Design for Information: An Introduction to the Histories, Theories, and Best Practices Behind Effective Information Visualizations

Isabel Meirelles

Oct 2013 · Rockport Publishers

About this ebook

The visualization process doesn’t happen in a vacuum; it is grounded in principles and methodologies of design, cognition, perception, and human-computer-interaction that are combined to one’s personal knowledge and creative experiences. Design for Information critically examines other design solutions —current and historic— helping you gain a larger understanding of how to solve specific problems. This book is designed to help you foster the development of a repertoire of existing methods and concepts to help you overcome design problems. Learn the ins and outs of data visualization with this informative book that provides you with a series of current visualization case studies. The visualizations discussed are analyzed for their design principles and methods, giving you valuable critical and analytical tools to further develop your design process. The case study format of this book is perfect for discussing  the histories, theories and best practices in the field through real-world, effective visualizations. The selection represents a fraction of effective visualizations that we encounter in this burgeoning field, allowing you the opportunity to extend your study to other solutions in your specific field(s) of practice. This book is also helpful to students in other disciplines who are involved with visualizing information, such as those in the digital humanities and most of the sciences.

About the author

Isabel Meirelles is Associate Professor in Graphic Design at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, where she teaches Information Design. For the past 15 years, she has worked in communication design as art director in publication design, as well as in motion and interactive design. Her research revolves around the theoretical and experimental examination of the fundamentals underlying how information is structured, represented, and communicated in different media.