Signs of Tradition

I've spent roughly 2/3 of my life living in the same area of New York: Sullivan County. There's a lot of little, nothing-to-do towns, and we always seem to be ranked high in various state-wide rankings for things that one isn't exactly proud to be ranked high in. But it's home. Outside of the site of the Woodstock festival and the performing arts center built on/near the site several years ago that draws some pretty big names in the music industry (http://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/) there doesn't seem like there is much to do. But if you're willing to work at it just a bit, there is actually a lot to do in the area. Much of it dealing with nature as we sit at the foot of the Catskill mountains.

Visiting one place in particular, called Beaverkill (in geographic terms, a 'kill' simply means "stream, creek, or tributary") has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember. We visit a minimum of once a year (often many more times) to swim, picnic, and occasionally camp out. As far as parks go, it's not overly big, or even that interesting if you don't enjoy the 3 aforementioned activities. Since this particular blog assignment coincided with a planned trip there, I thought maybe I'd be able to kill two birds with one stone. Then I got to thinking that it might not be the best area to critique for information design purposes, as I couldn't recall all that many signs. But, I brought my camera and an open mind anyway, and I was actually pretty surprised at what I found.

Here we see the main sign as you pull into the main parking area. The brown background, yellow lettering, and blue seal of the DEC are all standard elements of "official" park signage. You see a sign with those elements, you know right away that you're in a more 'official' area than if you just happened to be wandering through the woods. The fact that the park system uses these kinds of signs brings a cohesion throughout the system, which ranges literally over the entire state. That kind of unity is quite useful when your target audience is spread far and wide.

And some of the rules of the area. Important information, again done in those 'official' colors to draw attention to the importance of them. We see the use of the recycling symbol, to reinforce the idea of cleaning up after yourselves. Some people need all the reminders that they can get.

The official "historic point of interest" sign, which could do with a bit of a face lift. Slightly informative in a 'huh, how bout that?' kind of way, which works for these types of signs. Seems a little odd to place a 'No Trucks' road sign right next to it as it does ruin most of the historic interest vibe with a more modern intrusion, but, that sign is still important as the bridge the sign references REALLY cannot handle trucks (you'll see in the next picture), and these two signs are on the side of the road leading right across the bridge, so the no trucks sign placement seems to be born out of necessity. Putting it further back on the driveway would be misleading as there are ways you could turn prior to these signs that don't go over the bridge and trucks are allowed in those areas. If it was my design though, aesthetically speaking, I would probably go with a sign that said "No trucks allowed on bridge" further back, rather than this symbolic one in this area.

Here's exactly why trucks aren't allowed on the bridge. Low clearance, low (vehicularly speaking) weight limit. This has always been one of my favorite aspects of the park, because that bridge has been standing for a long time, with not all that much done to it in the way of maintenance. And it's still sturdy as can be.... as long as people follow the signs. I like the sign choice here, as the white with black lettering is eye catching, but not detracting from the sight of the bridge itself. And whoever thought of the archway before the bridge is a smart person. It acts as a kind of sign all by itself since if you can't get under the arch, you won't clear the bridge. A great safety feature since the arch can be repaired much easier than the bridge can. You learn a lot about what's up ahead just by it being there, an excellent design feature.

This sign is on a tree right next to the road leading up to the bridge, and I have to tell you, I REALLY could have used this sign about 3 years ago when I moved back to this area. Anyone not familiar with the sight, there are these purple things hanging in trees all over the place. They're like triangular cylinders and they just hang there. I started seeing them and asked around as to what they were, and no one seemed to know. It was some time before I finally found out, and a sign like this would have helped solve the mystery much sooner. Yellow background made it stand out against the tree, and drew my eye right away, important for a warning/caution type sign. DEC and USDA logos add that official air to it. I imagine this is photocopied from information meant for widespread use, but even still I had to chuckle at the addition of the QR code given the fact that you lose all cell phone service about 3 miles before you hit the park. This is an example of information being designed for as wide an audience as possible, not tailored down for specific sectors.

