Introduction to the Infographic: Overview
Media Literacy, COMM 203
Note: the Media Diary assignment is required to complete this assignment.
Due dates and deliverables (see milestone pages below for each task):
____ First Draft Due on Moodle DropBox, Tuesday, May 22, at 11 pm (10 points)
____ Final Draft of Infographic (Hard Copy) Due in Class Tuesday, May 29, at 6 pm (10 points)
____ Peer-Review in class activity Tuesday, May 29, at 6 pm (10 pts._
____ Final infographic uploaded to Moodle (70)
Purpose: The ability to craft messages using text and image in interesting and
engaging ways is a key skill in contemporary culture and professional
settings. In this assignment we extend the media diet exercise into a
creative project, building an infographic “self-portrait” using visual
communication techniques.
Skills
– Translate raw information into a visually communicated form
– Learn basic layout and design principles
– Create an infographic with online graphic design tools
– Make creative use of icons, images, and other visual representation
– Peer review of creative projects
Knowledge
– Understanding the strength and weaknesses of infographics as a medium
– Recognizing the difference between quantitative and qualitative information
– Further developing an understanding of the role of identity in shaping spectatorship and media production.
Tasks:
1. Review your media diary for patterns or themes that describe you as a media consumer.
Think about your identities and how they are made visible or intersect through media
consumption. Write a 100-150 word paragraph description of yourself, the main caption.
We will discuss in class.
2. Sketch out possible representations of your data sets (for group discussion in class).
a. Infographics are a visual medium – select design elements that support,
amplify and express the main caption..
b. Review 3-4 example infographics from those provided and in Golombisky..
c. Consider quantitative (numerical or statistical) representations of your media diet.
d. Consider creative qualitative (descriptive/anecdotal) representations.
e. Consider the informative story you are trying to convey—what is your main point?
Does the infographic convey that point quickly and clearly?
f. Consider visual motifs or design themes suggested by your programs or data sets.
g. Create a hand-drawn sketch of your concept.
3. Create draft on Piktochart, using the following criteria:
a. A meaningful, clear, and informative title, reflecting the theme/topic of the main caption.
b. At minimum, two displays of data/numerical information in chart form
c. At minimum, one display with 4-6 pieces of description or anecdotal information
d. Makes creative use of icons, images, or other visual representation to support
your theme or topic.
e. The document should be, at minimum legal-sized. It can be bigger, but should be
economical with space.
4. Revise the draft of your infographic into a near final product and share to the course gallery.
5. Submit revised final of the infographic to Moodle as a JPG or PNG file
Tips:
● Do not overcrowd your design. The viewer’s eye should flow through the
infographic – directed by you – in a logical way.
● Piktochart includes clip-art libraries. Links are provided on Moodle. Piktochart
includes clip-art. Links are also provided on Moodle to clip-art sites, but you may also
use image search engines, Pinterest, etc.
Criteria for Success:
What does a good product look like? What are its characteristics? What does an
ok product look like? What does an underdeveloped product look like? You need
to have some kind of assessment here that clearly describes, in student
accessible language, how their work will be assessed.
Introduction to the Infographic
Milestones
Milestone 1 – Topic/Approach
Review your media diary again and read through your self-reflection. Make note of specific
media texts or types of texts you consume (shows, feeds, channels).
Think about your identities and how they are made visible or intersect through media
consumption.
Look for patterns or themes that describe you as a media consumer.
Identify a overarching story, or argument, you want to make about media–either in context
of your consumption, or issues that it raises for you. What can you communicate about
media culture through the lens of your own consumption and identities?
Write a 100-150 word paragraph description of yourself based on these reflections. This
paragraph, or a version of it, will be the main caption in your infographic.
Milestone 2 – Conceptualization
Now consider ways you might turn this textual self-portrait into visual communication.
Images from popular culture, icons, analogy or metaphor, avatars, and narratives are all
ways to transform raw data into more visual form. They can be very economical–quickly
communicating a feeling or idea and drawing the viewer further into the infographic.
Review the notes on creating infographics (attached) and Golombisky reading.
Think about the TWO graphic displays of data you are required to show. How can you
describe your media diet, or some aspect of it, in quantitative terms? Feel free to do
additional research to examine social trends or patterns that can inform your graphic.
These displays can be charts, but charts aren’t always the best method.
Think about the required 4-5 anecdotal, or descriptive, displays. These may be textual,
image-based, or a combination. But all of these displays should serve the purpose of
expanding on, explaining, or developing your main caption.
You should expect to refine your topic and approach in this stage.
On a legal-size piece of paper, sketch out a layout that reflects your developing ideas about
this design. Consider placement of your displays of data and description.
We will do peer reviews of this sketch in class.
Milestone 3 – Draft on Piktochart
Piktochart is a browser-based Infographic design tool. We will do a short workshop on
Piktochart in class.
Produce a draft of your infographic on Piktochart. At this stage, concept and layout are the
most important elements. Consider these questions:
1. Do you have an engaging, interesting headline and header treatment?
2. Is your design easy to read (text visible, not cluttered)
3. How is your visual hierarchy? What will your reader look at first?
4. Is your color scheme attractive? Does it match the tone of your message?
5. Does this design overall communicate the ideas or message in your main caption?
You are still be refining your topic and approach. You may simplify, or make more complex.
Add new considerations or problems.
Think about the final image, or concluding thought of this graphic. What will the viewer go
away thinking about? How does the graphic lead them to that thought?
Print out a hard copy of this graphic. A color print is best, but not required. Bring two
copies to class for peer review. Professor will take one copy for initial review.
Milestone 4 – near final draft for peer review – due in class [date]
Revise your graphic based on peer review.
Now is the time to proof carefully for clarity and mechanics in your writing.
1. Avoid awkward line breaks in headlines, subheads, or text blocks.
2. Is the design harmonious? Do the colors go together?
3. Is the visual hierarchy and flow working?
4. If you included additional research, put citations at the bottom of the page in a
small font, discreet but visible.
Export your infographic as a .jpg document.
Upload to the course “gallery” on Owncloud. In the gallery all of your colleagues can view
your work. I will also review your draft there, so the gallery upload is required. Bring this
near final draft to class for a short peer review.
Milestone 5 – Submission – due to Moodle [due date]
Based on the last peer review and faculty feedback, make final revisions. At this stage,
you’re tweaking the graphic–improving legibility, make fine adjustments to margins,
spacing, and color. Perform a final proofread.
Export your infographic as a .jpg file and submit to the Moodle assignment labeled [label].
Faculty will assess using rubric.
Notes on Creating Infographics
Media Literacy, COMM 203
The Infographic (defined):
● A standalone, shareable object that communicates information…
● using words and visuals…
● to present quantitative and/or qualitative data…
● in a static presentation.
Goals of the Infographic:
1. Be rhetorically sound and aesthetically pleasing.
2. Make the abstract more concrete.
3. Inform, persuade, or make a point.
4. Helps the audience deal with “digital overload.”
What Do People Communicate with Infographics?
1. Observational Humor (social/cultural)
2. Novel Insights (reporting research)
3. Timely Issues (politics/opinion)
4. How-to
Some common ways to organize information:
Dangers of the Infographic:
1. Trying to do too much/say too much.
2. Ethics: use data correctly and accurately.
3. Sources: Use quality sources and name them. Note: Infographic
readers are less likely to question sources.
4. Representation: simplified facts/images can lead to stereotyping
or insensitivity.
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