Exercises 1 & 2

03/02/2025 - 17/02/2025 / Week 1 - Week 2
Reema Arif Hamza / 0362792
Information Design / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Exercise 1 & 2

Content

Week 1: Lecture on different types of infographics.
Week 2: Lecture on L.A.T.C.H principles - Location, Alphabet, Time, Category, Hierarchy. 

Instructions

Exercise 1: Quantifiable Information

Gather a set of objects and separate it into category such as color, shape, pattern, and other quantifiable factor.

Example:

  1. Box of Lego
  2. Jar of button
  3. Jar of marble ball
  4. Set of colourful rubber strap & more.

In this exercise you're required to quantify our chosen objects and arrange them into a presentable layout or chart. 

The information must be presented as is, and you need to arrange the objects with relevant indicators written out with pens to help you to visualize the quantity and data. The examples of objects that can be use are buttons, coins, lego pieces, M&Ms, and more.

Process

In week one we were briefed on our first exercise. We had to bring a set of objects that we could separate into categories like shape, color, size. I didn't have much in my dorm to work with so I asked my friend Janice and she gave me loads of stuff (thankyou Janice). From that I found a bag of colorful beads that looked really fun to work with. I also got A3 paper from my friend Huiyi (thankyou Huiyi). 

Fig. 1.1 Beads, Week 1 (03/02/2025)

Then during tutorial on Wednesday we experimented with different organization methods. Based on the picture Mr.Fauzi showed us we had to show the data, sorted, arranged, presented visually, and explained with a story. Below is the example picture given.

Fig. 1.2 Info Data, Week 1 (03/02/2025)

The first one is pretty self explanatory, it's just a picture of raw data - which in my case is just a pile of beads. So please enjoy this picture of beads.

Fig. 1.3 Beads Raw, Week 1 (05/02/2025)

Then for sorted I just divided the beads by shape and color.

Fig. 1.4 Sorted, Week 1 (05/02/2025)

I was a bit confused at first, because sorted and arranged are quite similar. I decided that it was probably organized more neatly? and clear to see. I later added labels for each category which turned out pretty well. To be honest this one took me a while because the pink beads kept rolling away haha.


Fig. 1.5 Arranged 1, Week 1 (05/02/2025)

Fig. 1.5 Arranged 2, Week 1 (05/02/2025)

I looked up a couple of references for presented visually and explained with a story. I didn't do any sketches because I think it was fun to just experiment with my hands, felt like a kid again just having complete creative liberty to do anything. I found this interesting idea, a bar chart measuring the rate of lift and the objects look like they're floating away. I played around, and thought it would look nice if it was still sorted by color.

Fig. 1.6 Presented Visually, Week 1 (06/02/2025)

For explaining with a story I came up with a couple of options. Flowers, a spiral, and a rainbow. 

Fig. 1.7 Flowers, Week 1 (06/02/2025)

Fig. 1.8 Spiral, Week 1 (06/02/2025)

I thought the rainbow one was the best one, because it matched that childlike feeling I got from playing with the beads. When I was a kid there was actually a phase where I did lots of arts and crafts, one them was these pegboard fuse beads. You can make something with the beads and then iron them (or just apply heat) and the beads fuse together. I'll put a picture below. So the rainbow kind of reminded me of some long forgotten childhood lore haha.

Fig. 1.9 Fuse Beads, Week 1 (06/02/2025)

Fig. 1.10 Rainbow, Week 1 (06/02/2025)


Final Exercise 1

I compiled all the photos into one, like in the example. Below is the final outcome for exercise 1.

Fig. 1.11 Exercise 1, Week 1 (08/02/2025)

Exercise 2: L.A.T.C.H Infographic Poster

  1. Organize a group of information into a visual poster that combines and utilizes the LATCH principles (Minimum 4). 
  2. You are required to use the digital photo editing/illustration software available to assemble the information into a LATCH infographic poster. 
  3. You are allowed to reuse back the images but you have to create the rest of visuals to complete the poster.

Process

During week 2 tutorial, I began researching possible topics for the LATCH poster. Ideally, I wanted to do something I could arrange well and something I personally found interesting. I'd rather pick a topic I personally like because then I would feel more motivated and excited when I make the poster.

I compiled all my choices in a google doc. The topic I chose was "Haikyuu" which is a sports anime about a high school volleyball team. It's my favorite anime so I was very biased and chose it. But besides liking it, it also had a lot of points for me to use the LATCH principles.

You can go through my research document below to see my whole process. But to summarize, I had two plans to choose from. Plan A: was the starting line up for all the different teams shown in Haikyuu. 

