An introduction to INFORMATION DESIGN An introduction to INFORMATION DESIGN Kathryn Coates & Andy Ellison Laurence King Publishing Published in 2014 by Laurence King Publishing Ltd 361–373 City Road London EC1V 1LR Tel +44 20 7841 6900 Fax +44 20 7841 6910 Email: [email protected] www.laurenceking.com © Text 2014 Kathryn Coates and Andy Ellison This book was produced by Laurence King Publishing Ltd, London Kathryn Coates and Andy Ellison have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs, and Patent Act 1988, to be identifi ed as the Authors of this Work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978-1-78067-325-7 Design by Lizzie Ballantyne Printed in China Frontispiece: Signage at the Design Museum Holon, Tel Aviv, designed by Adi Stern Design (see pp. 181–183). . Contents 6 Introduction 106 5 Realizing the design through appropriate media 109 Explanation of media 8 1 What is information design? 110 Choosing appropriate media 10 Defi nitions of information design 112 The diff erence between print and digital 11 A brief history of information design 113 Designing for diff erent digital platforms 19 Why is information design necessary? 118 Computer data visualization 21 What are the diff erent types of information design? 122 Exhibition design and design for the environment 125 Hints and Tips: Knowing the possibilities of media 26 2 Information design for specifi c audiences 128 Case study: Maintaining a brand’s visual identity across 28 Identifying the audience and their needs diff erent media 29 Defi ning the audience 36 Activity: How to identify your audience 134 6 Experimentation and inspiration for the design process 41 Internationalism 136 Why is experimentation and inspiration important? 43 Inclusivity 138 Lateral thinking 43 Visual impairment 140 Inspiration for design 46 Hints and Tips: Designing for visual impairment 146 Editing data for inspiration 48 Case study: Designing for a target audience – children 149 The importance of trying out ideas 152 Hints and Tips: Taking inspiration from the world around you 54 3 Structuring information 156 Case study: Inspiration for the design process 56 Grids 160 Case study: Visual mapping 58 Hierarchy of information 60 Dynamic composition and gesture 164 7 Information design in practice: print, interactive 64 Sequence of information and environmental 66 Hints and Tips: Organizing information 166 Design outcomes 68 Hints and Tips: Using a grid 166 Routes for print-based information design 70 Hints and Tips: Setting up the grid 168 Case studies: Print-based information design 72 Case study: Grid structure and hierarchy 174 Routes for interactive information design 176 Case study: Interactive information design 76 4 Legibility and readability 179 Routes for environmental information design 78 Understanding legibility and readability 181 Case studies: Environmental information design 80 Readability: colour, tint and tone 84 Legibility, readability and contrast 188 8 Information design in practice: multi-platform delivery 86 Weight, size and scale 190 Using multiple platforms 88 Typographic elements 191 Case study: Interactive exhibition design 90 Glossary of typographical terms 196 Case study: Environmental and interactive wayfi nding 92 Graphic elements 94 Imagery 202 Conclusion 98 Hints and Tips: Visibility and contrast 203 Glossary 98 Hints and Tips: Colour-coding 205 Further reading / Websites 100 Hints and Tips: Choice of typeface, weight and scale 206 Index 102 Case study: Illustration in information design 207 Acknowledgements 104 Case study: Graphics in information design 208 Picture credits 6 Introduction Why read this book? Information is everywhere. We are surrounded by it and it is delivered to us in many diff erent ways. From the moment we get up in the morning, we engage with information that has been designed for specifi c purposes: the nutritional information on the packets of the cereals we eat; the daily news via a newspaper or a screen; a timetable to see when the next bus is due. We are constantly engaging with the communication of information. If you are reading this book then the chances are that you are interested in design and are curious to know more about information design. This subject is large and complex and takes in many forms and platforms. The aim of this book is to demystify the process of producing clear information design and to provide some fundamental guidelines to the considerations and processes you may need when communicating to specifi c users or audiences. This knowledge will better equip you to produce eff ective solutions to the design challenges you may encounter within your own study and practice. To demonstrate the breadth and diversity of the subject, we feature the work of an international selection of designers. The purpose is to give a behind-the- scenes look at the journey to a fi nal outcome. These case studies are not just about who information design is for and who created it; their purpose is to show the creative processes behind a successful information design project. These case studies allow us to see the fundamentals of information design being put into action on real projects by practising designers. Our aim in writing this book was to provide an inspirational guide to the discipline of visualizing information, a discipline that falls within the larger subject of graphic design. Our intention is to explain the subject practically: this is not just an introduction to the theories