FINAL DEVELOPMENT

Below are the early development stages towards my final infographic, they're all based on research and samples i have developed into my own over the course of this project. Initially i will just create the basic data representation model for each section and lay over text later on when i start to bring all the components together to create the full infographic. I will keep the same colour scheme i used in my samples based on 'bikes can save us', however, once the whole infographic has come together i intend to experiment with different colour schemes inspired by research but also colours suggested to me in group crits. 

Above are the gender ratios i sampled previous to this, i decided to go with the 3D / shadow models because of the depth and texture they add to the piece, i believe it adds more interest to the infographic as its not flat. However, because i have chosen to add the shadow / 3D effect it means i'm going to have to follow suit and add it to every model i decide to create or else it may look rather odd.

This again is based on a previous sample on pie charts. I believe it is the cleanest looking pie chart out of my samples because of the simple tidy lines coming off the pie and how the numbers are displayed neatly in the circles. Most of the key features of the section are inspired by the wordpress infographic i previously researched.

The infographic above was inspired by collaborating all 3 of my bar chart samples into one, i used the striped pattern from the top one, the line and circle pointer from the second bar chart and the overall layout of the piece from the bottom sample. Again the majority of my inspiration for this bar chart was gained from the wordpress infographic as it was the most inpiring due to its variety of data diagrams but also because it was one of the more aesthetically pleasing infographic i researched.

I believe this hybrid bar chart i've created is perfect for its role to display the different ages in the class because there is a variation in age, thus meaning there are different lengths not only from the bar charts but from the pointers which showcases the variety of key design features. 

Above is another pie chart inspired by the wordpress infographic, i believe this is the most successful pie chart i have included in my infographic. I believe the key to its success is the separate segments rather than having it all on one big pie chart.

To illustrate the ratio of people who are attending university against the people who aren't i decided to adapt and customise my gender ratio sample that i'm using. I layered the figures on top of each other to add more dimension to the infographic but to also differ it from the original gender ratio as i want every section of my infographic to be unique and fresh. I decided to add the gender to the ratio aswell to make it even more accurate.

I really like how this section turned out, i prefer it to the original gender ratio probably because of the layyering. I originally thought it would be too much, too cluttered for my infographic but i spaced it perfectly allowing enough white background for it to be clean but not too white and boring. I believe style wise it fits in well with the rest of my pieces and will all come together to create one uniform infographic.

Above is another bar chart based on previous samples, this time i decided to mix things up a bit and turn it upside down. I believe this gives the bar chart a fresh unique look, it also gets rid of empty white space that appears at the top of a bar chart due to the variation in the size of the bars. When talking with the other graphic designer in my class she said she preferred the bar chart upside down as 'it was different and was also practial'. Also after a short discussion we both came to the conclusion that the titles and numbers should be placed at the bottom as the staggered bars made it more interesting rather than a straight line of information.

Above is a late addition to my infographic, it is a map that is used to illustrate the different locations where people are going to study. This idea cropped up during a group crit, and was actually given to me by an illustrator, i then developed the idea further by adding pointers inspired by google maps but adding numbers in them to show how many are going where. I will develop this further by adding a key at the side of all the university names and the quantity of people going. I believe this could be one of the main features of my infogrpahic due to the size of it, however, i don't find it too big it detracts from the rest of the infographic.

REVIEW

The sampling i did previously took a lot longer than i expected, therefore i have to make a decision whether or not to continue sampling using the data i collated when i undertook a class survey. I am also struggling to find a subject that i would find easy to collect more primary research, therefore i have come to the conclusion to actually use the information i collected for my samples for my final designs.

GENDER COLOUR SAMPLES 2

Above are colour samples of the figure symbols, they're basically the same colour schemes as my previous samples inspired by 'bikes can save us'. However, this time i experimented with a black background which makes the turquoise even more vibrant and jump off the screen, also i believe the black background doesn't strain the eyes as much as the white one does.

I have then gone on to experiment with more colours that don't really relate to my previous research but have been suggested in group crits. A fellow graphic designer suggested that i should maybe relate the colours to the sexes, for example; blue for boys and a more coral like colour for girls as opposed to the traditional pink. I think the colour selection gives the stereotypical boy and girl colour scheme a more modern bold fresh look, and accompanied with the bold black outline that segregates colour seems to be a great partnership. 

GENDER COLOUR SAMPLES

Even though i didn't particularly like this symbol, i thought by adding colour to them it may start to interest me more and create more of a buzz, the colour schemes were inspired by the previous digital samples on bar and pie charts. Initially adding colour excited me but i just felt that there was something lacking, something to give it an extra dimension and make it stand out more, therefore i copied the layer and filled it a slightly darker tone, i then offset the copied filled layer creating a shadow / 3D effect. I believe this effect has really changed my feelings towards the symbol but i think if i apply it to the human figures it''ll still outclass this symbol. 

However, i originally created these samples to experiment with colour. I enjoy the bright turquoise, it's very vibrant and with the outline some what resembles a neon glow which doesn't really relate to the topic but aesthetically looks pretty damn good.

