Information Graphics

This course is part of the programme
Digital Humanities, interdisciplinary programme

Objectives and competences

The objectives of the course is to acquire theoretical and practical knowledge, which are the basis for producing various displays of information. Students acquire skills related to the field of communication in the digital humanities and beyond, in the modern information society. Acquisition, analysis, interpretation and visualization of information in the time of the digital culture is one of the main cognitive methods. It is important to be aware of the restrictions, the media specifics and approaches, which have a decisive influence on the ways of presenting the data and information, and thus also their content. Students gain an awareness of the difference between the hard-science and humanistic approaches to data visualization and the ability to critically assess data analysis based on visualization.
Among the objectives of the course are practical products that connect to and extend the acquired knowledge of visual language and the language of video editing and motion graphics (the connected courses in the curriculum) on the new field of information design and design of interfaces to display queries from databases.
Among the competencies of the students is practical design knowledge to facilitate the orderly and meaningful display of information, as well as practical skills in the use of computer tools for data visualization.

Prerequisites

 A condition for participation is enrolment in academic year;
 completed individual project work is as a condition for passing the final exam.

The student has attended the courses Selections in Practice and Video and Motion Graphics.

Content

  1. Data visualization and infographics – definition of concepts, approaches and contexts of their use.
  2. Diagrammatic thinking – diagrams that formulate the main inventions in human history and are thus inscriptions of the development of thought and knowledge.
  3. Graphesis – how knowledge is produced when it is articulated in visual forms.
  4. The use of visual language for information visualization – rules and strategies.
  5. Types of diagrams and their specific application.
  6. Static, planar information visualizations.
  7. Animated information visualizations.
  8. Interactive information visualizations.
  9. Three-dimensional and multi-dimensional information visualizations. Interactive virtual space as the space of information.
  10. Overview of the best practices in the field of data visualization.
  11. Overview of the best practices in the field of infographics.
  12. Task – design a two-dimensional infographics.
  13. Task – design an interactive data visualization.
  14. Selection, analysis and comprehension of the contents and structure of a data set.
  15. Task – conceptualization and design of user interface for a selected data base.
  16. Task – making of a video tape with motion graphics that tell a story about a selected data set.
  17. Taking responsibility when interpreting, designing and distributing information. Taking into account the relationships between the sign, the signified, the signifier and the receiver.

Intended learning outcomes

Among the planned study results are: knowledge of basic study literature and an overview of current research/products in the field of data visualization. The knowledge of the procedures and principles of design information in static and interactive media is expected. The student will acquire practical knowledge of the use of different software tools for data visualization and information design.

Readings

Bender, John in Michael Marrinan. The Culture of Diagram. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2010.
Burdick, Anne, Johanna Drucker, Peter Lunenfeld, Todd Presner in Jeffrey Schnapp,. Digital_Humanities. Cambridge, Mass., London: MIT Press, 2012. 24. 2. 2014 http://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/content/9780262018470_Open_Access_Edition.pdf.
Drucker, Johanna. Graphesis: Visual Forms of Knowledge Production. Harvard University Press, 2014.
Christianson, Scott. 100 Diagrams That Changed the World: From the Earliest Cave Paintings to the Innovation of the iPod. A Plume Book, 2012.
Data Flow: Visualising Information in Graphic Design. Berlin: Gestalten, 2008.
Baer, Kim. Information Design Workbook. Rockport Publishers, 2008.
Schneiderman, Ben, Plaisant, Catherine. Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction: Fifth Edition. Addison-Wesley Publ. Co., Reading, MA, 2010.
Tufte, R. E. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Graphics Press LLC, 2001.
Bovcon, Narvika. Jezik gibljivih slik v računalniških vizualizacijah literarnozgodovinske podatkovne zbirke. V: ZORMAN, Barbara (ur.), VAUPOTIČ, Aleš (ur.). Literatura in gibljive slike : tematski sklop = Literature and moving images : thematic section, (Primerjalna književnost, ISSN 0351-1189, letn. 37, št. 2). Ljubljana: Slovensko društvo za primerjalno književnost, 2014, letn. 37, št. 2, str. 119-133, 235-242, [244], ilustr.
On-line repositories for information visualization and information graphics: http://www.visualcomplexity.com/vc/, http://infosthetics.com/, www.informationisbeautiful.net/ idr.
Tutorials.
Materials provided during the course.

Assessment

Oral exam (10%), practical assignments, project work (90%).

Lecturer's references

Aleš Vaupotič is assistant professor in new media at the Academy of Design Ljubljana, an associated member of the University of Primorska.

Teritoriji, identitete, mreže: Slovenska umetnost 1995–2005. Moderna galerija, Ljubljana, 2005. (Dva teksta o razstavljenih eksponatih v katalogu razstave, avtorja Igor Španjol in Nataša Petrešin ter citat iz recenzije dr. Janeza Strehovca.)

Poglej še enkrat, ni ga več tam: na platformi Podatkovna sipina 1.0/Data Dune 1.0. Kibela, MMC Kibla, Maribor, Slovenija, 2006. (Samostojna razstava, katalog.)

S.O.L.A.R.I.S.2. – Arhiva i interfejs / Archive and interface. (Samostojna razstava.) Galerija SKC, Beograd, 2007.

      1. Mednarodni festival računalniški umetnosti Maribor, 2004-2006. (Kustos festivala.)

1.3 Festival videa in novih medijev, Mestna galerija Ljubljana, 2007. (Kustos festivala.)

Pixxelpoint 2007. 8. mednarodni festival novomedijske umetnosti/8th International Festival of New Media Art. Nova Gorica, Slovenija. (Kustos festivala.)

Motion, Capture, Suit. Galerija Perpetuel, Frankfurt am Main, Nemčija, marec 2008. (Samostojna razstava in katalog.)

Jaques. Galerija Vžigalica, Ljubljana, februar 2009. (Samostojna razstava, katalog.)

Nodes. ZKM Karlsruhe, v sodelovanje s HFG Karlsruhe. November 2009. (Kustos in umetnik na skupinski razstavi.)

Rizom Grada. Beograd: Muzej nauke i tehnike, 2. - 8. 7. 2010. (Skupinska razstava.)

Fries. Gradec: Medien Kunst Labor, 15. - 17. 5. 2010. (Kustos in umetnik na skupinski razstavi.)

Mnemonic mirrors. Zagreb: Galerija SC, 22. 5. - 2. 6. 2012. (Kustos in umetnik na skupinski razstavi.)

Atlas, 5. 12. 2011 : künstlerisches Ereignis. Kassel, 9. 6. - 16. 9. 2012. (Kustos in umetnik na skupinski razstavi.)

Video, et gaudeo : 15 let Društva za povezovanje umetnosti in znanosti ArtNetLab, 1.-16. december 2014, Galerija ZDSLU, Ljubljana. (Kustos in umetnik na skupinski razstavi.)

Priznanje za področje Video in novi mediji na Majskem salonu 2014. Gospodarsko razstavišče Ljubljana, 2014.

Meritve. Galerija Društva likovnih umetnikov Ljubljana, april 2015. (Samostojna razstava.)

Tehniške slike. Zasavski muzej, samostojna razstava na mednarodnem festivalu novomedijske umetnosti Speculum Artium, Trbovlje, 2015.

For more:

http://izumbib.izum.si/bibliografije/Y20120313163706-34800.html