Infographics: mind blowing

I just wrapped up another semester in grad school. One of my courses was called Data Visualization. It's the fancy term for what many know as infographics. It's a way of breaking down data that can often be complicated to understand in different ways that can tell a story, create an experience for the user, and connect better to a brand. It's also a way to get your mind blown.

Mind blowing, from the designer's perspective in trying to organize the data. To be able to pull out (and also remove) what isn't necessary. It can feel almost like manipulation, but the reality is that designers are always pulling and adding information to support an idea.

As I studied, researched and learned first hand what made a good infographic, it was also mind blowing in a sense that it was clear that while some of the best ones visually were incredible to look at, I often couldn't understand the information. Over complicated designs, text to small, or to much data, and it felt like I needed someone next to me to explain what I was looking at.

As is the case with most work we do, we're rarely there to explain the rationales behind our work. Sure, we have to sell it, explain it, and sometimes defend it to our clients, but at the end of the day, it needs to work on its own. If you don't get it without us, than it doesn't work. Design is about solving problems, not creating new ones. Otherwise, it's art.


View the series