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Information Design / Project 1

18.2.2025 - 9.3.2025  / Week 3 - Week 5
Bong Sue Zhiun / 0366866
Information Design / Bachelor of Design ( Hons ) in Creative Media
Project 1: Animated Infographic Poster



TABLE OF CONTENTS







LECTURE


Week 4 / Manuel Lima's 9 Directives Manifesto

Manuel Lima’s Information Visualization Manifesto, shared on VisualComplexity.com, explains nine simple rules that make good information visuals different from art or infographics.

1. Form Follows Function: The main goal is to explain and help people understand the information. Start with a Question: Every visual should answer a clear and important question.

2. Interactivity is Key: Let people explore and learn by interacting with the visual.

3. Cite Your Source: Always tell people where your data comes from.

4. The Power of Narrative: Turn your data into a story so it’s easier to remember and more interesting.
 
5. Do Not Glorify Aesthetics: The design should help people understand, not just look pretty.

6. Look for Relevance: Make sure the information you show is important and has a clear purpose.

7. Embrace Time: Organize and show time in a way that helps people make better decisions.

8. Aspire for Knowledge: Help people learn and understand the information better.

9. Avoid Gratuitous Visualizations: Don’t add extra visuals that make things confusing. Stick to what helps people see the point.


Week 5 / Constructive Workflow

This week, Mr. Fauzi shared some helpful advice on building an effective workflow. He gave us five key tips.

1. Understand the Question: Know what’s being asked so you stay focused.

2. Construct a Strategic Plan: Evaluate data, weigh pros and cons, plan your content, understand your goals, and build case studies.

3. Fill in the Blanks: Create folders, update them with your progress, and keep files organized across software.

4. Get Ideas & Inspiration: Explore existing work to guide and inspire your own.

5. Set a Perimeter: Manage your time, know your strengths, use references wisely, and focus on finding solutions.

The key is to balance creativity (right brain) with logic and structure (left brain).

Fig.1.1 Left brain (logic), Right brain (creative), Week 5, 3.3.2025



INSTRUCTIONS





PROJECT


Project 1: Animated Infographic Poster

For Project 1, we need to select a poorly designed infographic poster from the internet and give it a complete redesign. After improving the poster, we’ll create a simple looping animation based on the new design.

Part 1: Infographic Poster (10%)

  1. Choose one infographic poster from the internet and get approval before proceeding.
  2. Redesign the poster in A4 size — start with sketches and ideas.
  3. Simplify the design using visual hierarchy and typography principles.
  4. Refine the poster’s colors, shapes, and patterns to create a clean, clear layout.
  5. Upload the final poster to your E-Portfolio with an explanation and reflection.

Part 2: Animated Infographic (10%)

  1. Turn your infographic poster into a simple looping animation.
  2. Loop duration: 15–30 seconds.
  3. Video size: 1080 x 1920 px (Vertical). Upload the final video to our YouTube channel.


During Week 3 class, I selected a weather-themed infographic poster with a poor design. The original poster contains too much information, and when combined with the illustrated background, it may appear too busy and make the content hard to read.

I showed this poster to Mr. Shamsul, and he approved it. He also advised me to simplify the text from the infographic poster, as it contains too much information. He suggested making my redesigned poster clear, simple, and easy to read and understand.


Fig.3.1 Original infographic poster, Week 3, 18.2.2025



Before planning the layout, I first simplified the information so I could roughly understand which layout would best fit my content.


After that, I started looking for references and sketching the layout. 

References:

Fig.3.2 References, Week 4, 25.2.2025


Sketches:

Fig.3.3 Sketches, Week 4, 25.2.2025


Digitizing process:

First, I started by looking for the graphic elements I needed for the poster on Pinterest. Since most of them were too blurry when cropped, I decided to trace them and create my own illustrations for better quality.


Fig.3.4 Collect the necessary graphic elements, Week 4, 27.2.2025

Fig.3.5 Trace out the graphic elements, Week 4, 27.2.2025


After that, I tested the layouts I had sketched. Since the information didn’t fit well in layout #1 (on the right), I tried a different composition (on the left), which managed to fit all the information nicely. Then, I applied colors to this layout to enhance its visual appeal.

Fig.3.6 Exploration for layout #1, Week 4, 27.2.2025


I also tried out layout #2, applying the same colors as layout #1 and adjusting the title text color to better match the weather theme.


