This page describes the objectives, project details, recommended approaches, hints and tips, submission guidelines, and evaluation standards for the Infographic project.
The Infographic presents elements of your research for the Article project in a visual medium. The Infographic project is challenging because it requires both data-driven communication and disciplined, creative design.
Document type(s): memo, infographic
Document length(s): 150 words (memo), 3+ panels (infographic)
Project value: 250 points (50, draft; 200 final submission)
Evaluation rubric: _RPW324_Eval_Infographic.pdf
The Infographic project offers an opportunity to construct a data-driven argument through primarily visual means. Effective infographics draw on research, distill core observations and arguments into visual representations of data (both qualitative and quantitative), and transform what might otherwise be textual communication into coherent, informative graphics.
Your final project submission will include the following elements.
A memo of transmittal introduces the accompanying document to its audience(s). You will craft such a memo with each submission for the project. Your memos should be addressed from you to me, and should introduce the accompanying project. Your memos should incorporate the following content elements.
Think of your infographic as an argument you present visually. Your infographic should incorporate the following content elements.
Recommended tool(s): Adobe InDesign (or Scribus Team Scribus)
This section offers guidance for how to interpret the project, and for how to proceed with your work on it. Therefore, as you work, consider the following strategic recommendations:
This project relies heavily on specific details. Examine infographics that communicate similarly complex content. Such details give you better understanding of what is required for successful design.
Infographics vary significantly in their approaches to visual communication. Some represent content more literally than others. Many succeed because they break the obvious patterns for visualization that present themselves. Allow yourself the freedom to explore alternate presentations of content. Create some graphics that are more metaphorical and associative, to see what dimension that adds to your work.
This section is designed to help you anticipate and avoid problems as you work on this project. Therefore, as you work, consider the following four hints and tips:
Details make effective infographics. The more and more-tangible the details you incorporate, the more successful your work will be at communicating and connecting with readers.
Always strive for high levels of professionalism and consistency in your work. Impress readers with your attention to detail.
The revisions and refinements you make from the draft to the final submission may help you understand your design process, and therefore your professional development in more-sophisticated ways. Archive your drafts of projects throughout your coursework, so you are able to examine your growth and maturation.
Read and attend carefully to these submission guidelines. Failure to do so may result in delays in receiving feedback on the draft of your project, or in points lost on the final evaluation of your project.
Create a project folder inside your shared class folder on Dropbox.com. Remember, I can only view files that you place inside the class folder. Until you place files in that space, you have not in practice submitted them.
However, do not share your project folder with me. I will not accept that invitation to view its contents. As long as you place your project files in the folder you created and shared in response to the Week 1 discussions, you are set for the semester.
Name the folder Infographic.
Make sure the files listed below are available to me in the project folder by the description and draft deadlines. Model your filenames on the listed examples:
Make sure the files listed below are available to me in the project folder by the final deadline. Model your filenames on the listed examples:
Note that the Feedback file is one you receive from me in response to your draft submission. Move it into your project folder when you assemble your final submission.
This section describes the standards by which your draft and final submissions will be evaluated.
There are 50 possible points each for the description and video draft. You will earn points according to the following standard.
There are 200 possible points for the final project. You will earn points according to the standard described on the policies page (40% content development, 20% design execution, and 20% professionalism & attention to detail, and 20% impact of revision; see Policies). The specific areas of emphasis for this project are drawn from the description and discussion of the project, and are detailed in the evaluation rubric (_RPW324_Eval_Infographic.pdf).
Remember that I will only post the point values for projects on the Grades page in SVSU Canvas. I will post the details relevant to that evaluation in your class folder in a project-specific file.
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