Specht.N.R09

For this reading we were given instructional info-graphics for various tasks. Right away I was excited about the bicycle diagram because I used to work at a bicycle shop and having a visual aide like so would have helped immensely. People don’t realize the havock they’re wreaking on their body when their body isn’t positioned correctly on the bike. With that being said this graphic seems incomplete. There is no explanation as to why and how someone is able to position him or herself onto a bike as depicted. The seat, seat-post, bike frame, handlebars, and stem all adjust in order to achieve the end result as depicted in the diagram.
The third diagram that depicts rolling a “cigarette”, I presume, utilizes red arrows in order to imply movement. In step two and three the arrows signal rolling the paper to the viewer and in step four using one’s tongue to seal the paper. Arrows implying movement are also used in the fourth and fifth diagrams. The fifth diagram is somewhat humorous I suppose since the depicted participant must have ditch the old tire on the side of the road or it completely vanishes when the new one appears…which would be amazing if that actually happened in real life. I don’t think I really wanted to like the flat tire diagram since I hate changing car tires but by breaking apart the individual tasks and tools needed to finish the task, it is well executed.

Andrew+M+Proposal

I originally wanted to do an interactive web based user interface, but I had so much fun with our first project that I plan on doing on info graphic instead.

My visual will contain demographic information on the cities of Milwaukee County spanning crime, income, education and age. These typical pieces of information will be compared to something more fun or unexpected. Currently I have plans to include McDonalds location and/or density for each city.

My goal is to draw an unexpected correlation between a piece of typical information such as income and how it relates to social trends, such as fast food density. Is there a trend for McDonals to setup locations in area with a particular income or education? My initial “interesting data source” was to show which television channels are viewed most in a particular city, but this data is not accessible to me.

I chose Milwaukee County because, most obviously, we are all familiar with the area, but also because I did not grow up here and I assumed every city in the county had similar demographic to the City of Milwaukee. I found this to be vary far fro the truth when I stared looking at city data.

Andrew+M+R10

First of all, I hate white body copy, especially on a computer screen, but at least he used a san-serif font, could have been 2px larger though; my eyes feel freshly hypnotized.

I definitely agree with the author when it comes to which museums a person is more likely to visit. I have been to the Chicago art museum several times but have never gone to the shed aquarium; I’ve even gone to the Adler planetarium, which takes you past the aquarium. This clearly shows how much more interested I am in art over sea life. I would further carry this trend to the U.S. National Park system. I’ve gone to the Redwood Forest at least ten times, while Yosemite, to which I’ve only been twice, is the exact same distance from my parent’s house. Though I love both, I must enjoy the forest more.

I also feel the same about my preferences in information types; I always choose the one I can control the most. Labels are easy to breeze through, quickly skip around and reread multiple times. Audio, video and tour guides act on a fixed timeline which usually inhibits fast repeats and the ability to skip around. A tour guide is nice in that you can get supplemental information, however, a tour guide is usually for a group situation where consistent question asking is not always an option. Tour guides also have to provide information for all interest types, there’s nothing I hate more than taking a tour where I’ve learned nothing new.

At Discovery World I found the most interesting exhibits to be the cut out machines and the giant Great Lakes model. Being able to see how gears and other mechanical objects work with the addition of being able to control the rate at which they function makes learning more fun and thus more effective. The Great Lakes model was interesting because of its use of height and city placement. The model had a very different feel than a two-dimensional map and was more effective at showing elevation. It was also fun to feel like a giant.

