Synopses & Reviews
foreword by Richard Saul Wurman
Information design is the newest of the design disciplines. As a sign of our times, when the crafting of messages and meaning is so central to our lives, information design is not only important—it is essential. Contemporary information designers seek to edify more than to persuade, to exchange more than to foist upon. With ever more powerful technologies of communication, we have learned that the issuer of designed information is as likely as the intended recipient to be changed by it, for better or worse.
The contributors to this book are both cautionary and hopeful as they offer visions of how information design can be practiced diligently and ethically, for the benefit of information consumers as well as producers. They present various methods that seem to work, such as sense-making and way-finding. They make recommendations and serve as guides to a still young but extraordinarily pervasive—and persuasive—field.
Contributors: Elizabeth Andersen, Judy Anderson, Simon Birrell, Mike Cooley, Brenda Dervin, Jim Gasperini, Yvonne M. Hansen, Steve Holtzman, Robert E. Horn, Robert Jacobson, John Krygier, Sheryl Macy, Romedi Passini, Jef Raskin, Chandler Screven, Nathan Shedroff, Hal Thwaites, Roger Whitehouse.
Review
"A wonderful resource compendium on the diverse landscape of information design. From theory to practice, the book is truly an effort in the 'design of understanding'"
—Clement Mok, Chief Creative Officer, Sapient
Synopsis
Contributors: Elizabeth Andersen, Judy Anderson, Simon Birrell, Mike Cooley, Brenda Dervin, Jim Gasperini, Yvonne M. Hansen, Steve Holtzman, Robert E. Horn, Robert Jacobson, John Krygier, Sheryl Macy, Romedi Passini, Jef Raskin, Chandler Screven, Nathan Shedroff, Hal Thwaites, Roger Whitehouse.
Table of Contents
Foreword / Richard Saul Wurman -- Preface -- Introduction: why information design matters / Robert Jacobson -- pt. 1. Theoretical foundations of information design. Information design: the emergence of a new profession / Robert E. Horn. Chaos, order, and sense-making: a proposed theory for information design / Brenda Dervin. Human-centered design / Mike Cooley. Sign-posting information design / Romedi Passini -- pt. 2. The practice of information design. The uniqueness of individual perception / Roger Whitehouse. Information design in informal settings: museums and other public spaces / C.G. Screven. Graphic tools for thinking, planning, and problem solving / Yvonne M. Hansen. Visual design in three dimensions / Hal Thwaites. Collaborative information design: Seattle's modern odyssey / Judy Anderson -- pt. 3. Designing for the technologies of information. Information interaction design: a unified field theory of design / Nathan Shedroff. Interactivity and meaning / Sheryl Macy, Elizabeth Andersen, and John Krygier. The role of ambiguity in multimedia experience / Jim Gasperini. Sculpting in zeroes and ones / Steve Holtzman. Personal reflections on the development of cyberspace / Simon Birrell -- Epilogue. Rationalizing information representation / Jef Raskin.