Compare this historical point of interest sign to the first one, and you can guess that this sign is relatively new. I'm not sure when exactly it was posted because it was in an area that I haven't frequented in a while, so when I found it on this trip, it was new to me. This is an appropriate sign because the region where this park is, is extremely well-known in fishing circles (particularly fly-fishing). I had no idea who Theodore Gordon was, or that this was one of his favorite spots, but I do now, and I felt just a bit of a deeper connection to the spot because of it. An effective commemoration.

Here's some homemade signage etched into the foundation of one end of the bridge. Like many spots like this, there are a large number of these kinds of commemorations all over the bridge. It could be viewed as graffiti, but I have to say, all the 'signatures' I've come across here have been very respectful and tame in nature, as opposed to garish and profane. It's an interesting contrast to see the differences and similarities between how a site is marked "officially" and unofficially. The unofficial signage in this park has fairly organic feel to it, which adds to the experience, rather than detracting from it.

The last picture, of two road signs on the other side of the bridge from the pictures earlier. I find these signs to be of poor design for a couple reasons. One, while there is a back way into the park, it is definitely not commonly known or well traveled. You end up going through the entire camp site portion of the park long before you come to the bridge, and no matter what you're doing in the park, it's just not an efficient way to go. Therefore, I'd say 99% of the traffic at the park comes through the main entrance. And if you're going back out that way after having passed the point of these signs, it means you've already come across the bridge and are aware of its existence. Having a sign there doesn't seem particularly necessary. Then there's the wording of the 3 Ton Bridge sign. Yes, we're all supposed to know that they mean the weight limit is 3 tons, but I've often laughed at signs like this because they could also be taken as informative, as if they're telling us how much the bridge itself weighs. You never see "One Ton Elevator" signs, you see "Maximum Capacity: 2000lbs" signs. To me, it's a safety sign that lacks clarity, which is never good design. About all that these signs have going for them is their bright yellow color. Eye catching and we know that we're being told to proceed with caution... if you couldn't figure that out by looking at the end of the bridge that's 10 feet behind these signs (and also has the same white clearance & weight signs as the opposite ends).

That about did it for signage in this area of the park. A lot more than I thought there was, and most of it suiting a pretty clear purpose, and doing so effectively. This is definitely a way finding type of approach as most signs endeavor to educate or lead you to places. One big issue I took with their design aesthetics, I didn't think to get a picture of. The bathrooms/changing house. Virtually unmarked. There are no "Restrooms this way" signs anywhere in the park or parking lots. And there is no large sign on the building itself. And it really doesn't help that the building design matches the design of one of the office buildings on the other side of the park which is heavily labeled with "Employees Only" signs. At first glance, you'd think it could be just another of those buildings. The typical male/female bathroom symbols are only on the doors (entrances on each side of the building) so you have to be right up close to it to see, and if you guess the wrong side first, you've got a long walk around the building to get to the right door. Seriously poor design there.

All in all though, this experience taught me that even in places where signs and information design don't SEEM prevalent, there are a lot more examples out there than you might think. All you have to do is open your eyes and your mind.

I leave you with a couple of the more scenic shots I took during the day:

The start of the next generation of the tradition...

Noticing Theme - Or: My 8th Grade English Teacher Would Be So Proud

When you're writing a book/story, theme is one of the many elements you have to consider. Theme, when done well, is multi-layered, and quite nuanced. Boiled down to its essence though, theme can be compared to 'the moral of the story'. It's the undercurrent that runs throughout a work and ties all the interwoven strands together into one unified piece.

Design wise, it serves much the same purpose. Think of the themes you use on your computer or smart phone. Changing the "theme" of your devices usually means changing the color scheme, using similarly styled icons (which match or contrast the color scheme), and changing the default fonts of your various programs to something that "fits" as well. The theme of the design becomes the overall "look" of the design, which is very important since its usually the first impression the audience receives.

