The purpose of this assignment is to work with a dataset to visualize it for a particular audience. The infographic could be editorial in nature (such as exploring the effects of climate change), or it could be promotional (such as a company touting its sales and market share statistics).
This site has links to a variety of data sources you may find interesting:
https://www.columnfivemedia.com/100-best-free-data-sources-infographic
The trick is to find the most compelling data for your audience, extract it, and feature it in a way that is engaging.
The criteria for a good infographic is that it should “make the numbers come alive”. The layout of the elements should have a good balance, with some important features highlighted. There should be a graphic consistency to the design elements and typography. A visual theme should emerge from the design that is appropriate to the data and to your audience. Here is a good article about best design practices for infographics:
https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/28436/10-Traits-of-Amazingly-Awesome-Infographics.aspx
This site provides a very good synopsis of Edward Tufte’s design principles applied to graphics and the web:
http://staff.washington.edu/larryg/Classes/R560/zz-tufte.html
As per the demo in class, you should use a vector graphics tool to create the infographic, such as Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape. I recommend a standard letter size (8.5 X 11 in) at 300 ppi. You should work in layers, where each datapoint and its associated graphic or chart is on a separate layer. In Illustrator you can export the file as svg or png formats. If you export the infographic as a png file at 72 ppi, the rendered file will be 614 X 794, which is a good size to display in your documentation.
When you have updated your documentation you should email the URL to uidev@cs.stonybrook.edu, with Infographic in the subject line.
Rubric
1. Followed the instructions:
• An approximately 8.5 X 11 infographic was uploaded to the student’s web site, and the URL was sent to the course email
2. Met the design criteria:
• Appropriate datapoints (for target audience and client’s business) were chosen to illustrate.
• Design was informed by the branding for the client (logo, typography, color scheme)
• Visual elements have a good balance, with key points emphasized
* Consistency in look and feel for illustrations
• Typography is legible
• Has a call to action (QR Code, URL)
• Includes references for data
• Appropriate layout (timeline, flowchart, editorial) or thematic design employed.
• Good technical execution (crisp edges, clean shapes)
That’s 10 criteria, or approximately 1 point each.