Project 3 Creative Brief

Background
The contemporary Seattle Central Public Library's architecture features innovative form and function. Although the implementation of the revolutionary library system improves the efficiency of book-handling and library expansion a lot, however, it also makes the building more complex and harder for visitors to find their way within it. When it was first opened, the building lacked a sufficient wayfinding system. Currently, the library's wayfinding system has been improved but is still inadequate and lacks consistency with the original signing system.

Target Audience
The prioritized target audience is male and female between the age of 18 to 65 years old. The majority of the visitors are educated people who are computer literate. Their primary intention visiting the library is not only to find books, but also to use one of the 400 computers available in the library. Most of the primary target audience are regular visitors of the central library. The second group of audience is tourists who mostly visit the library for the first time. They don't come to look for books but to tour the unique building. The third group of the target audience is kids between the age of 3 to 12 years old. They often come to the library accompanied by the their parents, and they spend most of their time there in the children's section.

Objectives
The proposed wayfinding system would include a new set of icons, an improved library map, a new color-coded signage system, and an improved personalized library direction. The new signage would be implemented consistently throughout the library, especially in locations of high visitors traffic. Its visual design would mimic the original library informational signage to give a more unified look and feel to the overall library wayfinding system.

Obstacles
The architecture of the library is very complex and each level is different than the others.

Key Benefit
The visitors would be able to explore the building easier. They would be able to easily find their way without specifically having to look for directions because the signages are placed at key locations.

Tone
The tone of the signage system is bold yet friendly, just like the contemporary building itself.

Media
The map will be printed on a sheet of glass and placed on a metal stand. The signage will be printed on a sticker and placed at key locations. The online map will be presented as an extension to the current library's website.

Creative Considerations
The architecture of the building is complex, therefore the map and directions should be simplified so the viewers can easily understand, but not oversimplified so that they are still recognizable as representations of the unique architecture.

Week 8 Reading Reaction

Summary

• Metro Design Studio, Metro LA signage guidelines
  The primary advantage of guidelines is to help people work with templates. By using templates, designers can focus the audience on filling the templates in. Templates provide a structure to help people organize information and focus on it rather than the design aspect.

• Hunt Design, signage and master plan for Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
  In designing environmental graphics, also consider the "flip-through" users. Get the viewers' interest with an interesting image, an intriguing headline, and a short, crisp, declarative writing. It's important that the interpretive signs are of interest to all age levels.

• Bureau Mijksenaar, various transportation graphics
  In creating environmental graphics, designers must think in time see things in sequence. But the audience needs to have a sense of overview first; they want to get a feeling of what's going on or what will happen at the end, before they drill down. Good environmental infographics build up tension by building up information to keep people's interest so they stay attentive.

• Durfee Regn Sandhaus, exhibit design for the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens
  A good environmental information design should have different layers of information. There should be one for the viewers that move quickly through the space, and there also should be another level that goes deeper into the information.

• Poulin + Morris, exhibit design for World Trade Center Visitor Center
  Normally, when designing an exhibit, designers try to create an overarching narrative, something a larger group of people can understand. But with projects where the subjective point of view is very important, people are terrified of losing their individual stories. Therefore, it's critical not to homogenize or generalize.

• Infinite Scale Design Group, exhibit design for Brigham Young University
  Interactive displays would make a tremendous amount of information available to visitors, without making the environment itself overly cluttered. In interactive displays, the additional information is not visible unless the viewer wants to find out more details on a particular information.
  When creating environmental design, it's also important to plan for future expansion and changes. For this purpose, a style guide with guidelines would be a good solution.

Week 7 Reading Reaction

Summary

• Alejandro Tumas, industrial diagram for Siderar
  When communicating complex technical processes and issues to nontechnical audience, it is often necessary to omit many technical details.

• The New York Times Graphics Department, maps and diagrams for the New York Times
  To really understand a data set, you need to process it yourself; you have to immerse yourself in the subject and do your own reporting. To help people understand the subject and data, designers must do a balancing act. Designers need to provide enough detail to illuminate the content, but not too much so it doesn't alienate some viewers.
  

• Funnel Incorporated, various projects
  Good infographics works by clarifying complex information, nit dumbing down the audience. In publications, such as newspaper, information graphics are a great way to cut through the clutter and ensure that the readers understands the potential story.

• White Rhino
  Using subdued color palette can sometimes make the information easier to absorb. Too much color can be distracting with such density. Without relying on bright colors for information hierarchy at such a small scale, the attention to typography becomes even more critical.

• Nigel Holmes, book infographics for Blue Planet Foundation
  In creating infographics, editing is critical. In order to create a good piece of work, Nigel Holmes often start with four times more information that he'll ultimately use. A good infographic is concise yet fantastically informative.

• The Wall Street Journal Information Graphics Department, news infographic for the Wall Street Journal
  Good information designers need to know their subject, and have a passion for it. The designers must do their own research; it's when they pore over the data that they start to picture the presentation and know whether it will work or not. Information designers must think analytically but also have to find an inviting way to bring the viewer into the subject matter.