Specht_N R07&08

In the essay, The Rendering and the Reality, the process of ideation through construction is examined for the proposed New York City High Line. The author talks about the architectural rendering that was created in order to have such an expensive project funded. Thus, initially a group of people came up with the awesome idea to reconstruct the skyline in New York City, essentially rebranding and revamping the area. I imagine, when brainstorming they decided on the generalized conceptual architecture of the space, how people would interact/react to the space, and what exactly they wanted the space to say about that particular area of New York. The author talks about film, athletic, and fine arts imagery that would become part of the skyline and that they are shown in the rendering. The rendering also depicts the loose architectural structure of the space. I say loose in that many physical supports are missing from the imagery. Why would one decide to emit information from the viewer in this particular case? In order to depict the New York City High Line in it’s best light with very little flaws in order to attract investors. Emitting information such as support structures makes sense since the investor’s main part in building the actual space is funding it, not constructing it. On that note it would be interesting to see the rendering juxtaposed to the blueprints that I imagine were eventually drafted. It is up to the artists and architects to translate something in the imaginary world into the concrete.


The Information Design and the Placebo Effect essay discussed how as people we tend to accept the information that is given to us blindly when in the right environment. The essay specifically talks about the buttons used to seemingly initiate the walk signal and how 2,500 of the 3,000 buttons hadn’t been function for 15 years. With that being said I think there are quite a few fascinating discoveries/inquiries that emerge from that information.
With anything that’s designed, there is a creator and an intended audience. Now the creators of the buttons must have installed the buttons onto the poles initially for their intended purpose. By not replacing one has to assume that they decided that pedestrians could decide to cross the road safely when the deemed fit. The fear of getting hit by a car is a fantastic motivator just in case that button doesn’t work. The fact that over 50% of the crossing signals don’t work and it’s been over 15 years had to have created a lack of confidence in the lights. The signal takes away the responsibility and awareness needed to cross the street safely, thus when the lights don’t work the former is in the hands of the pedestrian. Lastly, I imagine since it’s New York that this discovery was made, I would imagine the waves of pedestrians can stop traffic even if the light is green anyways.
This essay acts as a means of revealing how an audience can react to standardized information and what happens when it is taken away. Such as the elevator’s door closing button that is basically in place for anxious elevator riders trying to avoid whatever’s heading towards that elevator door. If anything it goes to show how pushing a button can act as tranquilizer for the socially frustrated.

Kate+D+Final Project Proposal

My proposal for the final project is to show the pollen counts in Milwaukee over the last 5 years. I found information on pollen and mold counts in the last 5 years that shows the averages in the beginning and middle of the month for all 12 months. I would like to diagram out a picture of a common allergen, identifying the different parts of it and then how each part specifically affects people. I’m thinking I’m going to do it in somewhat of a flow chart style using pictures and arrows as well as some graphs that show the fluctuation in annual pollen counts. I also think it would be interesting to include data of pollen counts in other areas surrounding Milwaukee and see how they compare.

JenniferL_R08

I guess I never realized how much harder architects have it compared to graphic designers. Because architects design in the realm of reality they have to create imaginatively to draw interest, yet they have to be able to actually build what they envision. Their designs have to inspire even if the way they are presented is less than realistic. Unlike graphic designers, who kind of create in an "unreal" world, architects can't show a client a sample or proof of their ideas. So a drawing or rendering of a building's design must woo a client to fork over a lot of money without any hands-on example of what the end result will in fact look like. This sounds like a huge challenge because you not only have to make something look good, but you then have to know how to actually build it. An architectural design has to be pleasing to the eye and be functional at the same time. Maybe graphic designers can challenge their thinking by imitating an architect. When designing a website the home page might be thought of as the "outside" of the building while the inner pages as "rooms." A successful website will be visually pleasing as well as a functional, easy to navigate space.

KarenR_Final project proposal

For my final project, I will be creating prep charts for my family’s restaurant. These charts will layout how to stock the kitchen every morning. We have three refrigerated tables in our kitchen. Each of them has on top a cutting board to make food on and an opening where containers of ingredients are set in. Then below is a refrigerator with three shelves where we store back up ingredients. I want these charts to include what items need to be prepped, how much of each item to prep, what container each item should be in, and where to put each item after it is prepped. We are constantly selling new products and the demand for certain items changes seasonally. To accommodate these fluctuations, I will leave blank spaces in some places. My plan is to make a chart for each table. On each chart will be three diagrams, each one representing a shelf. I will show the layout of each shelf with a shape and color representing the different sized containers that belong on them. Next to each diagram will be a list of products that need to be stored on that shelf with a small icon next to it that is a smaller version of the icon on the diagram. On this list will also be how many containers of each ingredient to prep.