Fortunately for the average blog user, they have a lot of help when it comes to designing/implementing an effective theme. To illustrate my point this week, I went ahead and changed my theme.  Same basic three box layout, but different colors, different background design, and different font. It took all of 10 seconds to achieve this.

I went into settings, found the layouts tab, and selected a new, pre-made layout/theme, then clicked save. And just like that I have a new look for my blog.

Of course, one has to consider the effectiveness of the change. Are orange, pink, and yellow swirls the image I want for my blog? Do they line up with my goals or my target audience? Since the goal was simply to illustrate how easy it is to change a blog theme, I'd say yes. The multi-colored, somewhat whimsical design wouldn't exactly be appropriate in a professional setting however. If I was looking for that kind of theme, I'd simply search the library of themes provided by Blogspot and pick one that suited.

Then, usually, these free themes allow customization to arrange text and colors and photos to where you want them, without any programming knowledge required. Wordpress has an impressive range of free themes that fit a wide range of blog genres and audiences. An even larger library if you want to pay a subscription fee.

Search for "Free blog templates" and then get ready to spend hours upon hours combing through the results to pick out ones your like - IMG SRC: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3458/3276330998_f90af59e71.jpg?v=0

The sheer number of themes out there, along with the amount of time one might spend to adjust their free theme "jussssst right" is proof of just how important the packaging/presentation of information actually is. Both those things are also evidence of just how easy it is to lose sight of the fact that how information looks is, at most, only half the battle. After all, readers aren't going to stick around for the moral of the story if everything else isn't up to par. Just like people aren't going to care about how pretty your blog looks if you don't have interesting content.

Social Media for the Anti-social

Ahhh social media... thou art a sneaky nemesis. Hester Prynne had her scarlet "A" for Adultress... while social media over the years has stamped me with a scarlet "H" for 'hypocrite'.

I have always held a general dislike (or outright disdain) for the companies/sites/programs that are typically associated with social media. I've ridiculed MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and company, along with their users pretty much since they've come into existence. Yet...at various times, into today, I have used MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and company.

I don't mind ridiculing myself. If you can't laugh at yourself then I feel that you're missing out on a key experience in life that allows you to maintain perspective. To that end, I'm a blond who tells blond jokes, a fat guy that tells fat jokes, and a Facebook user that mocks Facebook users. In the grand scheme of things, none of those things define who I am as a person, so I see no issue in making fun of them.

I view social media as a 'not entirely necessary necessary evil'. It's not particularly complicated, just a little confusing because I easily see the value of social media, particularly when it comes to the world of business:

1. You connect with a larger audience, almost instantly
2. With constant updates it's possible to control/maintain/change your image much more quickly than it used to be
3. You have the benefit of networking globally rather than just locally
4. From an HR management position, the pool of potential employees is virtually infinite
5. Feedback, from a wide range of sources, to adapt your product/style

Social Media allows you to market on a massive scale, and there are HUGE benefits to that, all across the board.

But I still don't like it. Mostly, it's a "few rotten apples ruining the bunch" kind of thing as the advent and explosion of social media has pushed out culture in almost as many negative ways as it has positive ones. 

From an information design standpoint, it opens up a wide range of possibilities. As mentioned above, it has turned the entire economy into a global one. With the use of services like Facebook and Twitter, even the mom and pop store in Middle of Nowhere, USA can reach consumers in far off places. This has changed how information must be presented as people now have a much broader audience to consider and design for.

As for my blog, I've included buttons for instant sharing of any of my blog posts on the various social media sites and email. How did I do this? Simple, I signed up for a blog. It's an automatic feature for many sites, and if it's not automatic, it's a few simple clicks to include it. This allows you to share your information with a huge audience across multiple platforms, in mere moments. If you're smart, you'll design exclusive information  for each medium because as a consumer, there are few things more annoying than following a person or company on Facebook, Twitter, and so on, and seeing the same exact post touted (not to be confused with: Tout, a social media service itself now) in all of those places. Not everyone uses all the services out there, but for those that do, it's nice not to get inundated with the same information all the time. 

