BACHELOR OF DESIGN PROGRAM at Alberta College of Art & Design Advertising / Character Design / Graphic Design / Illustration / Photography

Information Design I VSCM.329 Project 1

Instructors: Jackie Bagley, Thomas Porostocky

Influence Map, tracking comparative and quantitative data Due Dates: Final handed in October 4, 2011 Humans show a remarkable need to visualize, understand, and catalog the world around them. We have been mapping geographic landscapes for centuries, we create charts and diagrams to analyze data and draw conclusions from it. Well-executed information graphics create a sense of context and reveal relationships between sets of information, allowing for new conclusions. Design an autobiographical influence map that maps out your influences You will combine events in your life, with your personality traits to create a story that interconnects. Show the outcomes of these interconnections as well. These events can be actual, or fictional, humorous, etc and should happen over time you decide over how long years, days, one day, minutes, hours. The influence map should include aspects and elements of your history and/or a personal journey and convey these elements clearly and succinctly to your audience. Your map may include any or all of the following information design components: statistics, chart(s), diagrams, graphs, photographs, and illustrations. Begin by creating sets of data on yourself and personal history (events and personality traits), organizing and categorizing, so that you have layers of information to work with, and you can begin to see the connections between your date trends, themes, stories, willl start to become evident. Then design 3 additional different graphs/charts that further enhance the story you want to tell. They must relate to the events, outcomes, personality traits. i.e. 1. a timeline that plots them over time (create at least 2-3 layers of information), 2. a line graph that plots them over time and compares them in a quantitative way, a graph (pie chart or bar graph) that compares the personality traits to the influences and how they interconnect, etc. These 3 charts/graphs should show quantity and emphasis and some kind of comparison (i.e. at least 2 different data). The influence map and the 3 charts/graphs/timelines should all be on the final piece. Design this piece so that it conveys who you are and captures your personal Style and character.

Description

Process:

1. LIST: 30 PERSONALITY TRAITS AND LIST: 50 EVENTS They can be fictional, humorous, fantasy Events can be during one day, one hour, one plane ride 2. Categorize Personality traits into groups: Negative / positive, Younger, older, Type of trait, etc. 3. categorize your events into groups 4. start looking for themes, stories, connections 5. look to see what the story is or can be. I.e which events created a trait, which traits influenced an event. 6. Create interconnections between you story/data 7. Set up a hierarchy you decide what criteria to use 8. Show the outcomes and how they connect to more events and traits You will decide how many traits and events belong to your story Begin creating the idea/concept for your influence map only once you know the direction / form / look, then develop the map. Only after that should you begin to create your 3 pies/bar graphs/line graph/timelines/ (note: the timeline can also be part of the map) suggestion: write your traits and events onto post-it notes and put them on the wall move them around, shuffle them. Group / categorize them, simplify begin to see a story emerge, that you can develop. Use only the information that is necessary for the piece you may end up using only 25% of the data you put together.

Objectives

to design information graphics that effectively and efficiently communicate a series of facts on a single subject, in this case, an autobiographical diagram, to relay a complex body of information within a unified whole, to create a unified system of type-to-image graphics appropriate to the subject matter. Consider the following in your design process: common elements or style or treatment of elements to unify the facets variety of approaches within a system to maintain the viewers interest (balance harmony and contrast through the manipulation of elements) a typographic system a grid system distillation of content and/or refinement of treatment to ensure efficiency create a process book that clearly documents development and refinement

Method / Considerations

Format Timeline

23 X 35, vertical or horizontal : Full-colour output, mounted onto foam-core board : Trimmed flush to edge September 25 October 2 October 9 October 16 October 23 Introduction to Project Sketches / proposed direction / sets of Data created B&W mock up (tile to size) & colour thumbnails critique Color Mockup (tiled to size) with colour thumbnails continued exploration. Group critique of Full Colour Map hand in project with process

Evaluation

The project is subject to evaluation according to the following criteria: Design innovation (creativity and originality), effort and depth of exploration, Quality of execution, Process