Pedro Ferreira- Journal entries 9 & 10

Week 9

This week we are taking the information we have so far and pulling the whole project together. We all took turns interviewing various participants on branding and how it relates to culture in our society. Responses varied from person to person, so proving the hypothesis can be a bit of work. It was mind-boggling seeing how much one might feel they differ from others, not knowing others unconsciously influence us. However, we are comfortable with the conclusions we arrived to.

For the info graph section of the project, I went ahead and did deep dives on certain individuals we interviewed. These were people who I felt stood out from the group of people we interviewed. Primarily, the way they responded to our questions lead to my selection of them for the info graph portion. I selected one male and one female, so as to be fair on the field. I followed the original set of questions with questions that dove into their personal lives, asking them about their upbringing and how that could’ve shaped who they are now or what they support nowadays. Doing the deep dive meant I had to interview the individuals I selected for a second time. After interviewing them, I had to take pictures of them to utilize for the info graph. Selecting the right photographs for the info graph was difficult because there were many pictures I felt came out great. However, I had to utilize pictures of the individuals that portrayed them in similar poses/stances. This created some cohesion between both info graphs.

Once the right pictures were chosen for the info graph, the only thing left to do was to come up with a way to design both pieces.

Week 10

Coming into the new week, I was very anxious to finally begin designing the info graphs for the UWG Culture Labs.

Approaching the info graph, I want to take the information gathered from the two individuals I selected and compare it with general statistics. This is so the audience can see that sometimes certain things we consider unique about ourselves might not be so. I know this will take a lot of researching to find information that is adequate for the project, but its just part of the process. Since the project has to do with branding and culture, I decided to use statistics that mainly pertained to fashion and technology. This was based on brands that the individuals associated themselves with.

The first concept I mapped out for the info graph initially got the green light from my supervisors. The concept tied in very well with the new UWG website layout, however after some input and considerations, we decided to treat the info graph in a different manner than the site. With that, I had a clear direction in which I wanted to go with this project. I began to do some heavy research on info graphs. I wanted the info graph to be interactive and eye-catching.

Once I had the principle layout in mind, I began to execute. I wanted to bring an artists’ influence onto the project, so I illustrated icons for the general statistics on branding. I tied everything together by creating a sort of road map throughout the info graph. It directed viewers from the information on the individuals, to general information of branding in society, to how the individual would brand himself or herself. With that, the info graph was complete and ready to present to the companies’ board.