Information Design/Project 1 & 2: INFOGRAPHIC POSTER

23/10/2025--//2025 (W6-W10)

LIU YITONG (0370907)

Information Design / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

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INSTRUCTION

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LECTURE & TUTORIAL

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PROJECT 1 & 2: INFOGRAPHIC POSTER

PART 1: Infographic poster (20%)

Instruction

1. Choose 1 infographic poster design (that is not well design) from Internet

2. Redesign the poster into A4 size. Sketch the idea and process (5 Marks)

3. Redesign and simplify the poster based on visual hierarchy & typography (5 Marks)

4. Simplify the poster's design based on color, shape & pattern (5 Marks)

5. Attach your final poster on E-Portfolio with explanation and reflective writing (5 Marks)

Analysis and Redesign Goal

Fig.2.0 Original infographic

The original infographic (P1, titled 'CAKE') is a visually dense poster that attempts to cover the entire art of cake making, including history, basic cake types (Genoise, Mousse), icing techniques, decoration, and a variety of cake types. While the sheer volume of information is impressive, the poster suffers from severe visual overload and a lack of specific focus.

Original Infographic Issues:

Information Overload: The poster covers too many disparate topics (from history to types of cake to piping bags) in a single composition, making it chaotic and difficult for the viewer to find a starting point or retain specific information.

Poor Visual Hierarchy: All elements are given similar visual weight, leading to a crowded and distracting layout. The text is very small and scattered, particularly the detailed Korean text, which impacts global readability.

Inconsistent Focus: The central cake illustration is busy, and the surrounding information distracts from it rather than supporting a singular concept.

Aesthetic Clutter: The combination of various illustration styles and the use of numerous bright colors results in a cluttered and dated aesthetic.

Redesign Focus:

My goal was to radically simplify the design by focusing on one singular, well-executed concept—the structure and components of a specific cake: the Strawberry Cake.

Singular Focus: Narrow the content from "The Art of Cake" to the structure and preparation of a single cake recipe.

Visual Simplicity & Clarity: Drastically reduce the color palette to soft pastels (pinks, creams) and adopt a clean, modern, isometric illustration style for the cake layers.

Enhanced Hierarchy: Use a large, bold title and an exploded diagram to clearly establish the components. The descriptive text boxes are isolated and easy to scan, providing necessary context without clutter.

Contextual Information: Transform the labels into actual instructional information by providing a brief description of the role and preparation of each layer (e.g., Angel Food Cake, Buttercream Icing, etc.).

Size: Redesign the infographic to A4 size.

Visual reference

In order to further improve the original image, I searched for many similar infographics, which would help me draw the sketch.

Fig.2.1 Visual reference

Sketching the Idea

I started by sketching out the exploded diagram structure, focusing on where the new, more descriptive text blocks should go. The central visual of the cake needed to remain the focus, with information radiating outwards.

Fig.2.2 Sketches

Color coordination and background design

I found a suitable color palette on the website and then began my design.

I adopted a pastel color palette—pinks, soft oranges, and creams—to give the poster a sweet, inviting, and cohesive feel.

Fig.2.3 Color palette

The original background of the infographic was a bit monotonous, so I tried to add a gradient to the background to make it look less empty.

Fig.2.4 Background

Then the strawberry cream layer was redrawn to highlight the creamy texture around the strawberry slices, making it look more sumptuous and inviting. The buttercream has been simplified, featuring soft pink accents and a smooth, attractive texture.

Fig.2.5 Strawberry cake Illustration Process

Typography and Information Refinement

To enhance the visual hierarchy, I used a large, bold, and rounded-edge font for the main title "STRAWBERRY CAKE", and employed a clear, readable sans-serif handwritten-style font for the component names and descriptions, making it look interesting and adorable, in line with the theme of the strawberry cake.

Fig.2.6 Initial attempt

Fig.2.7 Final title design

I provided detailed descriptions for each component, turning the poster into a guide: 

Fresh strawberries: Wash and slice them for use as a topping. This adds a natural sweetness. 

Whipped cream frosting: Beat the butter and sugar until smooth. This is used for coating and layering. 

Strawberry Cream: Mix fresh strawberries with cream to create a juicy, creamy filling. 

Angel cake: Beat the egg whites and mix them into the batter. Bake until it becomes light and fluffy.

Fig.2.8 Texts

I also used the "Create Outline" function to edit these texts, making them appear more spatially distinct.

This still seemed a bit monotonous, so I also added small, related visual icons (such as butter, sugar and eggs) beside the description for quick identification.

Fig.2.9 Related visual icons

PART 2: Minimal animated infographic (20%)

The second part of the project involved transforming the static poster (P2) into a minimal animated infographic (P3) suitable for a vertical video format (1080 x 1920 px). The goal was a clean, continuous loop that explains the cake's layers sequentially.

Animation Strategy and Execution
First, I created separate layers for each element in Adobe Illustrator, which made it easier for me to edit the animation in AE.

Fig.2.10 Layer management

Then I tried to edit the animation effect in Adobe Illustrator. I wanted the strawberry cake to be joined together at the beginning and then separate.

Fig.2.11 Initial attempt in Adobe illustrator

After receiving the feedback from the supervisor, it was suggested that I align all the information cards properly. Creating a sense of space would lead to defects in the UX aspect, making the information difficult to read.

Fig.2.12 The revised poster

Then I began to import the Ai file into AE and started working. The core animation is centered around the explosion view of the cake. The video starts with a fully assembled cake and then dynamically separates the layers.

Fig.2.13 Initial attempt in AE

Sequential Information Reveal:

The animation sequences the reveal of the explanatory text and lines.

First, the layers explode and separate.

Then, the linking lines appear, followed by the text labels and descriptive boxes for each component, making the information flow logically from bottom to top or component by component.

I specifically animated the small icons next to the text (e.g., the whisk for the cream, the butter for the icing) to appear right before their respective text boxes, adding a subtle visual cue.

In order to make the animation loop, at the end I merged the separated cakes back together.

Final Animated Infographic Poster

Infographic Poster

Animation

YouTube Video Link:

https://youtube.com/shorts/SXv4RgHRg04

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REFLECTION

This project was a valuable hands-on experience, converting complex information (recipes/structures) into a visually appealing format. I learned that the success of information charts largely depends on the combination of aesthetic design choices (colors, shapes) and logical organization (visual hierarchy, sequence flow). Redesigning the poster allowed me to practice simplifying complex images and using typography to enhance readability. The animation part challenged me to think about the way information is revealed over time, ensuring that minimal actions can still convey maximum clarity and appeal.