Practicalities
Jen Christiansen · 2022
Content is usually top-of-mind when a person sits down to build a graphic: It’s the information to be visualized. Context is equally important, but it’s too often neglected at the start of a project. What tools will be used to make the graphic, where will it appear, who is the audience, what’s the designer’s relationship to that audience, and when does it need to be completed? All of these factors shape decisions related to what pieces of the content are critical to include, and how it should be presented. These variables—a selection of practical forces related to context—are the focus of this chapter. It covers tools (both digital and analog), and file settings (including resolution, color space, and filetype with a breakdown of raster and vector pros and cons). A section on audience and co-design follows, with a discussion of honoring the needs and expertise of your audience. An introduction to accessibility (the practice of ensuring that the information within a graphic is designed—or supplemented—in a manner that makes it accessible to as many people as possible) includes tips for making both print and digital graphics more accessible to more people.