Digital Message Making
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Transcript of 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
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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?