MEMO

To: Dr. Frances Johnson

From: Victoria Gutierrez
Date: April 22, 2020
Re: Redesign of Infographic

Infographic Summary
The infographic that I redesigned and made changes to revolve around my newly
obtained knowledge of the key concepts of visual rhetoric. Also, how the ideas visual
rhetoric, in the end, applies to the fundamental elements and basic principles of design.
The main purpose of the changes that I strategically made is to highlight how the
improvements help to efficiently communicate important information to a future
employer quickly and clearly in an organized manner. My number one goal is to create
a new infographic design that is visually pleasing by using appealing imagery and
limited textual content.
Infographic Description
Introduction
 An infographic can be a visual image such as a chart or diagram that is used to
represent specific information or data. Instead of creating a simple paper document
resume one can learn how to create an innovative computer-
generated infographic resume. The key elements of an infographic include visually
appealing imagery and minimal textual content is used to efficiently communicate
information quickly and clearly. According to the article, Visual Rhetoric/Definitions of
Visual Rhetoric, visual rhetoric is actually representations and images; images are used
to convince people without the use of words. Visual rhetoric is the study of what
impression visuals may give a viewer and it is also connected to the design of an
image. I will discuss the specific components that make up my infographic redesign. I
will further explain in detail about the changes made to my infographic redesign and
state the sources from the readings that support the changes that I made to my design.
I will also describe how the changes that I decided to make ultimately visually improve
my initial infographic design.
Changes made: This section discusses the changes I made between the
original infographic design and the re-designed infographic. The changes particularly
apply to the design’s color scheme, layout, images, and other basic design elements.
The very first thing I wanted to change was the ‘profile’ picture of myself and I
added a photo frame around my picture. I also included my contact information along
with little icons that symbolize a phone and an email address. I added an ‘About me’
section with some very basic information about how I define myself as a person to my
redesign version of my infographic. I also added small icons and a gauge type of chart
that represents my hobbies and interests. Here is a screenshot that shows the different
pictures of myself, ‘About me’ section and my hobbies and interests graphed on a chart.
 The next thing I thought it was best to change was to choose a
different infographic template or layout with a completely different color scheme which is
composed of the color navy blue, various shades of yellows, and greys. I included more
detailed information and images of my educational journey and listed three personal
qualities. I did my best to ensure that my design depicts the key principles of design
properly and efficiently. I altered the alignment aspects of my images, icons, and text
content. I used various but consistent typography elements and background colors.
Here is another screenshot that shows the changes to my color scheme and
backgrounds, education section, typography, and images.
Support from reading: This section provides information from the assigned readings.
The readings are mentioned specifically to support the changes that I made in my
revision infographic design.
I included the contrasting, repetition, alignment, and proximity principles of
design. As stated in the article, Principles of Design, Contrasting elements are changes
in font, color, and layout. The principle of repetition is implemented by repeating visual
elements such as the use of color, shapes, headers, and borders to help organize my
design (Moxley, J.). I choose to use a template to set the font types, size, and style of
textual content. The principle of alignment refers to the distinct positioning of the
elements. Specifically, text boxes are left-, center, and right- justified. Also, text columns
and images are lined up (Moxley, J.). Lastly, the principle of proximity refers to chunking
the information together that belongs together and also means to separate the
information that belongs somewhere else. For instance, I grouped together information
about my education and separated information about myself along with my hobbies and
interests. This notion of grouping related information helps to increase the organization
of the design and to reduce clutter (Moxley, J.). I also implemented additional principles
of design- consistency, once again contrast, and white- space. According to the article,
5 Principles of Design, the principle of consistency ensures that each section of the
document is visually consistent. The same font style and size, and spacing is used
(mlmeloy, 2013). Once again contrast in elements can be distinguished by using
different font sizes, for example by using bolded subheads (mlmeloy). White- space and
the other colored backgrounds help separate the textual information and the images into
