"Hey Jude" Visual Map
Visual Mapping and Information Design
First Steps
Early communication starts with drawing as children develop their vocabulary. Their comprehension of words and phrases is evident even though they cannot verbalize responses. They use “sounds, gestures, and images…[and] they draw rounded shapes, scribbles, zigzags, and other nonverbal expressions to express thoughts” (Hansen, p. 197). This process we learn as infants and continue to cultivate is visual thinking.
The Process
Visually represented ideas provide a way to organize, develop, refine, and retain information. “Graphics have the capacity to transform our understanding” (Hansen, p. 203) Graphics allow us to see information and visualize a scenario that can lead to the purchase of a product or provide a clear solution that was not evident through text representations. Dan Roam indicates that drawing a problem at a minimum presents us “with an infinitely clearer view of our situation” (p. 256). Information Designers rely on graphical representations of information to use as communication that conveys meaning and understanding. Technology and the information explosion have made graphics available and prominent through their integration on the internet and social media platforms.
Visuals in Advertising
The power of simplicity in design is evident throughout advertising campaigns. The ads we recall are short, simply, yet catchy. Another simple design is Icons which are representations of social media platforms or programs. When we see an icon we think of the program capability and uses or the social media platform that it represents.
Software Visuals
When talking about Tableau Software, a data visualization program, CFO Magazine is quoted as saying, ”In terms of generating useful, multidimensional visual analysis, it's like going from an Etch-a-Sketch to Industrial Light and Magic. Quite simply, it's the best piece of software CFO has run across in years” (Shien). There are many mapping software programs that can help put words into pictures. What they all have in common is the simplicity of the visual that they create to explain and present information that otherwise, without a visual, would just be words that are just half of the message.
My Blog Map and Implementation
In my blog, I have used the right side bar as supporting text with graphics that correlate to each post. I tend to reply on words more than graphics. In this blog I incorporated a visual graphic for each section of the post. The graphic represents the main idea I was expressing and the text supports it. I tried to make the graphics explain the post instead of the words. I also used a video that gives a great example of visually mapping a popular song.
Works Cited
Hansen, Yvonne M.”Visualization for Thinking, Planning, and Problem Solving.” Information Design. Ed. Robert Jacobson. London: MIT, 2000. 193-220. Print.
Roam, Dan. The Back of the Napkin. London: Penguin Group, 2009. Print.
Shien, Esther. “What's Hot This Summer.” CFO Magazine. August 1, 2007. Web. March 13, 2012. http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/9539622/c_9572331?f=magazine_alsoinside
