Designnet is South Korea's top Design magazine, so I was pretty flattered to be interviewed for their Information Design special report in the recent issue.
Nice to see the articles prominently featured.
Me in South Korean.
Bit of a rubbish photo but you get the message.(better ones to come)
Below are the comments I sent about each included spread.
It was a challenge to sum up one insight about each article - but here goes (I have linked to the blog entries)
Subject: Flak Fills the Sky
Client: WW2 Magazine
Date of Issue: September 2009
Description: At a glance, the magazine reader can sense the subject from the compositional essence of the gun crew on the 'ground' and the data in the 'sky'
Subject: The Spitfire's Finest Hour
Client: WW2 Magazine
Date of Issue: November 2009
Description: : The main illustration signposts the subject matter, using technical drawing for the planes and expressive humane lines for the people.
Subject: The Norden Bombsight
Client: WW2 Magazine
Date of Issue: January 2009
Description: The colour-coding of the line-drawing introduces a consistent syntax for the rest of the spread.
Subject: The Birth Of The Assault Rifle
Client: WW2 Magazine
Date of Issue: November 2007
Description: Multiple variables are presented on the 'range graph' while sensitive use of color draws attention to the key data.
Here is some of the text I sent for the piece, in response to their questions -
On graphics in different media...
Information graphics in the mass media are different to those in specialist media. Mass media graphics need to signal the subject of the content to the reader who can then choose whether to engage. They then need to balance this signpost with the finer resolution data to provide a balance of access points and layers of content. Broadcast graphics need to attract and also keep attention. They typically use a lower resolution of data, but can tell complex relational stories, more like text, over time. Web graphics also need to start with a basic signpost or instruction and then allow user to explore the data for themselves.
On colour...
Designers need to make sure not to create unintentional relationships between elements due to Ill considered use of type and colour. Colouring elements the same colour is the best way to communicate a relationship between them. Readers will assume an intention behind groupings of elements. Use desaturated colours for large areas and most of the data - bright colours should be used only to highlight the most important elements in the story.
On being a credible designer...
Designers often moan that people don't respect them when they do little to earn it. The only way to gain the respect of journalists or any client is to understand their business and the subject. News designers will not have respect of their journalistic colleagues unless they can discuss the stories in the news with authority. The more they understand about the subject, the more they can suggest which subjects will need visual explanation. Some call this discipline 'visual reporting' - whatever it is, when it works, it is the harmony between an original idea for a story and the means to tell it visually.
Thanks to Mina at Designnet for her help. And thanks to the team at WWII magazine - their editing makes these what they are.
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