This class was a fun change on what I had already learned about design. Although the initial project in the class had a production method that was already very familiar to me (show up to class, present your work, critique, then head home), the final project proved to be a bit more intellectually challenging.
First was the “process” assignment. It was named because the task was to show any kind of process or procedure, with a minimum of ten steps. I chose how alcohol is processed through the body, and designed it to look like a blueprint of the body. The steps are:
Drink is brought up to the mouth
Nose smells drink’s aromas
Drink is swallowed
Drink begins to be processed (digested) in the stomach
Liver also helps process the alcohol
Heart: alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream
Cerebellum: alcohol impairs balance and body coordination
Eyes: alcohol impairs vision
General brain function is negatively impacted by alcohol
Toxins and other fluids are eliminated from the body
The biggest project in the class was the assignment on country data. We were each randomly assigned a country, given twenty attributes to collect data about, had to display it. This project absolutely changed my perspective on design: while almost all previous design projects had me imagining a creative and unique way to show or incorporate something, this project was more concerned with organizing and conveying the data.
We were each randomly assigned a country and tasked with displaying over a dozen pieces of information about the country. This included population density, items related to the economy, and significant historical events.
This class was a terrific opportunity for me to sharpen my skills of being able to translate data and other numerical information into easily-digestible content.