{"id":6593,"date":"2014-11-26T13:02:23","date_gmt":"2014-11-26T18:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/?p=6593"},"modified":"2014-11-26T13:02:23","modified_gmt":"2014-11-26T18:02:23","slug":"the-secrets-to-good-graphic-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/2014\/11\/26\/the-secrets-to-good-graphic-design\/","title":{"rendered":"RISD graphic design session"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/848\/IMG_3259.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[6593]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-9769\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/848\/IMG_3259-1024x765.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_3259\" width=\"1024\" height=\"765\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1>The secrets to good graphic design<\/h1>\n<p><strong>Everything you ever wanted to know about making a scientific research poster, but were afraid to ask<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ve logged long hours in the lab, collected samples in the field, run through loads of data, and reached significant conclusions. Now, comes the had part \u2014 pulling all of the information together in a brief, compelling, visually appealing presentation that fits on a 48\u201d x 36\u201d poster.<\/p>\n<p>As daunting as that sounds, there is no need to worry. We\u2019ve rounded up some expert advice to alleviate the anxiety, offer guidance and provide useful tools and resources.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/metcalfinstitute.org\">Metcalf Institute for Marine &amp; Environmental Reporting<\/a>, with support from Rhode Island NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), recently hosted one in its series of SciComm events on <a href=\"http:\/\/metcalfinstitute.org\/newsrelease-posterdesignworkshop\/\">Visualizing Complex Data<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Held at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.risd.edu\">Rhode Island School of Design<\/a>, an RI NSF EPSCoR partner institution, the free luncheon workshop featured Rafael Attias, Neal Overstrom and Micah Barrett, all of RISD, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\">Boston Globe<\/a> graphic designer Patrick Garvin.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ideas to consider:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Define your intent \u2014 who are you talking to, what are you trying to say? And, remember, when you step back from the work you are creating, ask yourself if it still serves your intent.<\/li>\n<li>Understand the limitations \u2014\u00a0there is only so much space on a poster; how can you cut your information down to the bare minimum?<\/li>\n<li>Establish the hierarchy \u2014 With your intent and within the limitations, define your hierarchy and direct the eye so it can walk through and navigate the information. Posters lacking in hierarchy confuse viewers; people can\u2019t find the access point.<\/li>\n<li>Develop systems \u2014 Establish a useful structure to convey information.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>When\u00a0creating graphics:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/848\/IMG_2720-e1427902904415.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[6593]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-6601\" title=\"Poster design workshop at RISD\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/848\/IMG_2720-e1427902904415.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"242\" \/><\/a> Working in the Globe\u2019s editorial design department, Garvin creates maps, charts, diagrams, timelines and other data visualizations for the paper and Boston.com, and echoed \u00a0the importance of knowing intent and limitations.<\/p>\n<p>When tackling an assignment, the designers start from scratch: \u201cIf we only had this much time and this much\u00a0space, what is the most important thing that would make the story suffer if we didn\u2019t have it?\u201d Gavin asked.<\/p>\n<p>Then, once you establish that, move onto the next critical element and enhance incrementally. But, avoid getting too complicated. Sometimes, the instinct might be to develop a color code with seven or eight colors to illustrate range or cram too much information into one chart. Instead, think more simply and reassess what you are trying to say.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, Garvin said he seeks to make graphics for both the Bart and Lisa Simpsons of the world \u2014\u00a0direct and easy to understand in a way that the Barts can get it; enough complexity so the information geeks like Lisa can understand and dig deeper.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Know this about\u00a0exhibits: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>People spend less than one minute at most exhibits<\/li>\n<li>Distance and information hierarchy are critical; people experience exhibits both from afar and up close<\/li>\n<li>A great exhibit can communicate without words; think about how data helps us engage with overall narrative<\/li>\n<li>Engaging exhibits pass the fingerprint test \u2014 the ones with the most evidence of being touched are most successful at engaging people; they are putting their finger on the glass, saying, \u201cLook at this!\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Successful exhibits have color, movement, and interactivity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Typography 101:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tools to create hierarchy \u2014 size, color, contrast, and space<\/li>\n<li>Color has a functional side \u2014 not solely emotional content, color can make pieces pop out or recede into space<\/li>\n<li>Space is your friend \u2014 don\u2019t fear open space, don\u2019t box it in; the eye has a tough time moving from one box to the next<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Additional information:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/metcalfinstitute.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/EPSCoR-11.14-Resource-List.pdf\">Resources and references<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/colorbrewer2.org\">ColorBrewer<\/a> (A tool to help select colors and schemes for maps and graphics)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aurasma.com\/aura\/\">Augmented reality app<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/\/feltron.com\">A look at data visualization<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/\/patrickgarvin.com\/maps\/\">Mr. Map Generator<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><em>Story and photos by Amy Dunkle\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The secrets to good graphic design Everything you ever wanted to know about making a scientific research poster, but were afraid to ask You\u2019ve logged long hours in the lab, collected samples in the field, run through loads of data, and reached significant conclusions. Now, comes the had part \u2014 pulling all of the information [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6593\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}