If I were to use social media to its full extent, I would have this blog, with exclusive content, and I would share it across all the platforms. I'd also create links to my various pages and profiles so that people who find my blog first can find my other pages, and vice-versa. The logo icons for each service have become the widely used and accepted means of creating those links and though it may be tempting to be more creative in your presentation, to me it's one of those 'if it's not broke, don't fix it' type of situations. People are familiar with the line of buttons for this use, and people like what is familiar. 

The Gorilla in the Room... hey, where'd he go?

In my recent wanderings through a bookstore, I came across a table of bargain books, on which sat one with a rather intriguing title:

The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive Us

I scanned the back and was interested enough to purchase the book, and thus far, I'm glad that I did. It's an interesting read that explores the idea of the "illusion of attention" among other things. The premise (and title) of the book is based on an experiment conducted by the authors in which they show people a video of people playing basketball. One team is dressed in white, the other in black, and they ask the people to count the number of passes made by one team or the other, ignoring the passes from the other team.

What they do not tell people is that halfway through the video, a person in a gorilla suit will walk across the screen, pause, look directly at the camera and beat its chest, and then walk off the other side of the screen. They've conducted this experiment numerous times over the years, and the results are fairly consistent. About half of the people viewing the video don't even see the gorilla. An excerpt (p. 6) from an interview with a test subject shows a disbelieving reaction:

Q: Did you notice anything unusual while you were doing the counting task?
A: No.

Q: Did you notice anything other than the players?
A: Well, there were some elevators, and S's painted on the wall. I don't know what the S's were for?

Q: Did you notice anyone other than the players?
A: No.

Q: Did you notice a gorilla?
A: A what?!

It seems ridiculous, on the surface at least, that someone would miss something that intellectually appears to be so obvious. In fact, the first chapter is entitled: "I think I would have seen that" in homage to the common reaction people have when questioned about what they did or didn't see. 

It really is a fascinating read that explores the fact that just because we "look" doesn't mean we actually "see", even though common perception tends to be "You HAD to see that! You were looking right at it!". I haven't finished the book yet, so can't make a final recommendation, but what I've read so far has got me thinking about how exactly these theories would apply to the world of Information Design.

We talk about the need for clarity and effectiveness, but how can we be clear and effective when people are capable of missing what is right in front of their face? Consider the number of logos which are so popular and recognizable in today's world. We know who these company's are, and what they represent, just based on a simple image. Yet, there are many logos with hidden images that we've been staring at almost our entire lives yet may not have ever seen.

The Fed Ex logo is one of the more popular examples of this:

(Img source: http://images.fedex.com/images/c/t1/gh/logo-header-fedex.png)

The colors may change depending on incarnation, but this is the basic design. I have to admit that I was one of the many people who never realized that there was an arrow created by the negative space between the Ex. How many times had I stared at that logo and not once did I see it? It seemed so obvious once I did, and you can never "un-see" it once you've seen it, but it's the same basic premise of the illusion of attention discussed in this book. I looked at it so many times that I feel like I should have seen it. Like the gorilla standing amongst basketball players.

Information Designers really need to consider this. Ultimately it boils down to "the obvious might not actually be so obvious". It's something that should be included in the process of figuring out your audience and your intent behind the message. Do you want "hidden" messages in your design? Doing so will appeal to some, insult others (the book mentions people who accused the authors of doctoring the tape because there was 'no way' they could have missed the gorilla themselves), and completely go over the head of others. It goes back to the critical foundation of knowing your audience, and knowing further that as simple as your design may be, it still might not be simple enough.

