Information Design Collab
Information Design in an Urban Environment
Spring 2012 Julia Vallera and Harry Borrelli
CRN 7063 PSAM 5550 B
Class 6:00 pm – 8:45 pm Wednesday 6 East 16 room 1208
Course Description
Information design in the Urban Landscape is a course designed by Harry Borrelli (Senior Interactive Designer AMNH) and Julia Vallera (Part-Time Faculty Parsons). Students begin with an in-depth introduction to information design models such as Stage theory Model, Cleveland's Task Model, LATCH Model, AIDA, Gestalt Principle and more. They learn how to identify the application of these models in an Urban landscape. Students visit different locations in New York City and build a case study that demonstrates ways that information design is successful and/or not successful. They consider all forms of design such as media, architecture, landscape, interaction and more. Students create design solutions for one or more of the locations in the case study. Projects for this class can be in the form of exhibition, installation, graphic, print, game, video and/or web. All skill sets are welcome. No requirements are required to register for this class.
Course Objectives
This class will give students a professional and personal understanding of how information design applies to their lives. As senior interactive designer at the Museum of Natural History, Mr. Borrelli will demonstrate important details about installation design through lectures and critiques. Students will learn about information design in the most direct way they can, which is through exploration and hands on experience in the urban landscape.
Pecha Kucha
PechaKucha 20x20 is a simple presentation format where you show 20 images, each for 20 seconds. The images forward automatically and you talk along to the images.
Attendance and General Classroom Policies
You are expected to attend all classes on time. Lateness and absences carry heavy academic penalty as outlined in the schools regulations handbook. (Two latencies equals one absence and three absences equals failure.) Students must comply with all university standards for health/safety/ and conduct as outlined in the student handbook. In addition cell phones and pagers will be turned off and there is to be no use of headphones or other audio equipment during class.
Grading
Consider: concept, technical facility, execution, preparation for class, individual progress, class participation, and attendance when grading.
The final grade will also be based on excellent presentations of all assignments and ongoing work in the sketch/idea books.
A Work of the highest level of excellence in all aspects.
A- Work of very high level of excellence.
B+ Work of very high quality with potential of excellence.
B Work of very good quality.
B- Work of good quality but with some problems of creative ability and skills.
C+ Competent work with better than average skills.
C Average work.
C- Below average work. Marked problems with skills, creative ability, quality, and finish.
D Work that is far below average in quality, exhibits very poor skills
F Work that is so poor that no characteristic of it is acceptable.
Personal Info worksheet
Please fill out the worksheet that is handed out on the first day of class and return it to Julia. The worksheet is also available on the class blog should you need another one.
Teacher expectations
-Share your wonder/excitement for unknown knowledge/experience.
-Share your fear/doubt/embarrassment when facing a challenge in the class.
-Practice speaking about your goals and analyzing your work.
-Remember that this class is about the learning process, not about making a perfect picture.
-Trust that our questions and demands are guidance for you to improve
-Be comfortable. Ask for what you need.
-Focus on objective looking verse subjective history. (Peeling the Onion)
-Try things many times and in many different ways before you give up on an idea.
-Develop technique, understanding, thoughts and soul through creativity and critical thinking.
-Meditate or quiet your mind so that you can focus on being mentally present in class.
Teaching Ground-rules
-Guidelines- keep ALL work do not throw stuff out. Respect the process.
-Work hard and contribute
-Respect each other
-There are no silly questions and no stupid comments.
-There is no bad work, only work that doesn’t express your intention.
-Open mind- Ask questions- with enthusiasm, wonder, explore, be open, and it may be difficult. (If I don’t mention it in the assignment- paper size, medium, etc- it is your choice. SO make choices without fear.)
-Speak in an enthusiastic and challenging manner, but an honest one.
Textbook
“The Information Design Handbook”
O’Grady, Jenn Visocky. O’Grady, Ken Visocky.
WEEKLY COURSE OUTLINE
Week 1
Intro to information design (who, what, where, when, why)
Course requirements and class blog
Cognitive principles for ID: Learning styles and Memory
HW
Pecha Kucha presentation of your personal favorite info design example (one slide) and good and bad that relate to the lecture today (7 minutes or less)
Read PDF on blog (TBD)
Week 2
Cognitive Principles for ID: Perception and Discernment
Gestalt Principles, Eye Tracking, Clevelands task model
Week 3
Cognitive Principles for ID: Way finding and Information overload
Communication Principles for ID: AIDA & LATCH
Week 4
Cognitive Principles for ID: the inverted Pyramid style of writing principles of Least Effort and the Uncertainty Reduction Theory
Week 5
Cognitive Principles for ID: Inverted Pyramid Style of Writing, Principles of Least Effort
Aesthetic Principles for ID & the Grid system
Week 6
Aesthetic principles for ID: Hierarchy, color, contrast and typography
introduce midterm assignment
Week 7
- Present ideas for midterm
Week 8
Mid term presentations
Choose at least three principles of ID from previous lectures
Week 9 - 14
- work on final projects
Week 15
Present Final Projects
