Design for change:
Information Graphics
The Task:
This project was my first foray into information graphics, or infographics. I was tasked with researching a current social issue and translating data about the problem into an 18x24 inch poster and an interactive graphic model. The subject I chose to tackle was the unemployment crisis, specifically for new grads. It’s a topic close to my peers and I as at the time of writing this, I am one semester away from graduating. I wanted to document the various causes for this unemployment crisis, as well as which fields are particularly affected versus which ones are booming. Conceptually, I took inspiration primarily from resume formats, but I also wanted to convey the frustration one might experience with rejection in the current job market through crumpled paper, sticky note edits, and handwritten elements.
Personas
Although I understood how the unemployment crisis affects myself and my peers, I wanted to further narrow down and empathize with the audience for this project, I created three personas for the groups of people that would be most
affected by the unemployment crisis. Those groups would be college students
about to graduate and enter the workforce, people who went back to school
in hopes to find a better career, but haven't found any luck, and people who
have graduated, but have been struggling to find work.
Initial Drafts
I knew that I wanted to use sticky notes as my primary motif very early, so with the first poster drafts I was primarily focused on finding the best composition to make the flow of information easiest to take in. I added a crumpled paper texture later down the line to emphasize the idea that this was a resume draft someone threw away out of frustration.
With the interactive model wireframes, I wanted to keep the same design system but adjusted for computer screens. I felt that a fun way to make the system interactive would be to fold the sticky notes, and have the user unfold them to reveal the models.
Graphic Explorations
The primary graphic motifs I used were the sticky notes and my handwritten elements. From the beginning I wanted to use sticky notes, but I was unsure about using my own handwriting and opted for versions with digital text. I felt the models looked too unnatural. I ended up hand-drawing the models and text on separate papers. Afterwards I photographed that and the sticky notes separately and combined them in Illustrator, ensuring that the models that required multiple notes would be made up of notes of the same size as the single notes. Additionally, I also photographed a sharpie and crumpled sticky notes to give dimension and depth to the composition. I also included a little graduate icon character who grows increasingly more upset the longer they go without a job.
Fonts & Color Palette
The typeface I chose for this project is Univers Next Pro. In earlier drafts I used the ExtraBlack weight, but found it to ultimately be too blocky. Univers provides a professional but versatile sans serif that is legible and readable across varying weights and distances. The colors featured are the blue, pink, green, yellow, and orange that come in a Post-Its variety pack.
