Information design and aesthetics

As information designers, we sometimes like to think we stand in contrast to mainstream graphic design, with its emphasis on aesthetics. We don’t ask whether a design has balance or rhythm, has wit or is on trend, or has won awards. We want it to be orderly, logical and considerate of the reader’s expectations and purpose.

But there is a strong aesthetic dimension to information design too.

Aesthetic perception is sensory and holistic, and not the result of analysis or explanation. When we look at someone’s face, we don’t run through a checklist of features to see if we know them – we can tell at a glance using aesthetic recognition. It’s similar when we first look at a diagram or a page. We see its graphic qualities of shape, hierarchy and voice. These things tell us about what we’re seeing at a very general level.

From this type of glance we hope to grasp what kind of thing we’re dealing with (genre), and whether we should use it in a particular way (sequence).

When these qualities are absent, it can disturb us aesthetically – such as when we encounter figure-ground problems, or when the proximity principle is violated.

And using a well-designed object or interface can give us real pleasure. Particularly if you are a curmudgeonly critic like me.

I think it comes from:

• feeling that someone has taken care
• being confident that you haven’t missed anything
• feeling that you belong here
• information that is orderly, not confusing, with good gestalt
• information that’s based on design patterns that acknowledge how people like to read and use information
• the quality without a name

1. Arnold M Lund (1997) Expert ratings of usability maxims Ergonomics in Design: The Quarterly of Human Factors Applications 5(3):15-20

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