Assignment 3

Approach/Initial Thought Process:

The assignment samples uploaded on LumiNUS involved very "formal" topics such as events that unfolded during wars (e.g., Holocaust) or global warming. However, I wanted to do something different for this assignment. Being an avid sports fan, I intended to do an infographic on an athlete and incorporate various visual representation techniques such as timeline infographics and comparison infographics, to name a few. However, I was not sure if this topic was appropriate, so I made sure to check with our TA before proceeding with my brainstorming process.

After getting the green light, I decided to do an infographic on Roger Federer, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. I drew my inspiration from various sports infographics that I have seen in newspapers through the years, as well as some online examples that I stumbled upon while doing research for this assignment. In fact, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) website, which was the source of most of my statistics, had its own infographics. Below are some examples that inspired my creativity.

Joseph Schooling Infographic - The Business Times 

Various sports infographics on Pinterest

ATP Website's Infographics

Looking for more inspiration...

Hence, after consuming all that information and tying to ignite my creative spark, I came up with the following sketch:

With this sketch to serve as a guideline, I proceeded with recreating it in Illustrator.

  

Challenges Faced and How I Overcame Them:

As usual, no assignment is complete without its fair share of trials and tribulations. With this assignment being more complex and less restrictive than the previous 2, I definitely faced more roadblocks in the course of completing the first draft to be presented during the critique session. I have listed them below, as well as how I overcame them.

How to make a graph in Illustrator 

As the header suggests, I was initially unaware that graphs could be generated on Illustrator. I thought that I would have to manually draw and arrange rectangles and lines to make a graph, or copy and paste graphs made in separate applications like PowerPoint. However, when I reached out to our TA to share my thought process, he suggested that perhaps there was a better way to add a graph in Illustrator.

With that in mind, I decided to do some research on Google and YouTube. I chanced upon the following instructional video, which helped me save so much time by not having to manually make my graphs.

YouTube tutorial

Following that, I proceeded to create a variety of graphs to showcase different statistics.

Vertical bar graph

Horizontal bar graph

Line graph

How to make dotted lines and bold text

Despite having a few weeks of Illustrator usage under my belt, I found out that I was unsure of doing simple tasks. For instance, to make text bold, "Control + B", which is a common shortcut for other applications, did not work. Again, after doing more research on Google and YouTube, I realized that I had to make text bold by increasing the thickness of the stroke. In the course of my research, I also learned a new keyboard shortcut - I could toggle between changing the "fill" and "stroke" color by hitting "X". From that point on, I used this shortcut to work faster and more efficiently.

Making text bold by increasing the "Stroke" value  from 1pt to 3pt 

Similarly, when labeling my graph, I did not want to incorporate so many solid lines to prevent the graph from looking too "boring", and also to avoid interfering with the graph itself. Thus, I had to use dotted lines, which I learnt how to create through more online research.  

Making a dashed line by changing the stroke properties

Dotted lines used

Infographic Progression:

Process of Drawing Federer

To draw Roger Federer, I applied one of the earliest techniques taught to us, First, I chose an appropriate photo - him striking a celebratory pose to signify success and greatness.

Photo of choice

Then, I made the opacity 50% to make it easier to trace.

50% opacity

Next, I used the pen tool to outline the picture. 

First outline

Afterwards, I outlined the individual elements of the picture (e.g., shoes, shirt, shorts) so that I could fill them with the appropriate colors.

Drawing Progression

Creating the Background

I originally planned for the background to be simple - a title and a drawing of Federer. However, when that was complete, it looked too bare, which prompted me to add a background color. However, even then, the background still looked too barren. To rectify that, I added the blue court as seen in the original image. Only then did I feel satisfied with the background, and I proceeded with populating the infographic with the selected statistics.

Initial background

Background with added color

Final background

Other Comments

I separated all the elements I created in layers, and locked them when I was done. This allowed me to plan the layout of my infographic by hiding some parts when I wanted to view other sections in isolation. Additionally, since this was a very complex artwork, locking the layers prevented me from inadvertently shifting elements around, which would have interrupted my workflow and made me less efficient.

Various layers

Original Infographic:

Critique/Feedback:

I had lots of critique for this assignment - which was a good thing, as that meant that there was much more room for improvement and personal growth through learning from my shortcomings. Most of the points addressed were minor issues that helped with the overall aesthetic of the infographic, though there were also a fair share of major concerns that if addressed properly, could definitely improve the work greatly. Again, I have listed all the comments, major and minor, below.

1. Not enough color contrast between the background and title

2. Colors of graph and axis labels are not consistent

3. Not enough variation of fonts; makes the work feel "budget" 😅  

4. Too much text; not enough use of icons 

5. Add Federer's shadow to create an element of depth 

6. Make rounded edges of the rectangles more obvious to reduce the "harshness" on viewers' eyes

7. Keep the opacity of the rectangles consistent  

8. Some text is too near the edges of the boxes

9. Make the timeline clearer/more legible

Thus, after the critique session, I knew I had lots of work on my hands!

Changes Made:

To improve the infographic post-critique, I initially thought of addressing each of the suggestions individually. However, I realized that I would be better off revamping the whole infographic. So, that is what I did.

First, I changed the orientation to portrait so that I could move the character to the centre and still have enough space around him to insert the infographics. I enlarged him to match the new artboard orientation, and also moved the Swiss flag from the "personal information" box to his tennis racket so that I could reduce the empty space in the infographic in a creative way. I also changed the background color, the fonts used, and the style of fonts (i.e., Serif vs. Sans Serif, italics, bold, rotated at an angle, etc.) for more variety.

Additionally, I used more visual elements. For instance, instead of just using words to label the competition won, I included a drawing of the tournament's trophy. Another change I made was to do away with the boxes that defined the boundaries of the statistics. I did this because admittedly, to borrow the phrase used by our TA, it made the original infographic look as if it had been done on a tight budget. Thus, by removing the "clearly defined" borders, I felt that it would let viewers' attention flow from statistic to statistic more easily. Finally, I did away with the harsh color contrasts by replacing certain colors with more complementary ones.

Redesigned the personal information section

More icons/drawings added to reduce the reliance on text to get my message across

Final Infographic:

Commentary and Reflection:

I thought my initial infographic looked nice, to say the least. However, the comments I received during my tutorial made me reflect and go back to the drawing board. There was so much room for improvement and lots of time was spent revising my work. However, as the saying goes, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"! I tried my best to address all the pain points in my work, and I am pleased that the final result looks so much better (to me, at least 😅). 

After editing the work, I feel that the infographic looks much more aesthetically-pleasing. Gone are the harsh color contrasts and the uniform fonts. Instead, the colors are more complementary (as per what was taught during week 7's lecture on color) and the fonts are more varied (i.e., mix of Serif and Sans Serif, as per week 6's lecture content about typography). These changes serve to balance out the different elements better. 

At the end of the day, this assignment made me appreciate the importance of visual representation in communicating complex data easily. An infographic's purpose is to allow viewers to process complex information quickly and clearly. However, if an infographic is too cluttered with words and is not very legible (just like my original infographic), it defeats the purpose of the infographic because time will be wasted trying to discern what is written. Through my subsequent use of various graphs, icons, and typefaces, I hope that I have aptly demonstrated the effectiveness of visuals in getting a message across!