Infographic Poster Design: "The Online Chronicles"
Project Brief
The objective of this assignment, was to design an infographic poster, that combined clear, compelling research material, with engaging visual elements. Given a series of themes/prompts to use as a starting point, the basis of my poster, focuses on what it means to be "chronically online", a term defined as an individual who closely and frequently absorbs a wide variety of social content and media online. As the designer, my goal was to present the information and graphics in a way that remained relevant to the content, and made sense both literally and metaphorically. With ideation, research, and prototyping, I was able to achieve this.
Challenge
The biggest obstacle in this project, was relevancy, and choice of concise words within my poster. As my topic focuses on an experience unique to a certain genre and generation of people, I wanted to display my content in a way that called attention to the matter, while maintaining a certain tone of concern and need for change. In doing this, I chose to base my design around flashy new papers, articles, and magazines, often portraying false/over-exaggerated media. With the topic being "chronically online", I fit the title with my aesthetic, playing into the news-aspect, and chose to make a play on words. The information is presented in what seems like a jumbled, crowded, chaotic spewing of information, much like the climate of what is said online and on social media today.
Role: Infographic Poster Design, Vector Graphics, Visual Storytelling and Design
Tools: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
Client: Class Project
Designers: Solo Designer
Poster Design
For the overall design of this poster, I new I wanted to make sure the visuals and layout of the content was relevant to the topic and content being displayed. With this in mind, I aimed to center the graphics around news print, and articles, as a way to mock the way in which the internet is treated. Keeping the graphics rather simple, I wanted them to capture the attention of the viewer, making the text content seem to overshadow those saying delivering it. In doing this, I felt as though this spoke to how "chronically online" individuals hide behind whatever screens and technology they use, in order to say and do whatever they want online.
Design Template
Research
The majority of my content research involved a balanced mix of online research, and feedback from peers and friends of mine, and their perspective on the different topics within my poster. I found this method to be very beneficial, as it provided perspective from a wider range of individuals, and their experience online. The other portion of my design research, involved finding imagery and aesthetics that matched the tone/mood I aimed to set in the graphics.
Design Process & Sketches
Reflection
Overall, I am pleased with the result of my poster design, as I feel I achieved all of the design goals I set for myself. I feel as though the level of relatability and relevance toward myself, others my age, or almost anyone that engages with online media, helped to fuel my passion for this project, resulting in a compelling design. Designing graphics such as these holds a specific importance, that I feel is often overlooked, and require conversations to be held in order to spar change.
