Information Design
From GPWiki
Saturday 31 of July, 2010
 
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Group Partners And Information Design
What is Information Design?
The Main Threads"CHANGE THE WAY THE 21ST CENTURY ORGANIZATION THINKS & WORKS" - DON'T SOLVE THE WRONG PROBLEM REALLY WELL! - ENTERPRISE CLIENTS - BUSINESS CHALLENGE - 10 WORDS OR LESS - MAKING MEANING - THE PIXAR OF CONSULTING - 21st CENTURY TOOLS and PHILOSOPHY & TECHNIQUES - THE 24 CONVERSATIONS
See Language - Integrative Thinking - Pattern Recognition
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On this page there is a more detailed definition of our term 'Information Design' in the context of our work
At the outcome of any meaningful conversation business or event there is often a record of the proceeding. Typically this record is used to explain to both those in attendance, or those not in attendance but with a wider interest, just what happened. In daily life the same is true. In all conveyance of knowledge or information between people the quality of this transfer is paramount.
We pay a lot of attention to how this works and how we maximise this facet of each assignment. We call the application of creativity and care to generic or specific content, visual and verbal - Information Design.
We all need reference and information in order to make decisions or learn new things. We are alive to new input as humans. We cannot avoid it either, 20,000 messages every day from every direction. The difference between a positive or negative, a valuable experience or otherwise is more often than not the care that went in to ensuring that the information was presented properly or relevantly.
With meaning.
Powerful design of information and its transmission mechanisms are indivisible. Context and arrangement of the surrounding architecture are very important in setting up the confidence for the audience. Teeing up the right expectations. Why am I looking at this now? Where are you taking me next? Why is that right?
Knowing Flow
In thinking this through at an engineering level we've looked at the components that make up what we feel is great information design. It's a growing and more widely appreciated field these days and we will be continuing to add thoughts and learning to these pages.
It goes without saying that there are certain basic elements that are common to great Information Design so lets lay them on the table to begin with.
- Typography.
- Layout and basic design, grids etc.
- Quality of Content. Photography, Illustration etc.
- Size and proportion of page or media proportions.
- Choice of media for the given message.
But to us there is a lot more in the subtlety and this is explained here
Is the flow of information helpful in giving me what I want or giving me the confidence that I need to continue to bother? Great design is critical in everything and never more true in Information design.
The capture of information in our work enables us to display the outcomes in a way that reminds the audience of the journey they went on to create it in the first place. This may eventually not be the final version as we will iterate this knowledge as it builds.
In our world 4D is a tool for processing thought and not a story telling device. Information design is the process we then apply to telling stories.
Telling The Story
In great stories there is a beginning, middle and an end. We apply this structure to everything we do and ensure that within each deliverable, whether a printed document, an installation or an SVT Live system, there is precisely that construct.
Where Has the Artist Gone?
The soul of design resides in art. What makes the best designers who and what they are is their visual language, the internal artistic spark that is not only their creating designs for the world, but their artistic heart, the temporal muse and inspiration that lies deep within. Unfortunately, much of that art is being repressed. Whereas past eras and specific designers showcased very specific and identifiable visual language, the designs of today do not consistently speak with the same passion or distinction. The art seems to have left the design.
Media and technology
In every period of art, people push available media and question the existing language. There is a reason why artists stand out from the crowd: They see the future and what needs to be said and told. Always a product of their time, and using the tools of the day or those of the past, artists stretch the boundaries of what came before them to find what is next.
Design history shows that technology plays a significant role in defining the tools an artist uses to express themselves - from brush to typesetting to photography to computer graphics. The essential design tool of our generation is the personal computer. Since its early days, the personal computer has become a single tool with more options than we could have possibly imagined.
Compared to a traditional tool like a paintbrush, chisel or pencil, the computer provides many tools and textures, built-in colors and, perhaps most importantly, the ability to "undo" your work with a single command. It is a wonderfully advanced tool, a true technological marvel. But has the computer become the defining factor of who the artist is by the level of his computer skills? Looking at much of popular design, it certainly seems that way.
The computer is just a tool. Nothing more, nothing less. The difference lies in what we do with the tool: Our personal language and vision is what separates the artist from the technician.
Regardless of time period, the medium will always dictate what message is translated and how. It is up to the artist to stand out and make the work of art the heart of the job. The artist utilizes their tools to deliver a message, clearly demonstrating personal visual language and accomplishing objectives in the work. The digital age hasn't hurt the artist; in fact, it has helped the artist get their message out to people around the world. Never before could an artist tell their story to millions of people with relatively little effort. The problem is that many designers are operating more like technicians and losing touch with their visual language.
My journey through art and design
See Also John Caswell
When I was in art school, I had to make a choice: whether I wanted to be a fine artist - a sculptor - or study graphic design. After the rigorous first year of Foundations, an overview of all the disciplines in my art school, they offered a one-day showcase of different programs. I attended the sculpture workshop, which confirmed my love for that medium and my vision for my career. I thought it would be fascinating to try to create work like the masters Rodin or Degas.
However, I did not expect the graphic design presentation to touch me in the way it did. The idea of creating work that thousands, even millions, of people could experience was such an exhilarating realization. Graphic design became my outlet. I saw a channel for my work and ideas. In fact, I never thought I could create a piece of work that would help people and inspire them at the same time. This was the first day of my design life, becoming part of something bigger than myself, where I could become part of a society where artists create works of art each and everyday, pushing the limits of good thinking and creative solutions.