equally distinguishable parts and also emphasizes the key points or parts of the design
(mlmeloy, 2013). According to the article, Semiotic and Visual Rhetoric, semiotics is
defined as the study of signs and sign systems. There are three basic kinds of signs:
icons, indexes, and symbols. I used several different icons to resemble information
about myself as well as my hobbies and interests. According to the article, Visual
Design Basics, the basic elements of visual design also include lines, color palette, and
typography. The element of lines helps visually connect two points and can also be
used to help define shapes and make divisions (Visual Design Basics, 2013). Lines can
vary by length, width, and direction. The color palette is used to differentiate items,
create depth, add emphasis, and help organize information (Visual Design Basics,
2013). By using distinct colors, I am able to highlight the key components of my design.
Lastly, typography is composed of the fonts chosen, their size, alignment, color, and
spacing (Visual Design Basics, 2013). For instance, my name is a larger font size than
the section titles and body text. I also kept the same font style and color for all of the
text content. According to the reading, Color Theory for Designers, Part 1: The Meaning
of Color, knowing the effects color has on a majority of people is incredibly valuable
expertise. I chose to use the warm color of yellow, cool color of blue, and the neutral
colors of grey and white. I used a shade of yellow to make my infographic design
portray enthusiasm and positive energy. I included a dark navy-blue color to help give a
sense of professionalism to my design. I decided to use one section of white as a
background color to let the other colors in the section to stand out more. I included
a grey background color to also add a sense of formality and professionalism
since grey is considered to be a sophisticated color (Chapman, 2010).
How changes improve work: The purpose of this section is to compare and contrast
the components of the initial infographic design and the newly redesigned version. It
also explains the reasons as to why I believe the alterations improve my design work.
I wanted to change the picture to something that I thought was a little bit more
formal and nicer. Since my first infographic design lacked a detailed ‘About me’ section I
wanted to creatively introduce myself on my re-designed infographic by listing some
basic information about myself and by graphing my hobbies and interest on
a gauge chart. I also wanted to challenge myself to design a layout with more depth and
more components. I choose the colors pale yellow and navy blue to enable
my infographic to be visually perceived as a positive and professional design. By
deciding to provide noticeable contact information I allow a potential employer an easy
way to get in contact with me. The little icons help to clearly distinguish my contact
information between my phone number and email address without including the exact
words. I believe that representing my educational information in a timeline format is
better than plainly listing the school’s name. I also ensured that all textual content such
as the information about my education and ‘About me’ information was properly aligned
and grouped together. The consistency and repetition of colors, icon shapes, font styles,
and sizes of textual information makes my overall design appear to be efficiently
structured and well organized.
Conclusion
My final words will conclude thoughts on how the initial infographic design and
the edited infographic re-design highlights the key concepts of visual rhetoric and the
fundamental visual design elements. By implementing the essential elements and
principles of design I was able to effectively create a completely improved visually
aesthetic infographic. The revised design will help to successfully introduce myself to a
future employer because I strategically created a distinct and consistent color palette. I
also made sure to apply a specifically aligned typography and images to my design. My
goal was to effectively use the elements and principles of design to simply and clearly
communicate to my viewers key information about myself and who I am as a person.
Appendices
Chapman, C. (2010, January 28). Color Theory for Designers, Part 1: The Meaning of
Color. Retrieved from https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/01/color-theory-for-
designers-part-1-the-meaning-of-color/
mlmeloy Follow. (2013, September 17). Five principles of document design. Retrieved
from https://www.slideshare.net/mlmeloy/five-principles-of-document-design
Moxley, J. (n.d.). Principles of Design. Retrieved from
https://writingcommons.org/article/principles-of-design/
Visual Design Basics. (2013, October 8). Retrieved from https://www.usability.gov/what-
and-why/visual-design.html
Visual Rhetoric/Definitions of Visual Rhetoric. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Visual_Rhetoric/Definitions_of_Visual_Rhetoric
Visual Rhetoric/Semiotics and Visual Rhetoric. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Visual_Rhetoric/Semiotics_and_Visual_Rhetoric