Jamie Thoms designs

The Scale of the Universe infographic is an interactive diagram which does exactly what it says on the tin. It allows the user to view the different scale of object in the known universe. This idea has stripped down the a hugely complex system like the universe and managed to present a wealth of knowledge in a simple and effective manner.  By just focusing on size and placing them in order it makes for a story that everyone can understand. The creators have focused on one thing and done it to a very high quality.

The aspect which makes this infographic memorable is the fact it is interactive, allowing the user to have a degree of control over the way they use the graphic makes it easier to understand and lets the viewer engage with the data in their own way. This way get the story of the scale of the universe but specifically they get detailed stories (e.g. how big a Human is to a Japanese Spider Crab) The biggest problem is that your only limit is what objects the creators chose and that you are limited to the scope of your screen.

Have a play and see what you think.

Found this via Dougie Kinnear - “In Caffeine we Trust” is a DIY style infographic designed by PR company Column Five Media which allows the user to fill in their own coffee consumption so they can see their caffeine intake marked out in a visual form. This way of gathering information and visualising it is extremely engaging for the user and in some ways links to the 2.0 design ideas, where the subjects get to be involved in the whole process. Allowing the user freedom to create the graphic it offers a sense of control and an interaction which makes the process fun. Much better than just asking the user questions.

The layout is rather appealing but could put off a lot of users as it looks complicated to fill in. As mentioned before allowing the user to fill the graphic in themselves offers a sense of control but also an element of chaos. You are relying on the user to fill it in properly and most importantly not to spill coffee all over it . That could ruin the results.

A World Without Facebook is a short video by oBizMedia which seems to be about showng the impact facebook has had on our lives, how big it is and generally all the stats to explain where facebook sits in our society today. As I’ve mentioned previously the fact the infographic is a video is very engaging for the reader adn allows them to fit a huge amount of information into a few minutes.

The downside to this video is I don’t actuallt think it fits the title, it spends 2/3rds of  the time giving you a very visual overview of statisics about facebook (such as age groups, business and country usage) but ultimatly it then rushes through a comparison of situations which show how facebook makes these task simpler. But if this is the key message the video wants to promote why the suden change for a very visual and engaging intro to a text heavy conclusion which has little impact. It is a shame cause the theme of the video and the data it represents is a very interesting topic but the key message is lost due to loss of focus.

Congress can you hear us …? infographic was used to show the growing support against the change in legislation but also to recruit new signatures. The graphic works on a few level of information but makes great use of the hierarchy system, making the growth in numbers the key factor.

Setting a context and tone is essential to a good infographic and this one does that, it makes the point of asking a question to emphasize the statement they are trying to make. By showing people shouting it adds to the idea of groups trying to be heard and by showing a computer with a lock shows they are trying to voice their opinion over this issue. However as mentioned visualisation of growth is the selling point they are trying to make, this is achieved by showing sound waves expanding which reads as the message expanding. The big numbers reiterate this as the increase with the size of the wave, however the details to explain the numbers are small so they don’t detract from the main message but are there as additional information for those who are interested.

This graphic presents a story in an extremely effective manner however it could be seems as a very biased opinion towards an argument and is in fact a tool to recruit and convert people rather than present all the facts. So rather than allow the reader to make their own mind up the graphic is trying to tell them what to think.

The History of an iPhone, where to begin? This is a fantastic animated infographic video which manages to squeeze the breakdown and evolution of the iPhone, not just who create it but what inspired it and who laid the foundation for it. I think you’ll agree, that is a lot of information. However this is the wonder of video you can cram so much information into a short space of time but not only that, it allows the reader to just focus on one spot rather than have to fight their way through a huge poster filled with information. On the other hand, a video reduces the freedom of the reader to pick out and read the points they are interested in while ignoring the rest.

Granted it’s not all positive, as stated the video is still rather full of information so much so that it is easy to miss something. It could be stripped down to the core message but I suppose the extra information is for people who want to know more. The visual style of the animation reduces the seriousness of the message which makes viewing the information easier and more enjoyable than having someone ramble on about it. This brings me to my next point that again this information is all presented without any explanation, which emphasizes how well visualized the story is.

Great watch, fantastic to see years of product development and evolution, explained and  presented in under 4 minutes.

Lets start with something simple. The Billion Dollar Gram is a very effective way to present information. It takes the key data and strips it back to the core information. Reducing the comparison down to just size alone.

The contrast is easily seen as the different sections are proportional to their monetary value. However you would think that in stripping the research down to the core would mean you would try to reduce the amount of subjects but in this case the variety of information is to the graphic advantage. The array of choice allows the reader to adapt the information to fit their knowledge base and area of interest, for example they can compare the big factors such as the Iraq war to something they can relate to such as the profit of Facebook.

This info graphic is a great way to convey a big concept in a quick and easy fashion little details such as colour coding adds another level of depth and offers the reader the chance to learn more about how different areas spend in comparison to the one they understand. It acts a as a trigger to allow people to make their own opinion on how money should be spent but also to get them to look deeper into the information if they want. I see this graphic as a blurb to a much bigger story for the reader to discover on their own.

“Made with a kiss in every stitch.” Popitin Shoe Company is up and running , situated in Glasgow Popitin offer a beautiful range of soft leather baby shoes, that are just perfect for tiny toes.

This company not only offers a quality product but offered fellow student Jonathan Robson and myself the chance to get our first commissioned design. The companies lovely owner go in contact with us about designing the Popitin company logo (shown below).

We’d like to thank Popitin for this opportunity and hope you will visit there site for some lovely little shoes.

DJCAD is the home of good design, hope you all agree.

I found this company last year and i swear these guys are geniuses. Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R are brilliant growing company which focus on creating BRAND ENERGY. They strive to be recognised for their creativity and effectiveness. RKCR/Y&R have worked with huge companies (such as M&S, BBC, Premier Inn and VIRGIN) to made some of the best adverts around today. I love this companies work, would be great to be able to work with them or for them someday….

Hey I can dream. Check out there website (RKCR/Y&R) for some cool work and one of the best web designs i’ve seen in ages, enjoy.