Information Graphic Design

Information graphic design is a way of transforming raw data or facts and turning them into a more visual diagram to make it easier to understand.  It is simply a way of visualising data.  This can is most commonly used in news broadcasts and newspapers to get there facts (or fiction) across easier and more visually.  It is also used in maps and other way finding tools like signage in buildings.   

The piece of information graphics below by Charles Minard which portrays the losses to Napoleon’s army in his Russian campaign in 1812, is a great example of how a lot of raw data has been taken and transformed into a very visual diagram.  Information that would have taken awhile to gather from the data can be instantly seen from this diagram.

“A weekday edition of The New York Times contains more information than the average person was likely to come across in a lifetime in 17th century England.”

Richard Wurman

Information Graphics are often used in newspapers to try to make their information seem more interesting, as they have to compete with the flashy motion graphics often used by news broadcasts on the television and online.

Information Graphic design can also help businesses get the most out of their customers.  A good example is David Sless who was asked to redesign a customer application form that when researched found that only 42% could use it.  After Sless redesigned it they found that 95% could then use it and increased their sales by 8%.  There’s nothing customers hate more than having to work to purchase something or work to find something out about a company.  Having a website, application form, questionnaire that is easily understood can really help.

People get information though a number of different channels, mobile phones, computers, verbal interactions, printed information and audio information are just some of the many media’s out there so we have to design multi-media information systems to cover every possible way people will want to get information.     

Some of my favourite Information Graphics comes from two books called Visual Aid and Visual Aid 2.  These books take information that you hadn’t really thought about and made it into something that you find you actually would like to know about and their visual style makes their Graphics very clear and interesting.



Here is one of their designs comparing the speed of sound with the speed of light in a very visual way.  I found that it was something I hadn’t really thought about but after seeing this diagram something I thought I needed to know.