Senior Paper / Information: Maximizing Efficiency Through Organization

“The efficiency demanded from information design necessitates the examination of human perception and cultural circumstances; the demand of sustainability requires that visualization practitioners constantly think ahead.” — Gerlinde Schuller


Abstract
The re-interpretation of existing information often leads to the genesis of a new experience. Often times, information is organized without regard to its importance. Utilizing the practices of visual literacy and principles of design in the task of organizing an existing body of information leads to a better end-user experience. How can information design be used re-interpret data for the development of an unexpected solution? The information presented in Graphic Design Timeline: A Century of Design Milestones will be used as the existing body of data. Co-authored by Steven Heller and Elinor Pettit, it is a remarkable compilation of the events, occurrences, facts, and figures that played a part in shaping graphic design of the twentieth century and beyond. The 259-page timeline covers an entire century of design milestones and serves as a straightforward directory of historical facts (Heller XI). Graphic Design Timeline stands as a source of very important information in a format that fails to maximize the potential of its data. Nothing more than paper between two covers, Graphic Design Timeline is a short-lived artifact that relies on the support of other related books to maintain its value.