1. If you weren’t in class for the presentation on information design, there is a good write up on Tufte that you can read here. The challenger disaster which I referenced is discussed here, with charts from the engineers who tried to stop the launch, and the redesigned chart never saw, which would have convinced them not to launch on that day.
2. Research data online for a subject of your choice. Create an excel spreadsheet that compares the data for two like subjects over time. (Example: The average temperature in Detroit compared to the temperature in Miami from July through August.)
3. Create two charts from the data. One chart should be formatted in a way that uses the least amount of data ink to convey the information, and presents it in as clear a way as possible. The other chart should break all the design rules. Think about what your background color should be for each chart. What should your fonts look like for each chart? What should the gridlines and bars look like in each chart? Break down each individual item in the chart and think about how to format it in a way that would make Tufte proud, and how to format it in a way that would make him cringe.
4. Post both versions on your blog. There are several ways to convert the charts to jpgs. The one that gives you the most control is to copy the chart in excel, start a new file in photoshop, paste the chart into the new file, and then save it for the web in the usual way.
5. Grading: Points will be given for demonstrating a good understanding of strong design and poor design in each of the following areas: plot area (the background), grid lines, bars, and typography. (Don’t forget what we discussed in class about how to make text easier or harder to read.) An additional category I will be grading is the logical presentation of the data. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples – not percentages to total quantities. Make sure you have a chart title, that you don’t have blank series showing up in your legend, or other issues that would make your chart unacceptable in a business environment.
Due: Nov 30.
