What Info Design Is And How It Can Help You
An info design is the artistic or creative process by means of which a product or a piece of information is produced. Technical documentation is a document that gives information regarding the construction, specifications, performance, functionality and other properties of any item or material. The technical documentation is also called a blueprint of a procedure or a set of instructions. A more exact term for it would be a blue-print for a procedure or system. Technical documentation thus describes a model or blueprint of how a physical product or service works or functions.
A design is the arrangement or configuration of some thing or some system and the way to make it operate or function. A diagrammatic description thus refers to the arrangement of systems or elements on a physical level. The word ‘info design’ itself signifies a work in progress or blueprint. In the field of engineering, an info design is also a model or blueprint for a particular product or a certain type of machine or an appliance. Info design as a term may overlap with information design, but they are not exactly the same.
Info design in its simplest form is nothing more than the arrangement of one’s things or systems in a particular order to achieve a particular purpose or end. The end in question could be to manufacture, design, sell, consume or protect. If one speaks of a product, it can be said that it has an info design as part of its development process. It is the blueprint or technical documentation for a particular product that is used to determine the features, performance and overall quality of the product. The process thus includes conceptualizing, modeling, determining, implementing and testing. Even though this definition may seem quite broad, it provides a very broad view of what info design encompasses and hence it can be said to cover a wide range of processes.
Info design is nothing new. It has been around since the ancient times. The Egyptians made use of diagrams and pictures in their architecture and writing, as did the Romans and Greeks before them. These days, even the Chinese use drawings and diagrams for planning, design and layout. Designs and diagrams are still utilized today in this modern era as a way of communicating and receiving information, as well as in creating products and goods.
Today, the process is still used extensively in many fields and it is expected to grow in importance in all fields in which technology is being applied. In advertising, it is often impossible to create a commercial or marketing campaign without first having a well conceived design for it. In electronics and computer design, production designs have to be created before the actual product production can begin. And in art, designs for paintings, sculptures and photographic works have to be made first to determine their shape, size and composition and then made or drawn to shape them.
Information design has taken on a new significance as the process of communication and entertainment grows together. With more products being sold on the Internet, websites and other forms of online communication, it is vitally important that people are able to get their heads around what the product or service that they are about to buy does and how it works. This is where the designer comes into play. An effective designer can take an ordinary idea and turn it into a unique creation that will not only get a lot of attention but also make a lot of money.