Information Design Exercise 1 & 2

ZHOU YUTONG / 0378676

Information Design design / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media 

Exercise 1 & 2

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TABLE OF CONTENT

LECTURES

INSTRUCTIONS

EXERCISE

FEEDBACK

REFLECTION

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LECTURES

W2: LECTURE - TYPE OF INFOGRAPHICS

This lecture (Week 2 of Information Design – GCD 60504) introduces the concept, purpose, and types of infographics. It explains how visual communication helps audiences better understand, remember, and engage with information.

Definition and Purpose of Infographics

• An infographic is a visual representation that combines text and design elements to convey ideas effectively.

• It increases audience engagement and attention, making information more accessible and memorable.

• Infographics are widely used in design, marketing, and education as an appealing alternative to plain text.

W3: LECTURE - LATCH

Overview

This lecture (Week 3 of Information Design – GCD 60504) focuses on the L.A.T.C.H Theory, a framework proposed by Richard Saul Wurman for organizing information effectively.
Wurman states that although information may be infinite, the ways to organize it are limited to five methods: Location, Alphabet, Time, Category, and Hierarchy — forming the acronym L.A.T.C.H.

Definition and Purpose

Effective information organization is one of the biggest challenges in design, especially in UX (User Experience). Designers often ask themselves:

• “Does this structure make sense?”

• “Am I using the right organizational principle?”

The LATCH model provides a systematic way to structure content logically and meaningfully, ensuring users can easily navigate and understand information.

W4: LECTURE - MILLER'S LAW

1. Core Principle

Proposed around the "magical number seven, plus or minus two":

Human short-term memory can hold only 5–9 information "objects" at once, and retention lasts no longer than 30 seconds. Exceeding this limit leads to forgetting.

2. Key Implication: "Paradox of Choice"

Humans struggle to process/remember over 7 pieces of information received in a short time—highlighting inherent limits in information absorption during communication (which is often messy, with interruptions and misunderstandings).

3. Solution: Information Clustering

To work within short-term memory limits, break information into smaller, grouped chunks (clustering) — this helps the brain grasp and retain content more effectively.

References

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INSTRUCTIONS

Exercise 1: Quantifiable Information (10%) 
– Quantify raw data and visualize information as a photograph

A is a visual representation of numerical data that allows for easy interpretation and analysis. 

Instruction:
Gather a set of objects and separate it into category such as color, shape, pattern, and other quantifiable factor.
Example:

1. Box of Lego
2. Jar of button
3. Jar of marble ball
4. Set of colourful rubber strap

In this exercise you're required to quantify our chosen objects and arrange them into a presentable layout or chart. 
The information must be presented as is, and you need to arrange the objects with relevant indicators written out with pens to help you to visualize the quantity and data. The examples of objects that can be use are buttons, coins, lego pieces, M&Ms, and more.
Submission:
E-Portfolio report consists of

1. Photo of the random objects before sorting out
2. Objects sorted out by categories (2 - 5 category)
3. Write and design the information on a piece of papers.  

EXERCISE 2: L.A.T.C.H INFOGRAPHIC POSTER

INSTRUCTION:

1. Select 1 topic of your own choice and create a poster design. 

2. Organize a group of information into a visual poster that combines and utilizes the LATCH principles (Minimum 4). 
Location. Alphabet. Time. Category. Hierarchy.

3. You are required to use the digital photo editing/illustration software available to assemble the information into a LATCH infographic poster. 

4. You are allowed to reuse back the images but you have to create the rest of visuals to complete the poster.

REQUIREMENTS:
1. Size resolution: A4 (100DPI)
2. Explanation of how each component of L.A.T.C.H is relatable to each other. 
3. Progress and submission link on E-Portfolio.

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Exercise 

Exercise 1 Quantifiable Information ：

I chose candy as the item I want to present.My idea is to use different colors of candy to represent different seasons, like four seasons candy

1.1 Photo of the random objects before sorting out

1.2 Teacher Example

To make sense of the chaos, I first categorized the pairs based on color. This step helped me visually distinguish the different categories, making it easier to identify patterns and potential combinations.

1.3 Sort by color

Because two groups of these four candies have the same flavor, I sorted them by flavor.

1.4 Classification by taste

Influenced by the image of a Christmas tree, I arranged the candies from bottom to top in order from winter, spring, summer, autumn, winter to form a tree, and this distribution represents the changing of the seasons.

1.5 Four Seasons Candy Tree

EXERCISE 2: L.A.T.C.H INFOGRAPHIC POSTER

I chose Einstein's physical theories as the theme because I happened to come across a video about Einstein on the Internet before starting my work. I consider him a great person and am very interested in the theories he proposed.

Visual Reference

Regarding the content of the poster, I want to use a timeline to show the time when each theory was proposed.Boxes of different colors represent different theoretical categories.

I designed two versions.

I think some of the background modules in the first version are not very harmonious, so I chose the second version.

Final Outcome

EXERCISE 1

EXERCISE 2

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FEEDBACK

week 2:The professor said it was a good idea, but it needed to be expressed on paper.

week 3:The teacher asked me to redo it because I only provided one category, so no one knew what message I wanted to express.

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REFLECTION

Through Exercise 1 and Exercise 2, I have gained a deeper understanding of how to visualize and organize information effectively using design principles.

In Exercise 1 (Quantifiable Information), I learned the importance of transforming raw data into a meaningful visual form. By using candies of different colors to represent the four seasons, I realized that even simple objects can communicate a clear message when categorized thoughtfully. The process of sorting and arranging helped me understand how visual hierarchy and layout can guide viewers to interpret data more easily.

In Exercise 2 (L.A.T.C.H Infographic Poster), I explored how to apply the L.A.T.C.H principles—Location, Alphabet, Time, Category, and Hierarchy—to structure complex information logically. I chose Einstein’s Theories as my topic because I found his scientific ideas both fascinating and challenging to visualize. Through organizing the theories along a timeline and using color-coded boxes to represent categories, I discovered how time and classification can work together to make abstract scientific content accessible and visually engaging.

This project also taught me the value of iteration. My first version of the poster lacked harmony in its background composition, but through feedback and revision, I improved the balance and clarity of the final design.