The Steps of Information Design: Simply Complex

The steps in the process of Information Design can be condensed down into 4 basic steps, that can be understood by all, but don't necessarily capture the essence of the complexities found in individual scenarios.

Image ©The Write Design

Depending on the situation, you are likely to spend more time on one of these steps than others. Which one will depend on a number of factors, like what kind of information you're designing, who you're designing for, what your goals are, etc. For example, a new design company working with a client for the very first time will likely spend a considerable amount of time gathering information and learning about the client. Much more so than an established company working with a long term client as they will already possess much of that information. In that case, they may place more importance on the planning steps as they determine which members of the team will do what jobs.

One can easily argue for any one of these steps to be the most important. In reality though, none of them work without the others. You can't implement an effective design plan without knowing your client, your audience, or the plan of attack. You can't learn about the audience without knowing about your client. You can't learn about your client without knowing who is going to gather that information. And any combination therein. Take one of those away and it's like cutting the circuit: your light bulb won't brighten.

So while situations dictate which step gets the most focus, every Information Design situation will include these in some manner. One has to understand that each of these steps have their own steps to success, but as an overview of the entire process, I think these 4 steps are pretty good at encompassing everything one would need to know. I do have one addition to make though. It's not necessarily a step #5 per se, but more a step 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a.

ADJUST.

Adjust, adjust, adjust as you go along this process. If you fail to adjust as you go, then odds are you're going to come up short of your goal. You cannot lock yourself in and be inflexible within the process. You have to be aware of as much as you can, and react accordingly. The Information Design Workbook mentions how "Content can be a moving target" (41), and I find this description to be quite apt. You're hunting, you're not shooting at stationery targets. Hitting a deer in mid-leap is a completely different task that hitting the bullseye at 50 yards.

Think you know your client? - What happens if they have an unexpected stock market hit? What does that do to the information you have in your possession?

You know who is going to do what on this project? - What happens when your project manager is fired for sexual harassment?

You know everything there is to know about your audience? - What happens when a newspaper article gets published denouncing similar products and parents are no longer interested in what you're selling?

About to implement your design plan? - What happens when the client changes their mind about wanting print ads instead of digital?

This is one of those rules that just SEEMS like a 'common-sense' approach on the surface, but ends up boggling the mind at how many people and businesses don't seem to possess common sense. It shouldn't have to be a "rule" but that seems to be the only way to get people to pay attention.

I think effective blogging is a perfect example of this process, including adjusting, at work.

1. Learn about the client - in this case the client is usually yourself, but you really need to put extensive thought into the image and information you wish to project.

2. Plan - How are you going to blog? Web? Mobile? Video? All of them? How often? How do you handle comments and feedback? These are all questions (among many many others) that you ask yourself before you even begin. And then constantly again and again as you go.

3. Learn about your audience - who are you targeting? What else is out there that targets the same people?

4. Implement your design - Blog, blog, blog so hopefully people will read, read, read.

Along the way you analyze what's working and what's not and shift your thought processes.

On a personal level, I find myself putting much more thought into this blog as time progresses. Since this started as an assignment rather than a personal project, I approached the steps out of order, in that I started by implementing my design before having a concrete plan. The more I learn, the more I adjust my way of thinking, and it'll be interesting to see where it ends up by the end of this course.

The Recipe for Applying Information Design Theory To Your Blog

The Theories: Sense-Making as proposed by Brenda Dervin (Information Design - pp. 35-57) and Sign Posting as proposed by Romedi Passini (Information Design - pp. 83-98)

Why pick two instead of just one: Ultimately, I feel that these two theories on information design work best when working in tandem with each other, as each compliments and enhances what the other is trying to do. 

The Pros:

Sense-Making

• By it's very nature, the goal is to make sense/order out of chaos, key for proper processing of information
• It allows for continual adjustments and constant understanding because it is used in a reality that "is itself in flux and requires continued sense-making" (Dervin 45).
• Helps understand the cores of the issues, along with the issues themselves, leading to a better understanding and use of information

Sign-Posting

• Determines "what information is necessary, where it should be, and what form it should take" (Passini 88). 
• Excellent in use for problem solving given the step by step nature of the process (if you follow X step, you achieve Y goal, and may continue to step Z).

