Information Design Post 2

Found on Pinterest

Found at Woodenville Winery – Chateau Ste. Michelle

These two examples of information design both have distinct features which make them more life-like than most of the info-graphics on trend at the moment. I have seen some amazing illustrations for information lately that are articulated in well-crafted info-graphic posters, but what caught my eye about these two examples was the use of photography. The first graphic is purely an example, so the information does not require much accuracy, but the bending of the ribbon would need to fit the data depending on what it is representing. It is effective though, because of the ”realness” that the photography aspect gives. It is as if we can feel and touch the difference in height measurements. The visual forms give it movement and hierarchy. The second example, though it consists of less tension, has depth and visual movement throughout, because of it’s use of color and photo complexity. Each little fruit, plant, herb, etc. is photographed inside of the wine glass to show the possible tastes and smells that can be found in wine. It is clever, informational, and visually intriguing. The audience can look at this piece and immediately navigate based on color and recognition of real life objects. It is consistent while still giving variety in color and placement, making the overall poster appear organized, easy to read, and yet completely attention grabbing (I saw it from across the room while wine tasting this weekend). Though the stylistic approach for infographics has been much more illustrative as of lately, I think that photography can make for a composition with depth and relate-ability  that may otherwise be unattainable.

information Design Post 1

Chart showing where the oldest tree’s in the world are located and what their ages are. (Found on Pinterest.)

This is an information card I found at Starbucks for their new Columbia Montebonito coffee.

I was originally drawn to both of these examples of information design because of the way they both successfully executed using interesting, yet easy to read typography and graphics in order to present their information. The tree graphic uses the lines that represent where the trees are located on a map of the world to create a tree-like shape overall. This idea uses revealing graphics to give the piece a clear meaning to reflect the overall information. Instead of merely listing the age and location of the trees, this poster approaches the typical information design layout in a different way. Composing information graphically does not mean that movement, interest, and overall meaning need to be ignored. “The Earth’s Oldest Tress,” is a great example of how to organize information in a thought-provoking and systematized matter. Starbuck’s mini Columbia Monte bonito information card, achieves hierarchy and organized spacing while fitting an explanatory paragraph, growing region on a mini map, tasting note chart, processing, complementary flavors, and even the altitude in which the coffee was grown. The designers for Starbucks used a mini map to indicate where the coffee is grown and circles to indicate how acidic and what kind of body the coffee has. To get this much information on a 2” x 2” card while still succeeding in creating a hierarchical, interesting, and spacious card is difficult to do. Both of these information design examples create a visual map that allows our minds to not work very hard at finding information, while still engaging us in the design.