Topic

Thematically, the course focused on the world-famous electric car manufacturer Tesla and the newly emerging Gigafactory, which is scheduled to go into operation in Brandenburg in 2021.

Me personally, I liked the local and sociopolitical up-to-date topic very much and therefore worked gladly on that issue. At the same time, Jan left the choice of topic open, so that we could also explore a different subject if wen wanted to. This freedom of choice was great.

Assignment

The semester assignment was composed of two parts: First, a large infographic was to be created that would be published, for example, as a newspaper feature, a poster, or a similar large print publication. The viewing context here presupposed that the viewers bring along a lot of time and take a while to explore the infographic.

The second part was to adopt the infographic for the mobile screen. The viewing context on a smartphone implied that one doesn't have quite as much time and one also has to explore the information in a much smaller space (mobile screen).

Topic definition & data research

Within the extensive topic of Tesla's new Gigafactory in Brandenburg and all the issues that it entailed, I focused on the sub-topic of Tesla's work environment.

I had a hard time determining my topic and went through a lengthy research and trying-out process, which set me back two weeks. One of the reasons why it was difficult for me to decide on a topic was that I could not estimate how such an abstract topic, such as Tesla and living space for example, could be visually presented. This difficulty, especially at the beginning, made me aware of my inexperience, and it was in solving this problem that I had my greatest learning success. 

At the end of the data collection process, I had my own large data set consisting of a wide variety of statements in text form about Teslal's work environment and Elon Musk as its boss. I then organized and categorized the data so that I could process it visually (data crunching).

Design research

The next step was design research. In other words, the search for visual role models to help advance one's own work, or sometimes even to get it started. To my own surprise, I also found this step difficult. In the future, I will definitely devote more time and resources to this stage of the process.

It was a very appreciated fellow data visualizer who pointed this out to me after a conversation about my work and thankfully talked me through 2-3 projects together on Behance. This very positive experience reinforced my approach to sharing and talking about my work as early as possible. Many thanks at this point to Francesca.

Concept

Thematic frame

For my own infographic, I was initially looking for a thematic frame. Eventually, the storytelling evolved from the visual structure of my data compilation. The different text statements, which were written one below the other and coded with different colors for positive and negative statements, gave me the idea of light and shadow and the key question: How much of the positive promises from Tesla comes down to the future employees? I then tried out several striking titles and in the end decided on „Tesla's Job Blessing.“ This set the thematic framework of the blessing, the sacred.

Visual language

Accordingly, I built the visual language of the infographics around the concept of the sacred. I chose the colors yellow for positive statements and blue for negative ones. Then I mapped the seven statements per topic onto seven stars positioned on a halo around the illustration. The illustrations in turn illustrate the most important statements of the seven text statements.

Print version

For the print version, we should think of a specific sender, e.g. a newspaper or an NGO. Then the task was to embed our own infographic in the style and communication context of the sender. I chose the weekly newspaper Die Zeit, which runs a regular infographic page.

You can find the print version PDF at the end of this page.

Mobile version

For the mobile version, the aim was to convert the infographic previously created for print into a mobile version on a smartphone. The challenge was to transform a large but static format into a much smaller but interactive one. I found it a very exciting and very challenging task.

Key learnings

In print, layout is the all-important element in structuring information. Texts, images, graphics, decorative elements are firmly positioned and balanced in relation to each other and in relation to the surrounding white space. The viewer's gaze can wander and explore, one can, so to speak, switch between overall view and detailed view in the same space.

In a mobile context of use, the user experience (UX) takes over the task of the classic layout. Due to the highly restricted visual space, special attention must be paid here to the interaction options (scroll / swipe / touch / zoom) and the interaction sequence. It can happen that a linearity creeps in that was not intended at all. In the mobile version, animations and transitions can also be used, which support cognition on the one hand and increase the entertainment character on the other.

Click Prototype

Here you can try out a Figma click prototype of the final mobile version.

Conclusion

I am very glad to have participated in the infographic course on Tesla. In this course, I worked alone again in a long while and was able to observe my very own strengths and weaknesses in each stage of the process, as well as work out my own solutions, in my own pace.

Remaining not completely satisfied with my strictly linear solution for the mobile version, I see the course as a first very good exercise in this direction. It was a pleasure to improve my knowledge in the field of data visualization :). A huge thank you to Jan and my fellow students.