Assignment: Information design posters

Students collectively conduct in-depth research about a given population or community such as Native Americans, Asian Pacific Americans or Baltimore residents. Students each then synthesize, edit and analyze that information to design a poster that visualizes key insights about that group.

About the assignment

See examples of student work
Areas of emphasis: Information design, design research, typography

Summary: Students have conducted primary and secondary research about this demographic and have met with members of this demographic during this time. Students decide what issues are most important to tell based on the data. They are assigned to incorporate comparative information to provide context.

Timing in the program: First semester, senior year

Audience: Determined by students

Project partners: Determined by instructor and based on separate social design project

Timeline: 6-8 weeks

Output: Printed poster

Learning Objectives:
– To explore information visualization.
– To give hierarchy and clarity to communicate a complex set of information.
– To further design skills by applying color, typography, layout, etc.
– To explore how audience consideration shapes information curation.

Learning Outcomes:
– To clarify and prioritize the research as it relates to an underrepresented demographic.
– To learn to present visual arguments about a given population.