DECO2200/7220 Information Visualisation Semester 1, 2024
Static Data Visualisation
Weight: x 1
Due: Week 8
Digital submission to Blackboard by 11:00am Monday 15 April
Print copy due in allocated practical session Week 8 (starting Monday 15 April)
Project Aims & Objectives
• Explore the possibilities & benefits for communicating complex data in visual form.
• Design a poster to communicate complex information that promotes understanding and interpretation for a general audience.
• Demonstrate understanding of graphic and information design principles to produce effective visual communication.
• Practice & master technical skills taught within the course.
Description
Information graphics, commonly used in news media, use visualisations to convey complex information that is challenging to communicate through traditional voice, video, or still images. They explain statistics, visualize processes, and provide instruction, enhancing reader understanding. Designing data visualisations involves more than converting text to visuals; it requires filtering information, revealing relationships, discovering patterns, and presenting meaningful visuals that tells a story.
This project involves creating an A2 poster to represent and explain a dataset visually to a general audience, considering how to convey the chosen narrative in a way that facilitates reader interpretation and understanding.
Process
Look at some examples.
Research existing information graphics (statistical, map-based, instructional etc) to gain an insight into the different visualisations and approaches used to convey complex information. Look to The New York Times, National & Australian Geographic magazines, the work of Nathan Yau at Flowing Data, and others mentioned in the lectures. Some links are provided on Blackboard to get you started.
Start working with the data.
• Select a dataset from those provided on Blackboard. Take time to understand what the data represents and how it is structured.
• Consider what narrative/s you might tell through visualising this data. What trends, comparisons or relationships might you reveal through visualising the data? What do you want the reader to understand from your poster? What type of visualisations could you create to convey different perspectives on the data?DECO2200/7220 Information Visualisation
• Research the subject of the data further & gather any additional supporting information you think might be useful in communicating the narrative. Understanding your content will help you to display it in an effective manner.
• Keep a record of your data sources as you will need to provide references on your poster! Explore representation.
• Consider which types of infographic devices would be most suitable to what you are trying to communicate - diagrams, maps (geographical, data), timelines, graphs, tables, icons, logos, flowcharts, concept maps, etc.
• Experiment with different approaches and combinations of data to see what works to effectively communicate the information. Test out these ideas on others to see how well they work.
• Think about the story you want to tell through the data. While you should be objective in your representation, you should consider what the narrative will be and what you want people to understand after they engage with it. How will you structure the flow of visualisations and information to communicate that narrative clearly to the reader?
• Once you have some ideas sketched out, create individual visualisations in Flourish, importing them into Illustrator to compose your poster (keeping in mind the specifications listed below). Depending on what you are trying to achieve, you may want to create custom visualisations in Illustrator itself.
• You should aim to produce at least one multi-dimensional visualisation that reveals relationships in and across the data. You may find that you need to edit & combine Flourish visualisations in Illustrator to achieve this.
Get Feedback
• As you develop your poster, show your work to your peers & teaching staff to ensure that you are communicating the information effectively in the way you intend.
Tips for working on your Poster
• Set up your text styles early - body, caption, subheading, heading. Body text should be sized between 10pt & 14pt depending on the typeface you use.
• This poster is meant to be seen up close. You will be surprised at how much you can fit on an A2 poster - make sure you have the content you need. Check out the examples to see just how much data can be included.
• It can be difficult to reconcile the size you see on screen with what you end up printing. When working in Illustrator, work at 100 - 150% zoom (actual size) as much as possible. Zoom out to see the whole poster only when you need an overview of the work. It is easy to size your poster elements according to a zoomed-out view, leaving you to run out of space quickly.DECO2200/7220 Information Visualisation
• Make regular test prints at A3 (half size) or A4 (quarter size). Make sure to print at 100% (actual size), unchecking the “Fit to Paper” option. This will help you to see how the text/image/data appears in the printed form and how the sizes work in physical format.
• Save the colours you use in your poster as swatches - this helps you to keep a consistent colour scheme across the design and recolour elements quickly if needed.
• Use layers to help organise your poster!
Document Specifications
Printed poster:
• A2 in size in landscape (594mm x 420mm) or portrait (420mm x 594mm) format - whichever suits your composition best
• CMYK, 300dpi, and 5mm bleed (or bleed size as defined by your printing service).
• Text and vector graphics only - no photographs (and no photographs converted to vector using LiveTrace)
• Generative AI is not permitted in the production of your poster, the visualisations displayed on your poster or for any text included on the poster.
Justification/Explanation
• Create a new layer called “Annotation” in your working Illustrator file.
• Annotations should be created on this layer to explain decisions made in the presentation of the data; these should be positioned close to the elements being discussed.
• You should reference information and graphic design theory in explaining
decisions made.
• Your writing should be concise and clear. Bullet points are best suited here.
• Generative AI is not permitted in the writing of your explanations.
Submission Requirements
Physical:
• 1 x full colour, high quality A2 sized print of your poster to be brought to your Week 7 practical session for review.
• Your full name should be incorporated into the poster design.
• References for your data & content sources should also be incorporated into the poster design. References can be set in small text - ie. 6 - 8pt depending on the font but should be clearly readable and relevant to the data being displayed.
• Print quality will be considered in your final grade for the project. If you are unsure of where/how to source good quality printing, talk to teaching staff.
• Do not laminate your work.DECO2200/7220 Information Visualisation
Electronic:
In a .zip file, named as [A2_FirstName_Lastname.zip], submit the following:
• 1 x high quality PDF (.pdf) of your poster, named as [Poster_FirstName_Lastname.pdf]
• 1 x PDF (.pdf) of your poster with the annotation layer visible, named as [Annotated_FirstName_Lastname.pdf]
• Export PDFs using File > Save As - format PDF. Do not use the Print dialog to print the file to PDF.
• 1 x authoring Illustrator file (.ai) – with a clearly labelled annotation layer – named as [Poster_FirstName_Lastname.ai]
• 1 x PDF (.pdf) file named as [References_FirstName_Lastname.pdf] containing references any external assets used in the production of your poster. Note: references for data sources & poster content must be clearly visible on your poster.
• A folder named ‘assets’ containing any external assets - fonts, brushes, images, vector art etc. References for these are to be included in your Reference document.
• You must reference: 1) data sources used 2) typefaces used 3) vector art / patterns / brushes used not of your own creation 4) ANYTHING you did not create yourself.
Failure to do so will result in misconduct proceedings.
If you have any problems in submitting your file to Blackboard, email [email protected].
Marking Criteria
Your final submission will be graded according to the following criteria:
Attention to Detail
• Demonstrates high level of attention to detail in all aspects of the composition & execution of work (including spelling and grammar)
• All printed and electronic submission requirements are met - working file with annotation layer, assets and reference document.
Information Design
• Effective visual communication of a complex set of information; supplementary data has been cleverly incorporated to aid communication.
• Considered & creative application of information graphics and visual approaches to support interpretation and understanding of the data.
• Demonstrates understanding of design principles through considered use of elements for visual communication.
• Effectively conveys a coherent narrative for visually communicating complex data, supported by a unified and visually appealing aesthetic.
Justification/Explanation
• Clear and concise annotations.
• Relevant and critical justification of decisions made in reference to graphic and information design theory and narrative aims.