But, as design has become a component in the bigger picture of business, I feel that we, as designers, fall further and further away from what we do and why we do it. I know that I struggle finding my own soul in work, but I sense on a larger scale - in our business as graphic designers - so do many artists. So the question remains: Where has the artist gone in our business?
I have read many articles discussing and debating the labels of what we do. Yet, many of those authors are not looking at the work, but instead the academic side of design. They, too, are lost without the soul in the work. People need to put themselves in the position of the eventual participant. For example, how often have you seen something and said, "That is pretty cool!" or "How did they think of that?" I guarantee you that those pieces of work embody the soul of the artist. The artist touched your soul with their soul, through their work. Designers know when a good idea is being understood or a message is strong. Good work tells the story with little effort and communicates with an intensity that nothing else can.
Our forum and audience is everyone. Our work can enter homes and minds that have never been exposed to a Monet or Manet. Graphic design allows artists to communicate with people of different ethnicities, religious backgrounds and political viewpoints. Design can break down barriers or create walls. Without ever hearing a word from the artist, it has so much power to make people react to an image or idea. The artist has an opportunity to create a genre in history for their work. So why doesn't anyone seem to have anything to say? Many people before us blazed the trail with their talent and passion. It is our responsibility to keep the message strong and simple while progressing our visual language as artists. We cannot simply ignore our obligation to ourselves and our clients, nor can we stop pushing our work and each other. If we choose to become a part of a homogeneous business, graphic design is not for us. We must ask ourselves: What goals do we have with our work? What do we want to happen? If we make a bold enough statement, we will convince one person and sway another, just from the work we create. That is what the artist is trying to do. Our message communicates the vision and ideas we yearn to express.
A few years ago, Milton Glaser asked me if I were an artist or a designer. I couldn't answer the question without thinking long and hard about my intentions. Finally, I told him that I am a designer: "One must be an artist to design." His question is one that all designers need to consider. What do you want in your work? What intentions do you have? Creating something takes responsibility and a great deal of passion, whether the work of art is trying to sell a certain product or simply communicate monthly invoice information from a financial company. The message and media may change, but the intentions must remain the same with every piece of work.
Art despite technology
History has shown us that our tools are closely related to - even a product of - technology. Currently, the speed, size and ease of use provided by our technology is holding our visual language at bay. Instead, the tool must be used to augment our work - not define it. Our visual language must remain at the surface. The tools and media - how we express that language - is essential but does not replace our language. The technology merely helps us work faster; for example, it certainly makes laying type a lot easier than counting and reproducing point size with a photocopier. The tool is merely an aid in our delivery of the message. We have an obligation to create great work and deliver a sound message, yet we must still express our personal passion as artist.
Perhaps you can be considered an artist if you tinker around with a computer. But when that is your method, despite the availability of other resources, design becomes the sterile, vanilla expression that we so often see. It is time that the artist in each of us looks to the future and asks ourselves, "What do we want people to know about us?" It will be seen through our work and our ideas. Everyone who considers themselves a designer should answer Milton Glaser's question. It just might help us to eliminate the question: Where has the artist gone? The answer, of course, is that the artist lives within each of us.
Author - John W. Loop-Snider
What Does Your Audience Want?
By Dirk Knemeyer
Successful visual designers well know the audiences they are designing for, and realize that their audiences exist at multiple levels.
Paul Rand famously directed that, if clients don't like a logo, make it bigger. If they still don't like it, make it red. Regardless of his feelings toward larger logos, or red logos, Rand understood the biases and tendencies of his client. That is a critical factor to successful design because - after all - if the final decision maker does not approve the design, it will not see the light of day.
Digital and interactive systems are a big part of the assignments for many clients They become interfaces to mult-layered content and are effective portals to the work we have created or for knowledge and learning applications. See Solutions
Each part of a 4D sequence receives a full and thorough record and this ensures the team has a full record of what happened and what needs to be done and also informs the wider community of what has been achieved. These are referred to as workbooks. See Outcomes 
If required, and specifically designed for wider distribution, each framework can be deployed as an effect device for getting the story out there. Big Pictures
The inspiration for this article was a remarkably similar observation that I recently encountered, attributed to Norman Rockwell. Rockwell said, "If it doesn't work, put a dog in it. If it still doesn't work, put a Band-Aid on the dog." Unlike Rand, Rockwell is commenting on the desires and preferences of his eventual target audience, the consumers of his design, instead of a client or other go-between. Through his extensive experience designing for particular people and publications, Rockwell came to understand who his audiences were and what visual elements he could provide to meet their needs and desires. While his designs and art are today thought of as rather simplistic and uninspired, they reflect a deep understanding of that audience.
His wry comment about using a dog and/or a dog with a Band-Aid illustrates his close relationship to his audience's "hot buttons." We can assume that the notion of inserting a dog into his design would address audience needs for personal nostalgia, and/or the common heartfelt sentiments people have toward their four-legged friends. And while the idea of putting a Band-Aid on the dog was certainly sarcastic, it underscores the effect that eliciting sympathy and empathy had on touching his audience. Indeed, while it is a humorous comment on the surface, Rockwell's words really speak to his depth and experience of designing for his audience.
Paul Rand and Norman Rockwell both knew what their audiences wanted and crafted their design and approach with that knowledge in mind. While not typically thought of in a similar context, these examples illustrate their shared understanding of the importance of audience in achieving success as a visual designer.
Author - Dirk Knemeyer