Week 6 Reading Reaction

Summary

• Carbone Smolane Agency, graphic standard for Morgan Stanley
  For Morgan Stanley, Carbone Smolane Agency(CSA) created a comprehensive three-tiered system for all of the company's corporate events around the world. This comprehensive design standard allows Morgan Stanley to convey its key messages consistently throughout all of its branches regardless of cultural or geographic difference. CSA also developed schematic layouts to test and analyze relevant content of Morgan Stanley's Equity Research Report.

• Smart Design, packaging design for simplehuman
  Designers have little control over how the product would be displayed in large retail environments, surrounded by competing products. Therefore, product packaging needs to be designed to stand out from the clutter. Since most retail environments are self-serve, packaging also has to attract and educate potential buyers. Stating the benefits of a product rather than only listing its features helps the consumers realize the benefits of the product.
  
  In addition to boxes, Smart Design also developed a system for detailed but elegant labeling for the simplehuman product itself, so customers could get information even if retailers took the products out of the boxes to display it.

• Addison, various projects.
  In order to change and improve end-user experience, first, the company's internal system needs to be addressed. In creating successful information design, it's important to see the problem form the user-centric point of view and understand their mental model.

• Pentagram Design, magazine redesign for TIME magazine
  A consistent formatting through the use of a strong, grid-based approach in publication design can guide the readers through the publication and separate the editorial pages from all the ads. Using a limited palette of fonts and color allows the liveliness of the art, such as photographs, illustrations, and information graphics, to come through. Every redesign needs to begin with an exploration into the heritage of the brand.

• And Partners, brochures for Mohawk Fine Papers Inc.
  The design of a successful information graphic must begin with the development of content. And having a piece where the design and the writing are integrated is the best way to get good design. Design elements can also be used to reinforce a sense of information architecture, so readers wouldn't be required to read any of the pieces from beginning to end, and also to create multiple access points.

• Simon & Goetz Design, magazine for Sal. Oppenheim
  By featuring emotionally engaging images within the articles alongside the standard facts, the magazine uses emotions to create reader enthusiasm for a topic or article. By expanding the information design to the emotional dimension, the communication also often becomes more tangible and memorable for readers.

Project 2 Creative Brief

Background
Knowing screen size resolution in web and mobile browsers are a key factor when trying to create a viewable webpage. The concept of our overall design is to help designers determine which screen resolutions are the most popular now, as well as continually, and which are becoming less and less used. This will allow the optimum amount of people to view the webpage.

Target Audience
The target audience are web and graphic designers.

Objectives
After learning from the infographic, the designer will put the information to use by using the most & continually popular screen size resolution when creating their layouts & designs.

Obstacles
The technical world is ever-changing and the information may only be up to date for an extended period of time. The infographic would need to be updated yearly and continually double checked to make sure it's giving the most correct information at all times.

Key Benefit
A key benefit of this infographic will be that the screen size resolution chosen will be the most used and will allow the optimum amount of people to view the webpage.

Support Statement
Although it needs to be checked and altered frequently, the overall use will allow for the best results you can get. It will increase performance of your website's abilities and keep you continually updated.

Tone
Informative, technical

Media
The media will be either a flash presentation or an interactive .PDF format

Creative Considerations
We need to take into consideration the idea that new phones are coming out frequently and things might have to be updated. The overall idea of mobile browsing is spreading and thus, newer resolutions are going to be designed to fit new phones.

Week 5 Reading Reaction

Summary

All the general design principles apply in information design.

Color is very effective in conveying differentiation. Color can also be used as a navigation tool.

Type style can be used to differentiate types of information and establish hierarchy.

Changes in weight and scale, combined with color and type, are effective in creating emphasize and clarify complex hierarchies.

Grids and empty spaces can help viewers navigate through complex information. The structure of the design piece itself can communicate additional meaning.

Grouping information help viewers quickly find the information they are looking. Multiple entry points allow the audience absorb information as visual sound bites. Grouping can also be used to show hierarchy, especially when used in conjunction with changes is color, weight, and scale.

Graphic elements, such as lines, rules, and bullets, are tools used to attract the viewers' attention and can also provide direction and punctuation.

Imagery is an effective tool to attract attention. An effective imagery can also help summarize a complex information.

Sound can help the audience understand the information better, and when combined with imageries, can have a powerful effect. Motion draws the viewers attention and creates a sense of narrative that leaves a memorable impression.


URLs

• http://www.visualboxsite.com/
  The simple rectangular grid is not only used to organize information, but also used a base for the website structure and navigation itself.

• http://departuresdesign.com/
  This website is very simple and minimalist. It even seems like it is designed only using the basic design principles mentioned in the reading. Yet, it is the simplicity of the website that makes it looks bold and innovative.

Project 2 Sketches