Information Design - Project 1

11/1/2022-25/1/2022 ( Week 3- Week 5 )

Sasilvia Cheong Pei Hoong / 0345031 / Bachelors of Design in Creative Media

Information Design

Project 1: Instructable Infographic Poster

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INSTRUCTIONS

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Project 1: Instructable Infographics Poster

For project one we were first task to go through the YouTube page by Pasta Grannies and select one recipe of our choice to create an infographic poster.

• Study one video, breakdown and chunk the preparation and cooking process into an instructable poster 
• Try to capture each Grandma's personality and unique dish identity in your poster as part of the narrative stricture
• Poster size: 1240 x 1750 pixels or 2048 x 2048 pixels

The infographic poster should reflect the following:

• To transmit or communicate a message
• To present large amounts of information in a compact and easy to understand way
• To reveal the data
• Discovering cause-effect relations, knowing what’s happening
• To periodically monitor the evolution of certain parameters

Requirements:

Practical- photo editing/ illustration software, video/animation software (i.e After Effects/ Animate)

• Graph, charts and diagrams
• Animation principles

Theoretical (Information Design Framework)

• Information type
• Device
• Principles (LATCH etc)
• Aesthetics i.e: isometric. simplified illustrations

Video Breakdown:

Fig. 1.1  Video chosen from Pasta Grannies (14/1/2022)

For project one we were tasked to choose any video on Pasta Grannies YouTube page that we are interest on. Since there was a lot of spaghetti and pasta recipes I wanted to go with something more different so I dig in very deep in the video list and found a video on bunet pudding by Ida. The title of the video is "Pasta Grannies celebrate Christmas with Ida's chocolate bunet!"

Fig. 1.2  Video breakdown (22/1/2022)

After that, I went to google docs and type out the video breakdown. Firstly, in page 1-2 I typed everything that was said in the video first so that I can make sure I do not miss anything and also pay attention to Ida's personality more. In page 3, I screenshotted the visuals I wanted to use from the video to place it in my poster and then also found some suitable typefaces to use. Last but no least, page 4 is a summary of the recipe I typed out in page 1-2 so that the poster would not be too wordy. 

Visual Research

Before starting my sketches, I went to Pinterest and look up for some inspirations so that I get a glimpse of how it should look like and how I want it to look like. The ones that I preferred are ones with very clear step by step instructions and also introduction of the ingredients. I also want the final outcome of the bunet pudding illustration to look big and on the right corner of the poster so that it catches the eye of the readers.

Fig. 2.1  Poster reference 1 (22/1/2022)

Fig. 2.2  Poster reference 2 (22/1/2022)

Fig. 2.3  Poster reference 3 (22/1/2022)

Sketches

Fig. 3.1  First sketch (24/1/2022)

For my first sketch I decided to make a rough sketch to get an idea of how the illustrations and layout should look like

Fig. 3.2  Second sketch (2/2/2022)

After that, I made a second sketch which is clearer, the elements are more refined and detailed where I can easily use the pen tool over them later on in Illustrator.

Illustrations

Before starting the layout process I did the illustrations for the elements in another file first so that the layers does not get messed up and it will be easier to make changes to them later on.

Fig. 4.1  Illustrating progress (1/2/2022)

For the illustrations type I started off with the base shapes and used gradient colour fill to make it more realistic. To top it off I added shadows and highlights to give it a more 3D effect.

Fig. 4.2  Illustrations (1-6/2/2022)

Fig. 4.3  First mock up (7/2/2022)

After I did my first mock up, I was a bit stuck and this point because I felt that the artboard is way too small and it will be hard for me to add the words in it and everything will look super small. I decided to ask Ms. Anis for some feedback to know what I can improve further  and what I can fix. From her feedback she said that it "Looks nice, instructions are pretty clear and straightforward even without words. Make sure to add source link to the YouTube video in the poster." I also decided to change my artboard size from 1240x1750px to 2048x2048px.

Fig. 4.4  Changing artboard size (9/2/2022)

After changing the artboard size I had to figure out of a way to rearrange everything in a neater way and I had to resize the illustrations multiple times to get the perfect size for the layout. 

Fig. 4.5  Rearranging layout (9/2/2022)

I managed to get the layout done. Since at first I thought I could leave out the step where Ida removes the bunet by using a knife and going through the rims of it but after looking at the layout longer and seeing that there is still a space to fit the illustration in I decided to add the illustrations in.

Fig. 4.6  Changing colours and adding elements (10/2/2022)

The background colour before felt a but washed out and bright so I decided to change it to a darker tone to give it more contrast so that the elements of the poster will pop out more. I updated the layout with ladybugs and three leaf clovers as decorations since I wanted to incorporate the table cloth that Ida had. The illustration for the cutting part is also added in. 

Fig. 4.7  Adding texture to background (10/2/2022)

I still felt that something was missing in the poster so I added a grain effect in the background to provide a paper textured look to the poster.

Fig. 4.8  Final touches (11/2/2022)

This actually took me some time to realize but I saw the name of the recipe different from what Ida said in the video which was "Bunet Pudding" but the title of the YouTube video wrote it as "Chocolate Bunet" instead. In the end, I decided to switch it to "Chocolate Bunet". I moved the "by Pasta Grannies" word from the bottom corner right to the top beside the "Chocolate Bunet". Last but not least, I added the source link to the YouTube video at the bottom left of the poster and reduce the opacity so that it does not take away too much attention.

Final Outcome

Fig. 5.1 Final Instructable Infographics Poster  (11/2/2022)

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FEEDBACK

Week 6 (8/2/2022)

Looks nice, instructions are pretty clear and straightforward even without words. Make sure to add source link to the YouTube video in the poster.

Week 7 (11/2/2022)

Can proceed with project 2.

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REFLECTION

This project was very fun to create. I always liked baking and cooking so this was something that brought my interest. Fun fact my first choice for university was actually culinary arts. But my strong point was baking since I help my mom bake every Sunday. That is the reason why I choose a baking video over hundreds of the pasta videos the YouTube channel has provided. I had so much fun watching the video and breaking down the steps and recipe even though I had a hard time understanding the narrator at certain parts. I was very committed to get every single detail on point so I kept on watching back the video until I find out what she was actually saying. Before I came up with my sketches I did a lot of rough sketches going through one by one of the steps and having to cut it down to a small amount was hard work. I tried to make all the steps as clear as possible. The illustration part of this project was something surprisingly fun for me, adding layers of layers of shading could make something look so different. Texture too made a huge difference in the visuals as it makes it not too flat and brings it to life. Overall, I found that the most important thing about an infographic is it's visuals from illustrations, colours, layout and even font choice makes a huge difference. 

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REFERENCES

Fig. 1.1  Video chosen from Pasta Grannies (14/1/2022)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWZU1PDau5w&list=PL3LSmkSDSkEJViSZPv-Vxbt4-m9GPt_wT&index=10&t=16s

Fig. 2.1  Poster reference 1 (22/1/2022)

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/858780222703071025/

Fig. 2.2  Poster reference 2 (22/1/2022)

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/858780222702996665/

Fig. 2.3  Poster reference 3 (22/1/2022)

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/858780222703080023/