Rachel+H+R09

I found the diagram for changing a tire to be pretty interesting. I've been stuck on the side of the road before with a flat and had to try and figure all of that out on my own. I'm not sure if this is considered a successful design or not but I got the point. Someone who has never had the experience of actually changing a tire firsthand perhaps would find this graphic to be confusing. A part that I remember having trouble with that is not clearly displayed in this diagram is the position of the car jack. The two little squares under the car that are used to represent the jack do not show its position very well. Does it go under the car in the middle? Or more towards the side of the flat? What is the jacks orientation in relation to the car? The arrow indicates that the jack as been turned sideways in the blown-up picture but it would be hard to decipher this if one was unfamiliar. Also, things that I've learned after the fact that are quite important are not stated in this chart. For instance, apparently it is important to tighten the lug nuts equally (not fully tightening one and then moving to the next but to tighten each a little at a time) starting on one side and then going in a star pattern around the wheel. Also the car needs to be lowered from the jack and then you need to fully tighten the lug nuts one more time with the tire on the ground so the wheel can't spin. Then you can drive away blissfully whistling. I would not trust this diagram for something as important as changing a flat tire. There are no words to supplement the pictures which I think would offer more clarity.

AndreaLProjectProposal

For my final project I'm collecting and expressing the moments in my life that make it worth living. I have a lot of images collected that I am referencing. Using photographs can never clearly express a moment to anyone but the photographer. I use relief cut to translate these images and ideas into something more than a still frame photograph.
I'm using 15 separate images but they all fit together like misshaped floor boards. Next to each other they remain their own images but still blur together, showing how these experiences are all a part of one life. The images are different sizes, the sizes represent their level of importance.
I may or may not make a key describing the scenes. I want to see the proofs and try different ways of labeling the prints before I commit to using a method.

Andrew+M+R09

Diagram one looses me right off the bat with its dotted line that goes from step one to step three. Even with the big arrow pointing from step one to two, at first glance I followed the line across the fold but then realized I was at step three. I missed the arrow because it came after the dotted line. When I read directions I will usually look over the entire process for a quick overview. This quick run through is what led me to follow the dotted line because from a distance it sticks out as a linking symbol between the two pages. It is also travels in a left to right direction which presents a logical flow in how I read.

The bike page was easy to read except for the arrow that went from knee to pedal. I am not sure what the designer is attempting to illustrate here because there is no distance or angel unit as are accompanied with every other line. It seems even more out of place because if it were a distance the user would need to be able to change pedal height, which is not possible. If it were an angle the user would need to either move their seat forward or backward, which is also not possible.

How to use rolling papers was a good attempt, but this is a pretty hard example to do on paper. The finesse required to consistently tighten the rolling paper in a circular motion is almost impossible to show in a drawing. Without prior experience I don’t think these directions would have helped me. At the same time, I don’t think directions are required, as it seems pretty intuitive on what needs to happen when using rolling papers.

The diaper example was the best and easiest to understand. Modern diapers seem very obvious to put on and take off. The one problem with using a cloth diaper is that a dimension could be added to help the first time user. I don’t know off hand the waist length of a typical diaper wearing baby, however it probably does vary widely over the diaper wearing years.

Directions for changing a flat, or inflated, tire should always tell the operator to loosen the lug nuts before jacking up the car. If you jack up the car first, then try to take off the lug nuts the tire will most likely rotate; this will make removing the nuts very difficult and even impossible. When you’re putting the new tire on, it’s also a good idea to loosely fasten the lug nuts before putting the car back down just to make sure the tire is on all the way. Step seven was also mildly useless, but kind of works well to show the user that they are done.