of information design, but a how-to book that includes hints and tips on the actual design process. Introduction 7 The structure of the book The basic premise of this publication is: What is information design? How do you do it? How have others done it? The book is structured so you can read the chapters sequentially or dip into the specifi c areas covered as and when required. Hints and tips are off ered throughout to give practical support and guidance to would-be designers. You will be presented with the fundamentals of information design and guided through the core skills, taking into account the values of the audience, hierarchy, structure, legibility and media. You will be provided with inspirational visual examples and shown why information design is so important in modern life. We cover all aspects of information design, including print media, screen-based solutions and 3D physical environments. The case studies off er vivid insights into the working practices of contemporary practitioners, inviting comparisons and contrasting views on the subject. Our goal is to make readers aware that there is always a variety of methods available to them to answer design problems. 1 Chapter 1: What is information design? This chapter aims to provide an insight into the subject of information design, to explain its purpose and the various forms it takes. We outline a brief history of information design to put the discipline in context, then discuss why it is necessary and how we use it in our daily lives. Finally, we look at the various ways in which it is presented and how the approach has to be modifi ed depending on the format. 10 Chapter 1 Defi nitions of information design In an age where we are bombarded with information, Many people defi ne it diff erently. Some feel that it is the boundaries between what is and what is not simply the visualization of data; others see it as the considered information design have become blurred. communication of any message in any form. This could We consume thousands of pieces of information every take the form of an advertisement or of a safety sign: day, often without even noticing, so what exactly is both communicate a message or meaning to the viewer, information design? and both deal with information, whether it is about selling a product or about preventing risks to health. ‘Information design is the defi ning, planning, and shaping of the contents of a message and the environments in which it is presented, with the intention to satisfy the information needs of the intended recipients.’ International Institute for Information Design (IIID) ‘In its broadest sense, all graphic design is “information design”. The distinction for me is that graphic design is the organization of elements that are typically capable of communicating independently, like words, photography and illustration. Information design, as I see it, incorporates the more elemental particles of data, and as a result requires more interpretation or authorship on the designer’s part for it to speak fl uently.’ Nicholas Felton, Feltron (USA) ‘It is the organization and display of information, messaging or storytelling in an ordered hierarchy. A journey of information. To present content in a clear and unique and engaging way by engaging and targeting the human senses through the use of graphic devices such as type, colour, imagery, Previous page: The Rosetta stone, an time, light, textures and materials etc. to either warn, teach, explain, entertain or direct.’ irregularly shaped block of black basalt, found Vince Frost, Frost Design (Australia) in 1799 near the town of Rosetta (Rashid) near Alexandria by Napoleon’s armies. The stone is inscribed with a priestly decree ‘Is there too much design now? Look on the web – is there a diff erent sort of design emerging? issued at Memphis in 196 BCE on behalf of A creative world where designers seem to own what they are doing, a showing off if you like. King Ptolemy V. The inscription appears in three scripts – ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, A comfortable designers’ world where there is more of the same, time and again. To be a designer Demotic script and ancient Greek – and you surely need opinions – you must ask why. Why can’t you hear the train times? Why can’t provided the key to the decipherment of elderly people understand Bluetooth? Why can’t I fi nd the lavatories at Terminal Five? We know hieroglyphs in the modern age. and read the words about information design … Enabling, understanding, making information more Opposite: Cave painting showing horses, useable, clarifying the complex and more … But think of yourself sitting in a room. No computer, bulls and stags, in the Lascaux caves in southwestern France. The paintings are no blogging, no music, with a Pentel sign pen in red and black and just a plan, some words and a around 17,000 years old. problem. And you stay there until you have the answer. That’s information design.’ John Bateson, Bateson Studio (UK) ‘A certain type of information design sometimes seems to be about displaying a graphic designer’s prowess for creating aesthetically pleasing and colourful graphic representations of statistics or facts. Whilst this may look good, it often leads to a piece of work that inspires one to look, rather than read. For me, good information design should engage the reader both visually and cerebrally, off ering something beyond a surface impression.’ Dr Alison Barnes (Australia)