GENDER SAMPLE

I have began to create a few samples with the results from my survey, above i have experimented with symbols to represent gender as well as various ways i can organise the symbols. The symbols weren't really inspired by anything they were just the first thing came to mind when thinking about gender with a fellow graphic designer. However, the layouts were inspired by 'bikes can save us', they use a ratio layout to show the proportion of fat people against those who ride bikes, i find it a very simple way to illustrate the difference in numbers between the sexes. 

I'm not really a big fan of the sex symbols as to me they just don't fit in and somewhat resemble flowers, but the human figure symbols fit the role perfectly and are easy to distinguish between the two genders. I then went on to further experiment by creating outlines and using just them, the inspiration for this was again 'bikes can save us'. The outlines actually make the figures stand out even due to the thin contrasting lines creating some sort of glow instead just a bold mass of colour.

STUDENT SURVEY

Rather than using other peoples statistics for my samples i decided to collate some myself by doing a class survey and turning my results into an infographic. I chose to do a general survey of my classmates as it's the easiest way to source information primarily. I specifically chose a variety of question styles so i could represent the visual data in different ways. For example; a yes and no answer could be displayed in a pie chart, whereas the subject area could be displayed in a bar chart as there are several answers. 

RESULTS

AGE;

• 18 - 3
• 19 - 9
• 20 - 1
• 21 - 1

GENDER;

• Male - 4
• Female - 11

EMPLOYMENT;

• Yes - 10
• No - 5

GOING TO UNIVERSITY;

• Yes - 13
• No - 2

SUBJECT AREA;

• Fine art - 4
• Textiles - 4
• Illustration - 4
• Graphic design - 2
• Decorative arts - 1

UNIVERSITY SUBJECT

• Graphics and illustration - 3
• Fine arts - 3
• Decorative arts - 2
• Textiles and surface pattern - 2
• Graphic design - 2
• Contemporary applied arts - 1

REVIEW

I feel i have done sufficient research to inspire / assist in my development and sampling towards my final infographic. I have been inspired by several infographics particularly the 'Wordpress' infographic due to its variety in bar and pie charts and the 'Bikes can save us' infographic because of its colour scheme and its use of pictograph ratios. 


I have experimented with different samples; 3D and digital. These samples have been inspired by 'That's ADV baby' and 'Wordpress'. I have then gone on to play around with colour and text layering it on top of the photographed 3D infographs using a fact based on recycling i found on the internet.


I now hope to develop my samples further and use my own facts and figures which i will collect via a survey of the class.

SAMPLE- digital bar charts

Above are samples inspired by the 'wordpress' infographic again but this time it's based on bar charts. It's all based on a similar layout and concept as the previous, they've all stemmed from development in my reflective journal.

I'm really fond of the first bar chart as i believe the diagonal lines add more depth to the bar chart as opposed to the other samples that look rather flat and dull. However as i start to apply colour the other 2 bar charts they come out of their shell more, especially the bottom bar chart which has very professional aesthetics to it. 

SAMPLE- digital pie charts

Above is another sample, this time digital and based on a variety of ways to convey statistics via pie charts. Again they've been developed from sketches in my reflective journal that were inspired by the 'wordpress' infographic because of the mass amounts of visual data representation. The pie charts display the same paper product usage statistic as the previous samples have.

Once my sketches had been transformed from my journal into digital drawings i laid out my samples in an infograph style presentation. I then set about experimenting with colour schemes based on my previous infographic research. For this sample i kept the colour scheme pretty simple and based it on the 'bikes can save us' because that came up being the most popular colour scheme in a group crit. 

I think all the pie charts worked out very well but i particularly like the third pie chart sample because of the split segments and the thin lines coming off the chart giving it a technical feel to it and a clean fresh look. Also the third colour scheme is the most successful to me because it comes across as the most bold out there scheme, probably due to the highly contrasting black and cream accompanied with strong bursts of teal. This is also proved the most successful scheme in group crits with my fellow graphic designer.

SAMPLE- 3D wood models

Again these samples are inspired by the 'that's ADV baby' infographic and my 3D paper models below. I have used the same statistic to illustrate but this time used wood to create the infographic because i wanted to experiment with different types of media. It all involves the same process as my previous; planning and development in my reflective journal, executing the idea, finally photographing it and layering over the statistic digitally.

I prefer the wooden models to the paper ones as they're a lot more cleaner around the edges and look more professional, also the texture of the wooden charts adds more depth and character to the infograph as opposed to the paper one. Even though the wooden one looks a whole lot better than the paper one i still think the paper sample works best, due to its relation to the infographic title, which is a key component to an infographic.

statistics source  

SAMPLE- 3D paper models

I have followed through with my sample ideas and sketches from my reflective journal and made 3D paper models to convey a fact or figure inspired by 'That's ADV baby'. Seen as it was a sample i just used a statistic on paper product usage in the United States, i also thought the statistic related to the models as they were both based on paper. 


First of all i developed nets for the charts in my reflective journal which allowed me to get everything correct before creating my large charts. Once i created my 3D paper models I photographed and layered digital text on top of them using the same technique as 'That's ADV baby'. 


Overall i'm pretty pleased with the way the samples came out, they're a bit rough and untidy around the edges but thats because they're just samples and not works of art. I think if i were to develop this idea further i would neatly make them and experiment with various different styles. I think they would look amazing as a collective on massive table photographed from above like a full 3D infographic.

statistics source