GordonGR08

Information Design ~ Day 8 ~ Once again we have been given the mental treat of reading an outtake from Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design, by author Michael Bierut. The topic for this particular ramble is The Rendering and the Reality. Beirut’s views on architectural renderings dove tail nicely with the offsite exploration we did today at The Milwaukee Public Museum. Both made me think about and experience Information Design in the third dimension.

At the Milwaukee Public museum, I was challenged to view the museum from a new perspective. As an artist, I have always admired the museum for its obvious visual stimuli. Today’s trip as a “critical thinker” would re-open my eyes to this familiar place. I found myself analyzing posters, signage and displays like never before. Off came my consumer hat – and artist hat for that matter. I was now looking to connect the dots as an information designer. How would I have laid out a particular chart differently? Why was one answer on my “Fieldtrip Questionnaire” easier to find than another? The whole museum adventure reminded me of our classroom Data Whammy exercises – only in a grander scale. Taking something familiar and then breaking it down. I don’t think I’ll ever visit the museum with the same kind of “vision” ever again.

In a similar vein, I found today’s reading on architectural renderings to be equally insightful. I have seen these renderings often over the years and always admired them for their artistic qualities. As with any piece of information design, there is an agenda contained within their content. Bierut points out that theses renderings are no different. In fact, they are often quite potent in the area of agenda – looking to instill an emotional connection, excite the viewer and even convert the naysayer.

Unlike a chart or graph that lives and dies by the accuracy of data, the architect rendering is at its best when it seems to blatantly break some of the most basic construction rules. The architectural rendering – in its own genre, need not worry about engineering minutia, building code or even certain realities. The information being illustrated need only represent the concept of the architect. The beauty of the vision and the environment made better from it. The graphic designer and his “chart” would not last long in their respected industry with those same practices.

My take away from today is that proper alignment between environment, audience and agenda is critical in achieving the desired outcome of any information design project.