Information Design Exercise 1 & 2

03.02.2025 - 10.02.2025 / Week 1 - Week 2
Michael Chan Henn Loong 0363611
Information Design / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Exercise 1

INSTRUCTIONS

EXERCISE 1 - Quantify & Visualize Data

So in this exercise we are tasked to quantify our objects and arrange them into a presentable order or layout. So I chose coins as my object.

Fig 1.0, Chosen Object

After taking out the amount of coins I will be using for this exercise I started to follow the steps that are provided by Mr. Fauzi in class, Data - Sorted - Arranged - Presented Visually and Explained with a story.

Fig 1.1, Data

So I started sorting the coins into their own values like 50sens, 20sens, 10sens and 5sens.

Fig 1.2, Sorted

After the sorted section I thought of stacking up the coins by their value and color for the arranged as it all looks more tidy and organized.

Fig 1.3 Arranged

So after sorted and arrange we are tasked to present our information in a kind of image or visual so i started to work on it and here are the results.

Fig 1.4, Visual

So in this visual I'm trying to create a flower the top one and the middle one would be a diamond and third one is actually a treasure box, why did I make it this way ? Even I'm not sure of it but these ideas just came to my head so I just kinda try to mimic their appearance I guess. I only wanted to make a flower at first cause of the Hibiscus I saw on the coins but then slowly the idea of the shard came in then the treasure box.

Fig 1.5 Story

People might ask why gym it's not even related to anything above like it just popped out coming out of nowhere, well its kinda like my bias. Cause I've been working on keeping my diet clean and healthy and I'm also working out at the gym but whenever I have the money I'd happily spend it on food rather then work harder for better physique so when I saw the coins and the idea of this just somehow combined andddd I just felt like doing it sooo yea here's the result.

EXERCISE 2 - L.A.T.C.H Infographic Poster

In exercise 2, we are tasked to organize another group of information and combine them into a infographic visual poster which consists of at least 4 L.A.T.C.H principle.

REQUIREMENTS:

1. Size resolution: A4

2. Progress and submission link on E-Portfolio.

So at first I thought of doing a monster level difficulty from the game Path of Exile 2 (POE2) and I've also done some sketches on how I'd like to have the poster to look like, but then slowly i realized that there's just too much information to put in for an A4 paper as there are 6 acts each act with few maps with unique bosses and elite monsters. Even if I'm just doing one act I don't think I can insert all the important information into the poster, so I started to work with something else.

Fig 2.0, POE 2 Enemy Difficulty Sketch

Fig 2.1, POE 2 Enemy Difficulty Sketch 2

Fig2.2, POE 2 Enemy Difficulty Sketch 3

After giving it some thought I got an idea on why not I do something with the job classes of the game ? As there is only 6 job class and 2 ascendancy for each job so there wont be that much information so I started to search for references on how I'd like my poster to be and also started to dig up information on the classes and ascendency.

Fig 2.3, Reference 1

Fig 2.4, Reference 2

Fig 2.5, Reference 3

Fig 2.6 Reference 4

Fig 2.7, Job Classes & Ascendancy Information

So after getting my references and information I started to think how my layout should be, as for me personally I like the layout in Fig 2.6, Reference 4 the most I think it can clearly show how the jobs will go and what will you ultimately get if you choose the class. But there is still one flaw or maybe problem I will be facing if I choose that layout, which is that I need to key in more words to insert all the information I got and I'm not really a fan of showing the illustration or portrait of the jobs as shown in Fig 2.7.

So I came up with the most basic and easiest layout as shown in Fig 2.8 below.

Fig 2.8, Job class & Ascendancy

After confirming the layout, I started to look for illustrations that I will be using to show the jobs and ascendancy.

Fig 2.9, Preparation for the Poster

So after gathering 25 images 1 background, 6 icons and 18 images of the classes I can finally start with the poster.

Fig 3.0, Background Image

So I cropped the background image and included some important character inside as well as added in a black color 80% opacity block so that the background doesn't stand out that much when I insert my content into the A4 poster.

Fig 3.1, Title Font

After finishing with the background I started to work on the title finding fonts that suits the poster, after giving different fonts a few tries I found that Algerian is pretty compatible with the background the readability is high as well. But it still felt weird leaving the title in its original form in the poster, so I tried playing around with some 3D & Materials as well and I used the Sand_Ground material for my final decision.

Fig 3.2, Layout 1

Fig 3.3, Layout 2

I tried out two layout trying to fit all the classes inside the poster, but after a few tries I noticed even if there is only 6 classes there is no free space for me to insert my information, so I decided why not just choose 1 and focus on it more rather then trying to force everything inside the poster, like mentioned in class sometimes we need to move on and stop holding on to something that doesn't really work.

Fig 3.4, Layout 3

So I chose witch for this poster, because the first class I played I chose in this game is witch and the ascendancy kinda look cool so ya that's the reason ! After moving out all the extra classes that I'm not using, I resized the images and also rearranged the information changing their fonts, colors and sizes. I've also added the POE2 logo inside to show what all these are about. Overall I'm satisfied with the current result but somehow I still felt that something is missing. So I did some refinement to the poster.

Fig 3.5, Poster Border Frame

I thought to myself, the poster seems a little bit off like something is missing maybe I should add a border or something cause most of the infographic I saw that are related to games have a border frame, so I drew one border of my own and started trying out different colors for it and I kinda like the middle one with the dark goldish color ? and also the yellow orange gradient stroke. And that's how I got my final poster.

Final L.A.T.C.H Poster

Fig 4.0, Final LATCH Poster

REFLECTION

Working through these information design exercises has been an eye-opening experience. At first, I thought representing data visually would be pretty straightforward—just pick a chart and plug in the numbers. But as I got deeper into it, I realized how much thought goes into making information both clear and engaging, I still think my exercise 1 is pretty bad.

In the first exercise, I learned that choosing the right way to visualize numerical data isn’t just about making it look nice—it’s about making sure people actually understand the message behind the numbers. As well as choosing a right subject can really help you in finishing up your job faster.

The second exercise, where I worked on the L.A.T.C.H. infographic poster, taught me the importance of planning, planning is basically everything. Before jumping into the design, I needed to carefully pick out the most relevant information and decide how to categorize it and try it our so that you can see visually whether the layout works like will there be too much information? or will there be enough white space so that the readers will feel more comfortable going through the information all these factors affects the experience. So after trying out a few layout I had a clear structure, and everything else fell into place, and the final poster felt much more clean and engaging.

Looking back, these exercises helped me see information design as more than just arranging text and visuals—it’s about guiding the way how people can understand and connect with the content in your way. I’ve definitely learned something new in these exercise.

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Michael Chan Henn Loong (0363611)