This document provides guidance on designing effective information graphics and presentations for different formats and scales. It discusses best practices for layout, typography, and image scaling for reports viewed at 1-2 feet, boards viewed at 3-10 feet, and slides viewed at 10-30 feet. Specific recommendations are given around font sizes, column structure, grid layouts, and balancing text with large, legible images for each format. The document also contains examples of proper and improper graphic designs to illustrate its points.

1. design discretion
PLAN601E Verbal and visual: Information Graphics (session 4)

2. on representation

3. from Tufte, 1983, p. 69
on representation
Avoid misrepresentation in your graphics: be careful about
relative scale and the presentation of relative proportion!

4. 100 %
Census Tract 55
80 %
60 %
40 %
20 %
0 %
New York State
Census Tract 31
Brooklyn, NY
Manhattan CD 1
Is there anything wrong with this bar graph?
Hudson, NY
Pratt PSPD
Pratt GAUD
Bard College
population age 18 – 34 (2012)

5. Census Tract 1
Census Tract 3
Census Tract 7
Census Tract 13
Census Tract 15
Census Tract 21
Census Tract 23
Census Tract 27
Census Tract 31
population age 18 – 34 (2012)
11%
38%
Is there anything wrong with this bar graph?
90%
71%
23%
80%
9%
17%
56%

6. 100 %
diets of plan601E students
Meat Eater
80 %
60 %
40 %
20 %
0 %
Lacto-Vegan
Vegetarian
Lacto-ovo Vegetarian
Pescatarian
Is there anything wrong with this bar graph?
Fruitatarian
Macrobiotic
Flexitarian

7. diets of plan601E students
Is there anything wrong with this bar graph?
42%
Lacto-ovo
50%
Omnivore
8%
Fruitatarian8
18%
Macrobiotic
32%
Flexitarian

8. Is there anything wrong with this bar graph?
12 %
10 %
8 %
6 %
4 %
0 %
DISTRIBUTION OF TEST SCORES
800
770
740
710
680
650
620
590
560
530
500
470
440
410
380
350
320
290
260
230
PERCENTAGE OF TESTERS BY SCORE

9. Is there anything wrong with this pie chart?
pescatarians
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010

10. Related categories
at a specific moment in time
Parts of a whole
Percentages or shares
Single and simple
pie charts versus bar graphs
Unrelated quantities
OR a trend across a value range
Independent categories
Absolute quantities
One or more
DISPLAY
components
units
messages

11. v
smoking at school
non-smokers
37%

12. smoking among art school cohort
what about count charts?
smokers
63%
Can be useful when your sample size is manageable enough to
display all units; makes units more tangible, easily indicates both
quantity and share.
non-smokers
37%

13. formatting for different media

14. presentation format and scale
Aa 10’ ­–
30’
Aa 2’ ­–
10’
Aa
1’ ­–
2’

15. Leading the eye. Rule of thirds.
Leading eye. Rule layout = using grids
INFORMATION GRAPHICS = USING GRIDS

16. Can you read all fonts from 1 to 3 feet away?
Minimum font sizes: Title – 18 pt.; subhead – 10 pt.;
body / caption-text – 12 pt.
report layout
TRIEMPEO TROT VLAOYLOUUNTTEER FOR CASE STUDIES!!!

17. Use typography (sizes, colors, styles) as a navigation system for the page;
organize text and images into columns; scale images so they balance with text
column column column column
report layout
gutter
Typography and columns provide a basic navigation system for
reports, which have a high level of detail.
margin

18. Use typography (sizes, colors, styles) as a navigation system for the page;
organize text and images into columns; scale images so they balance with text
report layout
Typography and columns provide a basic navigation system for
reports, which have a high level of detail.
HEADER
MAP
photo
SUBHEAD
/ TEXT
TEXT TEXT
TEXT

19. Use typography Can (you sizes, read colors, all styles) fonts from as a navigation 1 to 3 feet system away?
for the page;
organize text and images into columns; scale images so they balance with text
subhead
Typography Minimum font and sizes: columns Title provide – 18 pt.; a basic subhead navigation – 10 system pt.;
for
reports, body / caption-which have text a high – 12 level pt.
of detail.
summary
deck
report layout
header
TRIEMPEO TROT VLAOYLOUUNTTEER FOR CASE STUDIES!!!
sub-subhead
footer
body text
image scaled
proportional
to text
sidebar box
with unique
font styles
caption

20. Can you read all fonts from 1 to 3 feet away?
Can you read all fonts 1 to 3 feet away?
TRIEMPEO TROT VLAOYLOUUNTTEER FOR CASE STUDIES!!!
font sizes: Title – 18 pt.; subhead – 10 pt.;
/ caption-text – 12 pt.
report layout
Minimum font sizes: Title – 18 pt.; subhead – 10 pt.;
body / caption-text – 10 pt.

21. Can you read all fonts from 10 to 12 feet away?
Can you read all fonts 10 to 12 feet away?
BOARD TIME TO LAYOUT
VOLUNTEER FOR CASE STUDIES!!!
font sizes: Title – 48 pt.; subhead – 36 pt.;
/ caption-text – 18 pt.
board layout
Minimum font sizes: Title – 48 pt.; subhead – 36 pt.;
body / caption-text – 18 pt.

22. Use the 3 x 3 grid to organize images and annotation into thematic areas.
board layout
Rows and columns provide a basic navigation system for boards,
which organize information thematically.

23. Use the 3 Can x 3 grid you to read organize all fonts images from and 10 annotation to 12 feet into away?
thematic areas.
BOARD TIME TO LAYOUT
VOLUNTEER FOR CASE STUDIES!!!
rendering
strategies
collages
Minimum font sizes: Title – 48 pt.; subhead – 36 pt.;
body / caption-text – 18 pt.
board layout
Fonts and columns provide also basic navigation system for
boards, which organize information thematically.
title
intro precedents
analysis
concept
site plan
phasing
title

24. Can you read all fonts from 10 to 12 feet away?
Can you read all fonts 10 to 12 feet away?
BOARD TIME TO LAYOUT
VOLUNTEER FOR CASE STUDIES!!!
font sizes: Title – 48 pt.; subhead – 36 pt.;
/ caption-text – 18 pt.
board layout
Minimum font sizes: Title – 48 pt.; subhead – 36 pt.;
body / caption-text – 18 pt.

25. Maximize image size on the slide with legible headers and text.
slide layout
header
subhead
image
header
subhead
text
image
header
subhead
text
images
Minimum font sizes: Title – 36 pt.; subhead – 24 pt.;
body / caption-text – 14 pt.

26. report
Linear
1 – 2 ft.
Proportional to text
Detailed narrative
Sequential ideas
Format
Reading Distance
Image Size
Text
Structure
boards
Linear/non-linear
3 – 10 ft.
As large as possible
Annotation
Related ideas
slides
Linear
10 – 30 ft.
As large as possible
Summary statements
One idea at a time
format comparison