The Cons:

A big draw back to the sense-making theory of Information Design is that it has been used more in a hypothetical nature as opposed to a practical one. Dervin does mention the use of a Sense-Making approach by librarians when trying to help patrons with their research questions (by asking things like "How do you hope to be helped? What led you to ask this question?" p.49). If you're not looking to build a wealth of background information to use to make decisions, sense-making may not be the best approach to your design.

The biggest drawback to a Sign-Posting/Wayfinding approach to information design, is trying to achieve a universality that speaks to people in all situations. As Passini points out, "A major distinction must be made between wayfinding in unfamiliar settings and wayfinding in familiar settings or along familiar routes" (89). If you're trying to teach/educate with your wayfinding design, it may be a bit more of a challenge than if you're just trying to make use of information your audience is already familiar with, such as brand familiarity/expectations.

In The Blog Environment:

In this kind of an environment, I think these two methods work quite well together because of the nature of the presentation. As my fellow student Sara Neukirchner points out in her discussion post this week, "Links, Navigation bars like “Home” “About” “Contact” are everyday occurrences we’ve learned to use." Just think of the web, and the kinds of icons that have become so ingrained that we hardly think about them any more. 


Take a look at this image of an early web browser, which was found here: http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/web-design-history-from-the-beginning/  and they got it from here: http://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/?year=1993

This early browser contains many images we still use today in the internet and computer programs, with some very minor changes (if any at all). The fact that they are still in use speaks to the fact that people understand the need for universal sign points to convey information in the most efficient manner to guide the audience from point A to point B. For example, if I want to refresh my page online, I will be looking for some sort of looped arrow design, even if I've never used that particular program before. The drawback comes when someone decides not to use that symbol for that function. It causes problems because it then brings the user to an unfamiliar path and they must reprocess information in order to continue on. It isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something be aware of. 

So in that manner, any blog, not just my own, will always utilize Sign-Posting to some degree. You can be innovative with your design, but it's a fine balance between old and new that will be the most effective towards your goals.


As far as sense-making goes, the research aspect of the techniques used in that particular theory make a lot of sense. If you think about it, a blogger is essentially an author, as they must come up with interesting content with the goal of attracting readers. Authors can never do enough research for their projects, and often have mountains of information that they may never actually use in the final product. But even if they never use the information, it still must be gathered so that it can be assessed. The above mentioned questions asked by a librarian fit very well for an author trying to analyze their audience. What do you like to read? What would hold your interest long enough to finish an article? Do you like more visual media (pics, videos) or straight text? And so on.


As a blogger, those are the kinds of questions you need to be asking, and then making sense of in order to generate the biggest readership you can. Outwardly, the implementation of the sign-posting theory is going to be more obvious and overt than the implementation of a sense-making one. This is mostly because of the familiarity people have with the sign-posting technique. Even when you don't know the technical terms behind it, it's easy to see when you've been led from point A to B to C. It becomes more difficult to see when something has been customized to your desires when you aren't the one doing the customizing. Then it just becomes just a vague sense of enjoyment derived from your experience on the blog. That's ultimately why I think both techniques will work well in the blog environment: one works behind the scenes, one works center stage.Think of a concert where all the attention is on the performers (sign-posting) while not even thinking about the people behind the scenes that make all the lights, effects, etc work (sense-making).

What Is Information Design? (Repost from 5/15)

I haven't been able to get into my original blog, nor can I remember the information I inputted to retrieve my password (I answer the questions with the answers they SHOULD be, and they don't work), so I created the blog over at this address, and thus, am linking to my original blog post. 

http://thewritedesign.blogspot.com/2013/05/what-is-information-design.html