Creating image only instructions is very hard; and reading them while not actually doing them is not the best way to evaluate their effectiveness. Perhaps if I were actually carrying out these steps the directions would be more clear as I would have a better frame of reference and would be in a different state of mind. Either way, the ability to forgo supplying a written language is invaluable and being able to communicate without words demonstrates an understanding of universal human notions of how the world works.

JordanO_FinalProjectProposal

For my final project I will be documenting my experience at Miller Park over its existence. I have over 100 ticket stubs to games that I have been to since the park opened in 2001. I plan to make a 3D seating diagram of Miller Park and through icons I will show where I have sat during my ongoing experience at Miller Park. I plan to have an emotional response element added to my information graphic and different emotions will be represented by different colors. I plan on this diagram having multiple layers of information. I will all so document individual and personal experiences that I have had during my visits to Miller Park. These could be memories, milestones or random facts that I have encountered during my time spent at the ballpark and what they have meant to me. That’s where my additional layer will start coming in to play. I am considering adding the additional elements of games scores and the dates I have attended games. I may have to do this through an addition key or icon of some sort to avoid clutter and noise on my chart. I plan on this being a large scale poster so you can see the details of my rendering as well as to be able to easily distinguish one seating location from another. I am excited about this final project, and have already begun my rendering of the ballpark. I hope to create a really sound result and something visually engaging for anyone to look at and have a sense of my overall experience of the Milwaukee Brewers home, Miller Park.

Gordon G Final Project Description

Information Design ~ Day 9 ~ In class today during our table groupthink, we all shared our final project ideas within the pod. I found the immediate feedback from my classmates to be very helpful. I was also fortunate enough to have the opportunity to bounce my project concept, rough layout and research findings off of Kelley Linehan – UWM Associate Lecturer and practicing graphic designer. While some may not see the value in focus groups, I find that bouncing ideas off of other noggins and testing concepts before its too late are valuable practices in the creative process. Tweak, tweak and then tweak some more.

I am planning on including both the written and a visual component in my final project. I have chosen the topic of 2009 Wine Sales in the U.S. as my Information Design focus. I recently designed a company identity program for a wine consultant. That piqued my interest on the wine industry along with the fact that I enjoy drinking it! I wanted to paint a broad picture of the overall sales volume so I chose to highlight sales within the top 20 states. I plan on creating a strong graphic to communicate those numbers and will revisit some of Tufte’s examples on layering and separation to keep the illustration clean. I plan on also showing the sales volume for each of the 12 months of 2009. This time-series element will give an indication of seasonality, holiday spikes and consumer patterns. I will then add a final layer of relational graphics to showcase the top producing wineries. This would be an ideal spot for potentially skewing the data ~ if I had an agenda or was being paid by one of the wineries. Since I am unfortunately not being compensated, the information design and topic data will be straight forward in my representation of the numbers.

I will use color, value, shape and size where appropriate. I think my chart will appeal to a fairly wide audience based on the shared experience of wine drinking. Individuals may find common patterns similar to their own within the calendar statistics. Industry people will most likely find the information visually stimulating while equally substantiating the “known” norms. These should satisfy the humanity element within the information design content of my graph. My ultimate goal on this final project is for my chart to be pleasing to the eye and stimulating to the brain.

Hyrom-S-Project Proposal

A graph or graphic information, consist of information that can be tracked and read with clear understanding. Graphs also can be visual just as long as correct data can be displayed. When I decided to pick a concept for this project, I had to pick something that branched out into all of this information. The approach that I’ve decided to take is the format of architecture with an orderly floor plan. This project would display the movement of an occupant throughout several parts of the building’s interior. This choice was a tough one because I had to learn how to manipulate a floor plan that could read of the information of movement. I am still in the progress of completing this goal. Displaying movement deals with all the points of kinetic motion, a point to begin and a point to end, how would I present this information? I have to dig deep into my God given creativity. Also, after working on this project for the previous weeks, I observed that a graph can be three dimensional. This matter interested me so much that I’ve decided to create a model for the graph. All of this work is pieces of a puzzle, whom completion will be extreme. This is my goal.