Information Design (ID)
Project Overview
Creating an infographic of my choice using Cognitive Principles of Information Design (ID) and Data Visualization.
Project Background
This project focused primarily on our research, technical, and design skills. Using Microsoft Excel and Adobe Photoshop, I was able to create an accurate infographic about how cats communicate with humans.
Programs used: Microsoft Excel, Adobe Photoshop, Canva
Project Goals
- Create a graph using Microsoft Excel.
- Use design skills to visualize data.
- Determine the intended audience of your infographic.
Method
Initially, I planned to create an infographic about Calico cats but I came to figure out that during my research there was not really much information to create a graph for.
After brainstorming a bit more, I decided to focus on how cats communicate with people and how well they can hear as well!
While creating my infographic’s color palette, I wanted to stay away from a pure white background because it could potentially cause too much contrast for the audience.
I wanted to create something subtle but also fun, so I chose the colors- cream, navy blue, orange, and brown. Using a mix of complementary colors along with some neutral tones helped tie together the palette that I wanted to use.
Additionally, I used Myriad Pro as my font of choice in various weights and colors to create a contrast to make it easier to read. Especially since the font is sans-serif, making it easy to read on a computer.
I struggled to figure out what data to represent my topic about cats. There was not a lot of information about how often a cat would meow or hiss at humans.
I settled with hearing ranges arranged in a bar graph for the infographic. I figured the audience would want to know how well cats could hear compared to other animals.
The final product of the cat infographic.
Key Takeaways
Overall, this was an enjoyable project to work on. Not only did I learn more about cats, but I learned about the very importance of quality resources. This project also made me resilient to Microsoft Excel being wonky when it came to creating graphs using spreadsheets.
There are a few things I want to note when it comes to making some changes to this project. One would be the design of the graph. It seems a bit awkward because the bars are far apart. Another change I would make is to simplify the links for the resources at the bottom of the infographic. Although they're not long links that go on forever, I don't think the HTTP:// is a cute look either.