Final Project

Final Project

For our final project in Visual Communication, we chose to represent our design on a cardboard box. We knew from the beginning that we wanted to depict what we had learned on a 3-dimensional object, because we felt it would be the best way to show the various aspects of what we needed to include. We also knew that the object needed to be large enough to accommodate all of the appropriate information.

We chose a medium-sized box because a) it is large enough to fit the needed visualizations and b) because it had the proper amount of sides (we had chosen to break up the course into four separate sections--maps, terms and definitions, key terms, and charts/graphs; thus, the box's 6 sides were more than enough for us to display our topics). Though we knew we would later cover the box in various types of graphics, we realized that to leave the box in stock shape would not be very visually stimulating. As such, we spray-painted it with a base coat of green, adding yellow, red, and blue accents.

We then split up the assignment into four parts, since there were four of us, and each took the topic with which we felt the most comfortable. From here, it was easy to create visualizations using text and pictures, and organizing them into a visually appealing package. Each side is also somewhat different, reflecting our own unique styles and providing some visual interest. Though we initially began the project individually, we were able to successfully come together in the end and create a unified product. Our "aha" moment probably occurred when we tried to lay out our respective visuals; some of them didn't fit, and we had to collaborate and re-print or re-draw some of the subjects for them to work together more cohesively.

My personal experience with this project was in creating the principles side. After deciding on the principles that were discussed in most detail in class, I wrote out the concepts of each and printed them. I decided to make the titles of each larger and bold to separate each one. I then printed pictures to further explain the Gestalt theories, because these were most simply displayed in visuals while the others were not. I felt that our group was able to come up with a unique visual that was 3-dimensional and therefore interesting to look at, and also gave us each a side to be creative. I liked that each side of the visual was a bit different in our own designs, but all together conveyed a lot of information in a clear and simple way.

Multi-Variate

When making my multivariate display, I used the chart that I had already created about Roger Williams crime statistics as my starting point. I then searched online for statistics that could be relatable to this subject, and decided to use Johnson and Wales crime statistics as another variable. The multiple variables that this new display looked at were five different crimes for two different Universities in Rhode Island over a period of three years (since the Johnson and Wales statistics I found did not include 2006). I took out the 2006 statistics from the RWU chart and then played around with ways to add the new data. I tried making a stacked bar graph, as well as layering different bars. I eventually decided on a line graph for the second set of statistics, and created this to place over the bar graph. In my first solid iteration, I saw that the numbers wouldn’t line up because the bar graph was thicker and therefore the years were off. I solved this by making the X and Y labels invisible on the second graph. Then I saw that the different charts seemed to blend too much as they were both multi-colored. I solved this by making the bar graph different shades of gray, so the line graph stood out against it. Finally, I made the different keys telling what each color or symbol was smaller and labeled each of them. My AHA moment was when I realized that one of the charts needed to not be colored, and when I fixed this it made a huge difference.

Storyboard

For the first part of this assignment, I chose the image of the young girl in between trees. When I looked at this picture, I thought of being a child during the fall, exploring while on an outing with my parents. For the first iteration, I used only this picture and wrote up a narrative from the sense of being young and imaginative. After this rough outline, I decided the best image to go along with the narrative would be that of a road in the autumn. It gave the feel of a journey and went along with the seasonal theme that the first picture reminded me of. I then decided to separate the first title of the narrative and put it as a title in a bit larger font, to immediately give the audience an idea of the storyboard. This first image is aspect-to-aspect because nothing is really happening that directly explains the narrative, but the images coincide with the story.

For the second piece of the assignment, I used the image of people walking and covering their faces. This picture brings about a feeling of dread and tragedy, so I google searched for images that had similar connotations. I selected one of refugees in the Congo because it fit with the beginning of the narrative I had written for the first image. I then selected another from the class folder of the man praying. I ended my narrative with a picture I took while studying abroad in South Africa, and a quote that I heard once, “Resiliency can only go so far”. Though this gave my second storyboard a bit of a gloomy tone, I still kept it because that is the feelings that the pictures evoked in me and that is what I wanted to portray to the audience. This storyboard is the most like scene-to-scene, because though they aren't really displaying an action, they go alone with the written narrative and illustrate each section.

Simple Table to Graph

For this assignment, I gathered data from the school website about crime statistics. The statistics were broken down into different categories, such as on-campus, off-campus, residence hall, public. I decided to take date from the on-campus category, and only crimes that were committed. I displayed the data in a table from the years 2006-2009. After I looked at the finished product of the table, I decided that I wouldn’t include certain information in my chart. I didn’t include information that was only of disciplinary actions on campus if there was a category of the same thing that included arrest. I also didn’t include hate crime statistics because there was unclear information that I didn’t think would translate into a chart nicely. I did all of this on Numbers, and then opened up Keynote for constructing a chart. I inserted the chart and then customized it with my information. For the first iteration, I had the bars of the chart as the years, and the x-axis as the crime. I also numbered the actual bars themselves. The color scheme consisted of different blues. I realized that by organizing the information this way, the crimes had to be abbreviated to fit and overall it looked crowded. After this AHA moment, I switched it so that the year was now the x-axis and the bars consisted of the crimes. I like how this ended up looking much better, because then the key could have the full crimes written out without looking sloppy. I also decided that numbering the bars was redundant, so I took those out as well. For a final iteration, I changed the colors slightly and made the key smaller.

For this flow chart, I was explaining how to order a book off of Amazon. The purpose was to explain step by step how to accomplish this task in an organized and simple way. I started with the oval shaped starter labeled "www.amazon.com". From there, I used the website as a guideline of every step to follow. I used the diamond shapes to signify decisions or questions, and rectangles around a process. I used arrows to indicate the direction of the chart, and different colors as well as different shapes.
I found it challenging to decide where the shapes would go so that the information all fit on the page and areas didn't look oddly spaced. I solved this by going down first and then branching off towards the middle. I think the overall product came out organized and concise.

Final Iteration of Information Graphic

For this informational graphic, I chose to illustrate how to properly hook up a DVD/VCR to a television when there is a cable box also present. I made several iterations before coming up with this final design. In it, I decided to make four separate sections; "Parts", "Steps", "Front View" and "Back View". The steps lined up to the view that they dealt with. I used colors to illustrate where plugs needed to go in order to end up with a graphic that was easy to understand. I tried to reduce the cognitive load by cutting down on some details on the VCR and Cable Box illustrations. I found it difficult to word the steps as to not leave any confusion. I am most proud of how the end product looks organized and I think it gets the message across simply.