NOTES ON WRITING AND DRAWING

WHAT IT TAKES TO BE AN INFORMATION DESIGNER

Friday, August 24th, 2007 | Permalink

This is a “self-portrait” by Nigel Holmes from Steven Heller’s book, Nigel Holmes on Information Design, that came to me by way of Mark Larson by way of Michael Surtees:

WHAT IT TAKES TO BE AN INFORMATION DESIGNER: A SELF-PORTRAIT by Nigel Holmes

My chart might look like this:

  • 25% easy access to both sides of the brain
  • 25% drawing and writing treated as equals
  • 15% curiosity
  • 10% computer skills
  • 25% sense of humor
  • 25% curiosity about the world

I changed my list. That sense of humor is important — as is curiosity.

Blog Widget by LinkWithin

See more of my NOTES ON WRITING AND DRAWING

Read more posts about: , ,




3 Comments on “WHAT IT TAKES TO BE AN INFORMATION DESIGNER”

  1. zeitguy Says:
    June 12th, 2008 at 3:44 pm

    http://doorsdown.blogspot.com/

    has some of my comix from the 70s and a current comix. I look at them and relate to your questions and thoughts. I also do information design, but within such conservative constraints that the results bore me silly.

  2. Robert Hempsall Says:
    March 22nd, 2009 at 1:58 am

    I’m what I would term as a ‘traditional’ information designer, working mostly on non-web projects, and my chart would look something like:

    • 20% easy access to both sides of the brain

    • 20% curiosity about the world/observation

    • 15% pedant

    • 20% design and writing treated as equals

    • 5% computer skills (as I work alone I have to have them)

    • 4% sense of humour

    • 15% passion for the job

    • 1% mathematician

    Following of from Zeitguy’s comment that “I also do information design, but within such conservative constraints that the results bore me silly” I think this is largely down to a passion for the kind of work involved. I have no shame in standing up and saying “I design forms” and I find the work fascinating, seeing the ‘conservative constraints’ as a challenge rather than a barrier.

    It’s definitely a job that involves a certain type of personality to do it well

  3. Gabriela Brantë Says:
    June 14th, 2010 at 4:33 pm

    i work as a comunicational designer and this are my weird numbers:

    25% easy access to both sides of my brain
    40% curiosity and good observation
    15% drawing( i’m better writing)
    10% passion for my job
    5% computer skills (could be more)
    3% sense of humor
    2% graphic history
    o% comfortable chair