Information Design

Des 240 – Jake Spurlock

What is information design?

• Information design is the skill and practice of preparing information so people can use it with efficiency and effectiveness

But, umm… Who cares?

HAVE YOU EVER MET AN ENGINEER?

WHY DO WE NEED INFORMATION DESIGN?

WHAT IS AN INFOGRAPHIC?

Now…

Information graphics or infographics are visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics are used where complex information needs to be explained quickly and clearly, such as in signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education. They are also used extensively as tools by computer scientists, mathematicians, and statisticians to ease the process of developing and communicating conceptual information.

Pie chart from Playfair's Statistical Breviary1801

Coxcomb chart by Florence Nightingale illustrating causes of mortality during the Crimean War1857

Charles Minard's information graphic of Napoleon's invasion of Russia1861

THAT WAS THEN…

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/02/01/us/budget.html

http://mozy.com/blog/misc/physical-storage-vs-digital-storage/

http://70.32.88.217/misc/life-in-the-cloud/