ANALYZING INFOGRAPHICS: A WRITER'S PERSPECTIVE
In doing this assignment, there were actually two theories I could relate to the most. Being a creative entrepreneur, it is important to establish a timeline, flow and, of course, have a textual structure. They are all a part of my daily life in one way or another, especially when it's time for me to write, edit or meet with my team to get ready for publishing. However, when presenting written work of any kind, there isn't a one-size-fits-all formula. Each work has its own set of needs, goals, and audiences to reach. That said, one of the most important activities you can do as an author is to visualize not only the information or story you want to tell, but what the finished product should look and feel like. These thoughts consist of the subject matter, target audience, genre, the look, feel and font displayed on the book covers and a host of other major decisions wrapped up within the subject of information design. Below is just one sample of what the structure of "The Hero's Journey" actually looks when neatly converted into a readable document. Please note: My writing process is nowhere this neat and tidy. Just thought I would put that out there.
As you can see, infographics played a major part in taking these popular stories and showing what they would look like mapped out. However, there is also something that must be mentioned in regard to using the written word to convey ideas. They have to make sense, but also the size and font have to be considered carefully. When publishing books, especially those in paperback and hardcover, it is extremely important to pay attention to the font and color used, but also the size. This assists in getting the format correct, so a book that is 100 pages doesn't run the risk of becoming 300, thereby wasting valuable time and resources. These series of thoughts make up what we know as typography.
Although useful and necessary, according to the text, "Design for Information: An Introduction to Histories, Theories and Best Practice [...]", the author alluded to there being several problems with using typography, including the use of long words giving the misconceived impression of weight and importance (Meirelles, page 193). While I do somewhat agree with her statement, I also understand why it happens. In the author community, many of us are overly concerned about the white space on the page, which can be a good and bad thing. Good, because that means there is dialogue going on; bad if it's just being used as a filler or plot device to keep the reader turning the page. To that end, millions of advertisers and other notable people dealing with the business of promoting their client's work have decided to limit the amount a person should use words. Whereas the graphic above is devoid of anything except the information on those stories, its use of color immediately draws the eye and gives you a color to follow to reach the end of the list.
In conclusion, Textual Structure is literally everywhere and present across a wide variety of mediums used to convey messages. It's on billboards, cars, the subway and a host of other places. Even handwriting can be considered a form of this theory in which a series of letters and numbers will always be considered the main source of communication. I believe as more people get into other forms of writing, such as hand lettering, we are bound to see an increase in fonts and the like.
Meirelles, Isabel. Deign for Information: An Introduction to the Histories, Theories, and Best Practices Behind Effective Information Visualizations. Quarto Publishing Group USA, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/empire-ebooks/detail action? docID=3399922