Plan A:
Location: schools/teams
Alphabet: schools in alphabetical order
Time: season appearance included
Category: positions

But after trying it out I realized that I couldn't fit all those people on one poster. So I decided to focus on one specific arc from the series. Called the "Dumpster Battle" which involves the main team Karasuno vs their long time rivals Nekoma. Since it was just two teams I could fit all the information.

Plan B:
Location: School/Team (Karasuno vs Nekoma)
Time : First Appearance (S1,2)
Category: Players categorized by position (Ace, Setter, Wing Spiker, Middle Blocker, Libero)
Hierarchy : Jersey Number

So for my poster, I found their names, jersey number, feet size (bcs it seemed like a fun addition), and their position. I researched all my information and put it in the document below.

Fig. 2.1 Research Document, Week 2 (12/02/2025)

To start I made a mood board for the poster. The two teams are represented by cats and crows, so usually elements of those are mixed in. Each team also has it's team color: karasuno - orange and nekoma - red. Generally I was inspired by existing posters which use elements from the anime, things like screen tones you see in the manga.

Fig. 2.2 Mood board, Week 2 (13/02/2025)

I sketched a couple of layout options I had in mind for the poster after looking at references. Keeping in mind I needed to fit 7 players for each team (so 14 total), a title, and player info.

Fig. 2.3 LATCH poster sketches, Week 2 (15/02/2025)

These were very roughly drawn but it was mostly just to pick a composition so it didn't need to be too detailed. I felt C was too rigid, and A/B felt a bit too crowded. I picked to go ahead with D because I think it's a dynamic layout, but feels organized and there's room to put in each player's info.

Most of the content I used was found through existing images online - so all credits to the original owners there. Then I basically worked on designing the poster. I summarized the process in the photo below. 

Fig. 2.4 Process, Week 2 (19/02/2025)

But basically I found pictures that had the same art style - and the players jersey number mostly visible. Then I arranged it according to my sketch, and matched the colors and typography to the ones from my mood board. I ended up switching the two teams to opposite sides because the pictures from the Nekoma team were facing left mostly. After that it looked cohesive, and I added a few elements to tie it all together. 

The player info is on the smaller side but it's still readable and I also used icons to help show each player's positions. I tried different colors to display the player info and settled on black because it was high contrast and worked well on the poster. I added a crow and cat fighting to the title to bring back the whole animal symbolism of the two teams. The line down the middle was kind of meant to look like the volleyball net.

Final Exercise 2: L.A.T.C.H Poster

Final poster is below. The LATCH principles used are:

Location: Two teams - Karasuno and Nekoma (from two different schools)
Time: Includes which seasons each character first appeared (season 1 or 2)
Category: Positions (Wing spiker, middle blocker, setter, ace, libero)
Hierarchy: Sorted by Jersey number (1 to 11)

Fig. 2.5 Final Exercise 2 JPEG, Week 2 (20/02/2025)

Fig. 2.6 Final Exercise 2 PDF, Week 2 (20/02/2025)

 

Feedback

Week 1: no feedback given.
Week 2: no feedback given.

Reflection

Experience
Exercise 1 was quite a fun to do, because we got to just use our hands and just have fun with it. Sorting the beads was kind of hard because they kept rolling everywhere, so a lot of patience on my part there. 

Exercise 2 was very enjoyable for me because I got to make a poster for my favorite anime. It definitely motivated me more. Because I watched the show I had a clear idea of what I wanted the poster to look like. Overall, a very fun experience I actually wouldn't mind doing that for more of my favorite shows.  

Observation
Exercise 1 took some trial and error, and I had to be very careful about knocking over the beads. It actually helped to have a plan beforehand (ex: writing the labels first, then placing the beads). There wasn't any one specific reference online that I found, more like just in general bar graphs and charts were used often.

Exercise 2 was a smooth process because I did my research beforehand. I think for any information architecture you're doing (this applies to UI/UX) it's important to compile all of your research, and then organize it so it's easier for you to use later on. I put all my information in tables so it was clear to see and then organized according to my Hierarchy principle, so I could directly reference it when designing. 

Finding
I found that exercise 1 really tapped into my childhood memories. I honestly had forgotten how much random arts and crafts I did as a kid, so it really brought back some hidden memories. I think it's important to work with your hands every now and then even when designing something digital. Whether that's sketching, making some random conceptual 3d model, or just sorting physical cards.

For exercise 2 I think my earlier research played a big part in how fast I was able to design the poster. I never really thought too much about organizing information on certain principles like alphabetical or hierarchy. But it does actually make your information clear and easy to read, so I'll definitely give it more thought when designing in the future.  

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