Fig.3.7 Exploration for layout #2, Week 4, 27.2.2025


After that, I sent both layouts to Mr. Shamsul for feedback. He mentioned that the title could be improved, and the layout looks acceptable. So, I reviewed the graphics I had created and noticed that the rainbow could be used to enhance the title — that’s when I came up with an idea. 

I also sent this new title layout to Mr. Shamsul. He then asked me which title layout I preferred and why, comparing the previous simple and straightforward title with the new, more graphical one. I replied that I prefer the new, more graphical title because it’s more visually appealing and clearly shows that this is an infographic poster about the weather. Then, I continued exploring and refining the title design to make it even more attractive.


Fig.3.8 Exploration for layout #2, Week 4, 27.2.2025


Fig.3.9 Exploration for layout #2, Week 4, 28.2.2025

I refined the design by adding a background with a playful pattern of weather icons. To make the title more fun and eye-catching, I changed the direction of the rainbow and adjusted the text path so the title follows its curve, almost like it’s written right on the rainbow. I also resized each letter to flow naturally with the rainbow’s shape, giving the whole design a more lively and balanced feel.


Animation:

Then, I started working on the poster animation using After Effects. For my first attempt, I animated the title and the list of information to appear one by one, creating a clear and organized sequence.

Video link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yF9TrujeN4JmpPmeAINWZvz1MBO7YhCC/view?usp=drive_link


In the Week 5 class, I shared my progress with Mr. Shamsul. For the poster, he suggested making sure the space between each box is consistent. As for the animation, he advised that not every box needs to move from top to bottom — I could vary the movement so some boxes come in from the left, right, or bottom, depending on their position.


Refinement:

I used guides to make sure the spacing between each box was consistent. I also created two layouts with slight differences in detail and asked Mr. Shamsul for his opinion — he preferred the one on the right.

Fig.3.10 Refinement using guides, Week 5, 4.3.2025

After getting his approval, I moved on to working on the animation. I refined the animation by changing the direction each box appears from and making the overall flow smoother and more natural.

Fig.3.11 Progress of refining the animation, Week 5, 4.3.2025

Explanation & Reflective writing: 

The original infographic poster has a colorful and playful design, but it feels cluttered and hard to read. The background illustration, while charming, distracts from the text, and the uneven spacing between sections makes the layout feel disorganized. The text size and style are inconsistent, which makes it difficult to follow the information clearly.

In contrast, the redesigned poster is more structured and easier to navigate. Each section is clearly defined with uniform spacing, and the use of colored boxes helps separate the information. The simplified and balanced layout makes the infographic more engaging and user-friendly. 


Fig.3.12 (Left) Original Infographic Poster (Right) Redesigned Poster, Week 5, 7.3.2025


FINAL OUTCOME

Fig.3.13 Final Infographic Poster ( JPEG ), Week 5, 7.3.2025

Fig.3.14 Final Infographic Poster ( PDF ), Week 5, 7.3.2025


Vid.3.1 Final Animated Infographic Poster, Week 5, 7.3.2025

Google drive link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oqsfniOk0g1Za5xgX-HxLe5ELw34TH30?usp=drive_link


FEEDBACK

Week 3

Specific Feedback: I can use the bad infographic poster, but I’ll need to cut down some text and simplify it. The redesigned poster should be clear, simple, and easy to read and understand. 

Week 4

General Feedback: We can use the typographic systems from our Advanced Typography and apply design principles to the layout.

Specific Feedback: Balance the graphics with the text, simplifying the content without losing important information. The title could be improved, but the layout is acceptable.

Week 5

Specific Feedback: Make sure the space around each box (top, bottom, left, and right) is the same. Right now, the alignment looks a bit uneven. Usually, layouts like this have even spacing. Other than that, everything looks fine. For the animation, not every box needs to move from top to bottom, I can change it so some come from the left, right, or bottom, depending on their position. Sound effects are optional, not required.

 

REFLECTION


This project was really fun and interesting because we got the chance to redesign a poorly designed poster. It also refreshed my memory of previous modules, especially since Mr. Shamsul reminded us to apply the knowledge we learned in Design Principles and the Typographic System in Advanced Typography. This project required us to use the skills we had developed in past semesters and apply them in a practical way.

When it came to animating the poster, I faced some challenges because I hadn’t used After Effects since my first semester. As a result, I felt a bit rusty and it took me some time to get familiar with the software again. Fortunately, the animation needed for this project was quite simple, so I managed to get the hang of it without too much difficulty.

Overall, I’m quite satisfied with the final result, but I know there’s still plenty of room for improvement. This experience has been a great opportunity for me to brush up on my skills and push myself to create something better.


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