About information design

Information design is the skill and practice of preparing information so people can use it with efficiency and effectiveness. It is concerned with presenting information effectively rather than just attractively or for artistic expression.

The term was first used in the 1970s, and became established in the 1980s, however its history can be traced back much further.

Information design is often multi-disciplinary, involving not only design but also, for instance, linguistics, writing, psychology, anthropology, and ergonomics.

What makes me passionate about information design is that it creates stuff that is useful and that helps people achieve the things they need to do, whether that is paying a utility bill (paying the right amount, on time), or finding the toilets in a complex building.

A lot of my recent work has been wayfinding. This is often more than designing signs: it can also involve planning where the signs go and what they say; it can also involve considering the strategies people use to find somewhere and how the building or space is arranged so that people can find what they want without needing signs.

The design of forms is another much-researched area of information design, and as we all know, there are still a lot of forms that have clearly not been attended to by an information designer and are too confusing to fill in. If your organisation produces forms, I would love to help you make them easier to fill in.

The design of bills and statements can also leave much to be desired. Too often it is difficult to answer the basic question ’how much do I owe?’ Bills and statements are one of the few pieces of communication that we really must read, they are a much-overlooked channel for building brand awareness. If your organisation produces bills and statements, I would love to help you make them work even harder for both you and the people who receive them.

Of course, some of the book design that I do is also information design. The books not only have to look pretty, they may have complex information that needs to be presented in a clear and orderly way. Dictionaries, complex reference and non-fiction, and even recipe books can all require an information designer head.

An issue that covers all of the design that I do is accessibility. Everyone is different and has different needs but, for instance, the requirements of the visually or cognitively impaired, or people with dyslexia, or the elderly, or people who do not speak English as their first language can all have a particular bearing on how a project is resolved.

Please email me to find out more, or phone 07974 176656.