Traveling Across the Grid
information design
This piece was created as an assignment for an Information Design course at Northeastern University. It features graphic symbols and illustrations that collectively represent the journey of traveling from an apartment in Boston to various other locations. While the final piece is titled Traveling Across the Grid, the original assignment itself was titled Map of 3 Trips.
​
Click here to take a closer look at the final product or continue scrolling to read about the process.
The first step, and arguably the most crucial step, was to read the assignment and establish the main goal of the project.
It is always important to me that I first take the time to ensure that I understand the ultimate objective and identify the "problem" before I begin to think about the solution. In this situation, my goal was to create a diagram that clearly shows three distinctive trips and presents 15 pieces of information for each trip in a way that is unambiguous.
A copy of the project's instructions, created by Northeastern Professor Douglass Scott.
After making sure the assignment is understood, the next step was to research how long each trip would actually take and what stops would be included on each trip.
In this step, I used Google to determine how long each stop would take on the trip from Boston to the Philippines. I also used Google Maps to determine what possible stops I could take on a trip from my apartment to Connecticut and my apartment to Ryder Hall on Northeastern's campus.
A google search of the flight itinerary from Boston, MA to Manila Philippines.
I wrote down a numbered list of the steps for each trip so that I would be able to visualize what each respective journey would look like.
​
While in the planning stage, my main objective was to make sure I had a minimum of 15 pieces of information for each trip.
The notebook pages I wrote the lists on.
Two sketches featuring potential designs for the three trips.
With the steps of each trip established, I could then move forward with creating sketches by hand.
​
In sketching the three trips on one piece of paper, I could determine what organization would best indicate that there were in fact three trips. I could also determine how to best convey the usage of time.
​
In the top piece of paper, I considered a linear route with various sized icons that indicated the amount of time spent doing the particular activity. I ultimately decided that the design in the bottom piece of paper would make more clearly show the activities while moving from one destination to the other in addition to the events that occurred at each stop. While there were a variety of ways to convey how my time was split up, I felt that donut charts were most appropriate because it organized the information into a designated space, rather than drawing the icons without any kind of border around them, and they also allowed for the visual understanding of split-up time without the use of words due to the fractions of the circle.
The next step was to create a full-sized prototype using pencil and paper.
​
After contemplating different ways to represent each location, stop, and activities, I decided that I wanted to create an isometric map. Based off of my memory, I sketched what my idea of the buildings looked like. I didn't find it necessary to follow the exact form of the buildings or make the angles exact because this was simply a prototype. I did, however, draw enough detail to make it clear what each illustration represented.
​
I also used this step to decide on the consistent use of the pie charts and icons that were indicative of the activities done while in motion.
A prototype created using pencil on an 18"x 24" piece of paper.
Draft One
In my first draft, I recreated my sketch into Adobe Illustrator.
​
I began this draft by creating an isometric grid within Illustrator. To do this, I used the pen tool to create a hexagon made up of six regular triangles. I then made a pattern out of this hexagon and repeated it until the pattern covered the entire page. I transformed the pattern into guides so that I could use it under my art to make isometric buildings that were all at the same angle.
​
The next step was to decide on a color palette. I felt that the colors magenta and teal complimented each other nicely and allowed each color to stand out. To make the buildings, I created a set of swatches that included four different tones of magenta. These swatches were used at highlights and shadows and further contributed to the three-dimensional quality of the buildings.
​
I created all icons and illustrations within Adobe Illustrator using the isometric grid I had made as a guide.
Draft Two
In my second draft, I added a title and more icons to the routes.
​
For this draft, I had edited the colors slightly and added more information. I had realized that I hadn't yet included at least 15 events or activities for each trip, so I created new icons and also added specific details about certain activities to provide even more information.
​
One aspect of my design that I was at first nervous about was the way I had manipulated the teal icons along the routes. Usually, I avoid this type of shearing but I felt that it was appropriate in this particular situation.
