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DEMENTIA IN THE UK
During my first year of university, my Nannie suffered from and passed due to the affects of Dementia.
I decided to base my infographic on the topic of Dementia in the UK as it's a disease that, unless witnessed first hand, not everyone understands the full extent and issues it raises.
I wanted to make something that would provide people with the relevant information in an interesting but informative way.
To read further notes and my reflections on this brief, click the link below to my Tumblr page!
The Challenge
Create an infographic looking specifically at global population. We'd to do a lot of research on the subject of data visualisation and infographics thoroughly before starting our own.
The PROCESS
At the beginning of any brief, my first instinct is to explore the problem by drawing a mind-map of all the potential ideas that interest me. From this I'm able to branch my ideas out wide to see lots of connections, allowing me to see which ideas hold the most potential.
I made the decision to base my infographic on “Dementia in the UK” by refining my ideas from my initial mind-map, based around the knowledge and understanding I had of the challenge given. I wanted to create an infographic that was factually sound as well as presenting informative data in an interesting but professional manner. This approach stemmed from me referring back to why I was creating this infographic and then considering the needs of those users when viewing my design.
I did in-depth research on the topic of dementia within the UK in order to become an expert in the subject matter when it came down to selecting my content. Obtaining the facts and content first were key to my design success as it’s important to design with content so that everything included within the design has a relevant purpose. Having this solid foundation also helped give my design credibility.
Using pen and paper to sketch illustrations and develop wireframes helped me to visualise how the infographic would look before moving onto Sketch to digitise and experiment further.
Before starting digital mock-ups, I created a style tile so that I would have a clear colour palette and design approach moving forward. I was able to decide my colour palette using the research I’d gathered as the blue pantones I selected are the key colours associated with the Alzheimer's Society. A strong, legible typeface was also selected for my style tile to fit in with the content being discussed but also to meet the needs of the user.
The layout of my infographic was something I had to alter a view times before finally being satisfied with the end result.
Some Obstacles
As I mentioned previously, the few obstacles that I came across during the making of my infographic were mainly in relation to the overall layout lacking consistency. After receiving helpful feedback from a fresh pair of eyes, I felt confident showing my final product.
MY REFLECTION
Data visualisation in the form of an infographic was a design technique I hadn’t encountered before being assigned this project. I feel like I gained a lot from this design experience as I learnt a new design approach as well as challenging myself to come up with an innovative way to present content that may not always be the most visually stimulating.
During my research stage, I discovered facts about Dementia that I hadn’t prior known during the time my Nannie was suffering from and passed due to having this disease. I created this infographic in her memory.
