Information Design | Final Project
Table of Content
Module Information
Lecture
- Understand the question and ask the right question.
- Evaluate data -> Identify pros and cons -> Create content creation plan -> Understand the outcome -> Build case studies
- Create empty folders -> Fill in each folder with progress -> Synchronize all working files
- Explore existing ideas as guides and references
- Identify your strengths -> Understand reference as benchmark -> Solution is the answer
- Left brain -> Logic is used to find reference
- Right brain -> Creative is used to find inspiration
Project ：
Idea 1: Greenhouse Effect – Explain how greenhouse gases trap heat, causing Earth to warm, raising awareness about the consequences and how to prevent climate change.
Introduction：
The greenhouse effect is known as a natural process that warms the Earth’s surface. This process helps to keep the Earth at an optimum temperature for life. However, human activities have intensified this effect, causing the Earth’s temperature to rise.This presentation will highlight the importance of understanding what the greenhouse effect is and how each individual can contribute to reducing its impact to save the Earth.
Purpose of the Presentation:
This presentation aims to:
Clearly explain what the greenhouse effect is and how it works.
Explore how human activities have amplified this natural process.
Highlight the environmental and social impacts of a strengthened greenhouse effect.
Emphasize the importance of individual and collective action in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Objectives:
To raise awareness about the science behind the greenhouse effect.
To encourage critical thinking about human responsibility and environmental ethics.
To inspire practical steps that individuals can take to reduce their carbon footprint.
Visual References / Mood board
fig 1.1visual references
fig 1.2visual references
fig 1.3visual references
Mood board
This design concept was inspired by our concern for the effectiveness of science communication. We hope that even groups with different backgrounds, such as non-specialist viewers, children or students, will be able to understand the science behind climate warming in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.
Therefore, we put special emphasis on the visual design:
Simple and clear graphic constructions
Warm and friendly colours
Dynamic animations combined with text
To make the message more vivid, friendly and inspiring.
Illustration Process:
1. Preliminary Sketching
After completing the sub-scripts (storyboards), I created preliminary sketches based on the content of each scene. The main purpose is to quickly confirm the flow of the characters, scene layout and visual narrative, focusing on the following factors:
Whether the message is clear
Whether the elements are too complex
Whether the content is logically coherent
Sketching PDF
Board sketch.pdf：
Once the online draft was finalised, I used Illustrator for digital colouring. Colour blocks were unified and contrasted to reinforce the hierarchy of information while ensuring that the colours were not too garish or distracting in a dynamic display.
Our final animation is a concise and engaging educational video that explains the greenhouse effect using simple illustrations, smooth transitions, and clear narration. The goal was to transform a complex scientific process into a visual story that is easy to understand and accessible to a wider audience.
During our Week 14 online consultation, the lecturer viewed our final animation video and provided several important suggestions for improvement. These feedback points were crucial for enhancing the clarity, accuracy, and visual engagement of our animation.
As we move into final revisions, we will be reusing the illustrated Earth character from earlier drafts. I will expand the composition by adding key greenhouse gas elements (such as CO₂, N₂O, NH₃, H₂O, and others) around the Earth figure to visually represent their accumulation and impact on the atmosphere.
Group division of labor process
After I finished all the illustration work, my partner Guan Yu took on most of the video editing tasks. She was very meticulous in handling the pacing, transitions, layer animation, etc., ensuring the overall smoothness and professionalism of the animation.
As the team leader, Tan Zhen Hong showed a high sense of responsibility. He would communicate with us about the progress of the project and clarify the duties and responsibilities of each member to ensure that the whole project would be completed on time. In the post-production stage, he was also actively involved in the editing and dubbing process, helping to adjust the sound and picture to enhance the overall quality of the final product.
Reference: Greenhouse Effect Reference
Feedback
During all stages of the project, we actively collected and implemented the professional feedback given by the teacher, especially during the online meeting in week 14, the teacher watched our final finished animation video and made the following suggestions for modifications to further optimise the expressiveness and completeness of the work's message:
Arrow graphics need to be adjusted to the correct layer to avoid blocking or misplacing during animation.
Add different guiding elements before the introduction of greenhouse gases to help establish the logical structure of the content and the cognitive background of the audience.
Include the year for each key element to create a timeline and enhance the sense of cause and effect and history.
Ensure that the text is not obscured by the background stars to ensure readability and a clean image.
Add important information such as ‘improper waste disposal’, ‘loss of animal habitat’ and ‘extreme weather events’ to add dimension to the message.
Reflection
EXPERIENCE ：The whole project, from data collection, script writing, illustration drawing to animation production, was a challenging but rewarding process. As a member of the team, I was mainly responsible for the creation of visual images and sub-screen design, and I undertook most of the illustration tasks, including the design and refinement of characters, backgrounds, and elements. During the process, I kept trying to express complex scientific concepts through concise images, which not only tested my drawing skills but also honed my ability to translate information into visual language.
In terms of teamwork, we had many online discussions and division of labour arrangements. I learnt how to maintain efficient communication with my group members within a tight timeframe and allocate tasks reasonably according to each person's strengths. Finally, with the integration of animation editing, subtitling and dubbing, we successfully produced a complete educational animation.
During the creation and collaboration process, I observed several key issues and inspirational points:
The simplicity and accuracy of visual information is very important, especially when targeting non-professional audiences, the more intuitive the image, the quicker the knowledge points can be conveyed.
When combining graphics and text, if there are too many elements or unclear layers, the audience will easily feel confused, so the visual hierarchy and rhythm control need special attention.
Even small adjustments in the animation, such as arrow position, text blocking, transition slow motion, will have a significant impact on the overall perception. Details determine quality.
In teamwork, clear responsibilities and timely communication are the core elements to ensure the successful completion of tasks.
Through actual practice, I found the following points:
The combination of visual design and scientific content is not only about aesthetics, but also about balancing the logic of the message with the audience's ability to understand it.
Uniform illustration styles and clear characterisation make the whole animation more coherent and professional.
Even if team members have different skill sets, by utilising each other's strengths, they can make up for their shortcomings and achieve their goals.
Science communication can also be a creative process. Through visual design, we can make cold or abstract topics more warm and vibrant.
Clearer logic of expression: I have trained myself how to tell a story through images and how to use visual logic to guide the audience to understand the abstract content, which will help me a lot in my future design projects.
Increased sense of teamwork: I have learnt how to play to my strengths in a team, and understand the important principles of collaboration, such as respecting others' division of labour, timely communication and shared decision-making.
Deeper understanding of climate issues: I have learnt more about the mechanism of the greenhouse effect and its real-life impacts through the process of data collection and information illustration, which has also stimulated my interest in sustainable design.
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