilene Strizver, HOW Magazine, Typography Issue February 2004
• Rules of thumb about typography