For my decision map project, I used to topic of buying a desktop computer. Instead of a point to point question based map, I used a subtler method and lead the reader through the different parts of a computer where they can match up their needs or wants and use these considerations to decide what to buy. I do this because there are so many different brands and products in the computer world and there can be no ONE absolute perfect product to meet the answers of their questions; they must choose pieces as they go.

As you can see stage 1 above, this graph started out over-simplified. I knew I would need to expand a great deal so I decided this would be published online, allowing me to resize it as much as I need as well as being accessible to people interested in the topic. I split the graph into four phases: brand, hardware, replacement parts, and peripherals. Under these categories are all the factors involved. To simplify the hardware/ pre-made desktop portion, I added in quotes that suggest what the reader my feel when buying a desktop. These serve as my “questions” for this part but as you go, the chart is simplified to just options to make it cleaner for the easier choices (peripherals/ replacements).

For the second stage, I had phases going down but also laid out side by side within themselves. This was to make the entire thing readable as you went but laying each phase out at once was overwhelming. For the final stage I laid everything out in a 1 by 1 order, descending constantly to get to the next option. This eases the flow of the chart so the reader can match one item and be done, able to continue without backtracking to get to another option.

Tuan suggested I add more icons instead of text for every option but I feel this would be misinterpreted. The chart would go from a decision to a picture book. I just feel without the context that text can bring, the map loses it’s purpose as a tool to make a serious decision.

Revisiting Note: Looking at this now a full semester later, I see what the intended was. I never fully grasped it at the time but I think if I scrapped my designs, I could choose a new easier topic and make a fun decision chart like Tuan expected. Still, my chart serves its purpose well enough.

Stage 1:

Stage 2: Horizontal and branching exploration

Stage 3: Final

For the data map project, I created a spread that displays numbers in a visual way. I used my League of Legends gaming stats as a topic. For texts, I decided on:

Adobe Caslon and Iowan Old Style as my main text fonts because the smooth strokes and serifs are easily readable.

Capitals as the Title font because it is legible at large sizes, with a somewhat elegant style due to the serifs.

Haettenschweiler as the Graphics title font because it is a large sans serif font, differentiated from the other choices.

I felt these gave a sense of hierarchy due to their differences but this changed as I progressed. I changed from Haettenschweiler to Oceans Sans Std for an ease of legibility. Haettenschweiler’s letters are too close to comfortably read. I also sized the title way up for the final because before, it looked like a header and not a title.

For graph content I had issues deciding how to align each graph and I ended up scrapping one set of data completely, switching it for another that fit more easily. Another major change was meshing the three graphs on the second page into one big one, so it’s more readable as well as align-able.

As I went, I also added icons to characterize each role I play in the game. I had a different color to match to each role but that was too distracting so I simplified to a two-color color scheme; Green for the first half, and blue for the second, more detailed half. I added in a grey box around the intro too so it’s more easily blocked off from the rest.

Phase 1: Trouble aligning graphs

Phase 2: Combining graphs to create legibility

Phase 3 Final: Unifying color schemes for simplicity.

For the Artifact Map, I created a map that gave geographic directions. I mapped out the path from my home to St. Edward’s campus. I also wanted to include points of interest to students, such as food, groceries, and gas. Unfortunately only the final draft is available, not processes.

In the beginning, I didn’t know how to plot out the two paths or what chloropleth to feature. In the end, I used different colors for each path and used traffic amounts as a chloropleth because this would be most beneficial to a commuter using the map. . The colors turned out to be distracting, and this is especially true for my beginning and end points which were bright red and green at first. Also, I had a small grey patch with represented the airport and this grey shot out immediately on the white page. After toning down the grey to a lighter shade, I replaced the paths with dotted and dashed lines to show their differences without being distracting. Also the end/ start points are the same color, just different shapes.

Another factor of this project was plotting out points of stop lights. I had an icon but this meshed in too much with the other icons and made the map visually busy. I had to simplify so I turned them into red octogons but that was still too distracting. I made them into softer green diamonds to soothe it out.  For the traffic chloropleth I used red, orange, and yellow at the start to show different levels of traffic congestion but this also was too distracting. I simplified to one color, orange, and differentiated the shades used.

Completing the process for the Symbols project was very motivating for me. I’ve been wanting to do more visual work lately rather than my other interests.

My umbrella concept was “RainbowTaterTot Gaming,” which is my gaming alias. I play with a friend who’s developing a YouTube channel and I just felt this could be a good group that needs a symbol. In choosing this, I shifted from functional symbol to recognizable “brand.” This made it easier in a way because instead of making something that gives a message, I made something that will give a reference.

The traced images quickly lost usefulness as they were because it was difficult for me to find good ways to incorporate them in a “brand” image. I want the symbol to reference the group/ me more than the equipment. Stylizing the images and combining them with other images helped make this possible. It gave the symbol style and made it recognizable. Abstract images were also really easy for me because I just played around with shapes until something felt solid and uniform, like it was in the right place. Symmetry played a big role in my abstract symbols, especially the final ones, because my keywords included “Team,” and “Unified/ Networked.”

The “Suit” traced image didn’t feel as useful as a logo but I just really wanted to make it work because it was so stylish and attention demanding. People would recognize seeing it. Adding the stylized raccoon image was indeed “forcing it” to work, but it also made it interesting. I chose to add the raccoon because it reflects what I like, and together it came together as a sly and sleek character, which could reflect the team’s/ my personality. I don’t think the whole image could work as a logo because of scale-ability limits but for online/ animation use, I think it could work very well.

The controller logo was developed through a thought that “Gaming” should be a immediately recognized aspect for this group. It took a while to find a good shape for the now stylized “controller” (It started as a traced image) but I think I found a good form that isn’t too demanding of view but is still pleasant to look at.

In the end, my real “rules” were that the final forms be recognizable, easy to view (not busy), and clean (No badly made corners, edges, etc.). I think I did pretty well in regards to these rules and made solid symbols but I wouldn’t call my final work exceptional. They might be usable but even if I did do very well in designing, I don’t have the ego to say I did so.

Update: I revisited the raccoon icon and cut it down, thickened the strokes, and added an eye band to make it recognizable.