digital message making

DIGITAL MESSAGE

MAKINGThe Art Institute of California

OBJECTIVES Learn about infographics and how to

design them Begin Assignment #2 – Concept

Generation through Combination

INFOGRAPHICS

EARLIEST INFOGRAPHICS

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.

A QUICK COMPARISON

Infographic Data Visualization

WHY CREATE AN INFOGRAPHIC? A combination of pictures, symbols,

colors and words can communicate complex information more clearly than raw data and dense text.

TYPES OF INFOGRAPHICSStatistics-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)

STATISTICS-BASED INFOGRAPHICS

STATISTICS-BASED INFOGRAPHICS

TYPES OF INFOGRAPHICSTimeline-based

These often use charts to show data over a period of time

TIMELINE-BASED INFOGRAPHICS

TIMELINE-BASED INFOGRAPHICS

TYPES OF INFOGRAPHICSLocation/Geography-based

These usually take the form of maps to show information about specific areas

LOCATION-BASED INFOGRAPHICS

LOCATION-BASED INFOGRAPHICS

TYPES OF INFOGRAPHICSProcess-based

These usually use diagrams to show the steps involved in creating something

PROCESS-BASED INFOGRAPHICS

PROCESS-BASED INFOGRAPHICS

ANATOMY OF AN INFOGRAPHIC1. Title/Headline2. The information

(represented by text and graphics)

3. 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

STEPS TO MAKING AN INFOGRAPHIC1. 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

STEPS TO MAKING AN INFOGRAPHIC2. 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

STEPS TO MAKING AN INFOGRAPHIC3. 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…

STEPS TO MAKING AN INFOGRAPHIC4. 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

STEPS TO MAKING AN INFOGRAPHIC5. Condense the Data into Graphics

and Simple TextBoil down the information gathered into the

most interesting and essential factsConvert 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)

STEPS TO MAKING AN INFOGRAPHIC6. 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?

ADDITIONAL INFOGRAPHICS On the class blog, there are links to

additional resources:Webpages and websites dedicated to

infographics/data visualizationArticles with tips on creating infographics

END Questions?