Information Design is the ability to arrange, organize, chunk and format information according to a specifically defined audience, timing, medium and message to be conveyed while maintaining the highest degree of access efficiency (legibility, consistency, preservation, compatibility).
Information Design is not based on the achievement of aesthetic beauty, but considers it a natural consequence of the effective application of information design methodology.
The Information Designer is the person who is responsible for making information accessible. Making information accessible means making sure that the information:
- is easy-to-read
- allows easy visual scanning
- is formatted and laid out consistently
- provides useful context and reference
Many have come to believe that because of the Information Designer high sensitivity to the issues of clean design and organized lay-out, as well to those of data-ink ratio and muting visual components instead of boosting them to different degrees, such person is a detached
design Buddhist who produces
minimalist work that is indeed very elegant and simple to understand, but that tends to be to aseptic.
Nothing could be further removed from the true essence of the Information Designer.
The goal of the Information Designer is indeed one of conveying a message, effectively, rapidly and possibly in a fun, ironic, passionate and memorable way. As much as the message can tell a good story it can be well remembered for a long time.
The Information Designer achieves this without approaching "design" from an aesthetic point of view, but from an analytical and rational one.
The Information Designer focuses his attention on:
- readability
Making sure text in a presentation is readable under adverse conditions and considering the minimum common denominator as a criteria for evaluation.
- consistency
Ensuring consistent formatting, use of spacing, margins, fonts and other core communication elements on the slide.
- balance
Distributing visual weights on the page in a careful and balanced approach just like a waiter would do when loading of many appetizers his tray.
- simplicity
Discarding decoration, embellishments and pizzaz in favor of simplicity, orderly and easy to read content.
- visual organization
Grouping content and visual elements by way of color, position affinity, and alignment.
- relevance
Giving due prominence to key elements while muting and simplifying the remaining ones.
- context, reference
Enriching and facilitating content comprehension by integrating contextual information, reference and complementary info.
See also another recent article on information design
By Luigi Canali De Rossi
