In order to create a good information design infographic, the designer has to consider many factors regarding the use of visual components, grid and layouts and, most importantly, the information itself. A good information design supports and encourages the transfer of knowledge and complies with standards of information hierarchy, appropriate use of visual components, and relevance of information presented.
In light of today’s COVID-19 virus pandemic situation, I present and analyze three different examples of infographics involving general information and prevention of the virus.
The first poster is from an organization called Gurnick Academy. Overall, this is an adequately effective poster. At the first glance, there isn’t a definitive entry point to the infographic as there isn’t any big graphic/ component that immediately capture the reader’s attention. Naturally, we would start reading from the top. Some may argue that not having an immediate entry point means the poster fails to attract the readers; however, I think the designer intended this to happen. In a pandemic setting, it is important to not cause further panics and fears among the general population. This poster was presented in a generally calm color scheme of blue-white-yellow and the occasional red; therefore, creating a sense of calmness in the reader as well. Even though these four colors are not usually used together, the poster did not seem busy. The background and the texts have enough contrast, producing legibility. Where there may not be enough contrast, the designer also provided a faded white area.
These faded white boxes also serve as a tool to create information hierarchy. The main topic of the poster is the COVID-19 virus, and each box contains a subset of information, whether Symptoms or How to Protect Yourself. Even though the boxes are seprate, we can still tell they are in the same level because they are fairly similar in presentation (aka employing Gestalt Principle of Similarity). In general, here is the hierarchy in this poster:
- Level 1: COVID-19—The title, above everything else, the topic of the whole poster, biggest size, higher position, strong color and heavier weight
- Level 2: Title of each white faded box—Subtopics, involving different aspects of the COVID-19 virus
- Level 3: Texts and visuals inside each box—Explaining the subtopics
- Level 4: Nice to have information—Contact information, Learn more,…
Each level of information is well defined and divided with a grid system. The visuals are consistent in style (Gestalt Principle of Similarity again) and also simple and easy to infer to specific descriptions. One critic I have for this example is the background. It currently works fine, but it can be better if left a solid color. The close-up of the virus is distractive to the readers and doesn’t add any necessary information to the infographic.
The second graphic is not an effective design. The main color of the poster is a loud red; therefore, captures the reader’s attention immediately. I interpret this color as the designer trying to impose a sense of urgency on COVID-19. There is nothing wrong with this intention; however, it affects the legibility of the poster. The loud red combined with the small white text, while contrasting enough, make the reader’s eyes tired after a short time. On the bright side, the graphics of the masks are really good. They are drawing so they have the ability to highlight distinguishable characteristics of the masks easily. Most sections of the poster are also placed using logical grid and alignment. One exception of this is the chart below Sponge Mask. I’m not sure why it is inconsistent with the other charts.
The biggest problem with this poster is the fact that it doesn’t have a single clear topic. There are two clear sections: Various Masks vs Signs and Symptoms of CoronaVirus; however, they are not related to each other directly. It is understandable to use masks during the pandemic, but it would be much better to group these two sections under one big title, for example: Corona Virus: Symptoms and Prevention. In addition, below the Signs and Symptoms of Corona Virus section, there is also a Do’s and Don’t’s section without a clear label. Even though we can infer that this section is meant to be Corona virus prevention, it is still poor design. Overall, this poster has information, but is not organized in the best way to support knowledge transfer.
The last example is also an ineffective information design example. At the first glance, it is actually not bad. Similar to the fist poster, the designer used her a blue-white-orange color scheme, creating a calm poster. The entry point is clear: the graphics. The information is well-organized using grid and alignment. It can be assumed using Gestalt’s Principle of Similarity and Proximity that the two rows of images and texts are of the same level.
However, that is also where the poor designs come in. It is not inherently clear if the two rows are in the same or separate subtopics. When we look closer, we can see “Avoid Contact with Others” being repeated. Then, we can assume that they are in separate subtopics. However, we still don’t know what the first row’s topic is. The title of the poster is also a little confusing. The two phrases “Coronavirus 2019-nCOV” and “Prevention” are far apart even though there’s no reason for them to be so.
Design For Understanding 