Tag: infographics

Editorial Infographics: Bridging the Gap Between Complexity and Clarity in Design Education

Students now more effectively understand and display text, images and data.

Teresa Trevino
Professor
University of the Incarnate Word

Francesco Franchi, graphic journalist, described infographics as “impossibility in its purest form,” using the Penrose triangle to illustrate the complex coexistence of content, design, and data. This reflects the challenges that information designers face when aiming to inform and engage overstimulated audiences.

These challenges resonated in our Information Design studio course. While students begin the semester with enthusiasm, a shift occurs when transitioning from research to design. Confusion often sets in as they struggle to create effective visualization. Observing this recurring pattern over the years, I recently implemented a subtle yet significant change that led to improved outcomes.

An original 5-week Infographic assignment became the current 8-week “Editorial Infographics” project. Students begin researching and gathering information for a newsletter. The revised assignment required students to design all pages including an infographic as the central spread. Despite the complexity added by merging Editorial and Information design as a unit, students now more effectively understand and display text, images and data.

References such as Franchi’s work for La Repubblica and Intelligent Lifestyle Magazine, along with Manuel Lima’s The Book of Trees: Visualizing Branches of Knowledge, and Nigel Holmes’ Map of Infographia and Infographic Design were instrumental.

The extended project introduced a learning curve, with some resistance to the longer assignments. However, most students reported increased confidence and have incorporated these skills into other projects, with some receiving recognition at design competitions and publications.

I will continue refining this project to enhance students’ information design skills and better prepare them for future challenges.

This design research is presented at Design Incubation Colloquium 11.2: Annual CAA Conference 2025 (Hybrid) on Friday, February 14, 2025.

Zika and Public Health Guidelines: Prototyping Models for Different Personas

Courtney Marchese
Assistant Professor of Interactive Media + Design
School of Communications
Quinnipiac University

: In graphic design, models are material prototypes that help synthesize research into testable forms. Through experimentation and testing, many rounds of revisions are made to culminate in a visual that can effectively speak to its audience. In an age of infinite information, data visualization, particularly in global health, is a critical arena for accurate and useful visual modeling. For example, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has Zika Pregnancy Guidelines in the form of a flowchart (Figure A). While it is certainly a necessary model to share with the general public, it is often cumbersome and difficult to understand. Riddled with professional medical terminology, footnotes, and companion charts, the model fails to serve as an accessible form to the information most needed by its audience. In examining the CDC’s guidelines, it is unclear whether they intend to communicate with health professionals or women potentially infected with zika. Rather than using a “one size fits all” approach to the chart, I propose modeling different forms that the information can take as viewed through the lens of different people in different environments and scenarios. Each prototype will take on a persona and emphasize the most important information to a specific audience explaining what to do before, during, and after exposure to zika virus. As such, each persona also serves as a model of sorts to represent an audience segment. By prototyping multiple forms, my goal is to make critical health information engaging and clear to those who need it most. Additionally, these prototypes can serve as a model for other issues within public health communication.

This research was presented at the Design Incubation Colloquium 4.0: SUNY New Paltz on September 9, 2017.