NOTES ON COMICS & INFORMATION DESIGN

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:

My chart might look like this:

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

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.
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

AUSTIN KLEON