News, awards, writing and ideas

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Writing and research

Do I Make Myself Clear? Why Writing Well Matters by Harold Evans

We cannot afford to separate text content and graphic content, and information design makes no distinction between the 2, they are both main elements of communication, although designers often do not edit text, and writers often do not understand the complex area of graphic communication design.

We have reviewed Harold Evan’s book Do I Make Myself Clear? Why Writing Well Matters on UXmatters. What do people mean by clear writing, what exactly is clear, what can we do to make our writing work for as many people as possible, what does best practice advise? All these questions are raised and explored in the book review. (Please note this book review was heavily copyedited and reworded by the editor.) Thanks to Pabini. March 2020.

White cover, with the words ‘Do I Make Myself Clear?’ in large gold letters on 4 lines. Then a fountain pen, drawing a black line below, the ‘Harold Evans’ in capital black text UXmatters logo, on the left a purple circle with 'UX' in white capital letters in the middle, then to the right 'matters' in bold purple lowercase leters
Writing and research

2 interviews for the Information Design Journal, 24(3), 2018

We are delighted to announce that we have done 2 interviews for the Information Design Journal, 24(3), 2018.

The 1st interview is User Experience Research and SoundCloud in Berlin: An Interview With Brian Snead, Senior User Experience Researcher at SoundCloud.

The 2nd interview is A Discussion on the Past, Present and Future of Paper: An Interview With Renée Yardley and Robert Mannix. October 2019.

Journal cover of Information Design Journal 24.3, 2018 shows a white cover side-on, with a technical illustrations on the front, and the text 'idj' in large white bold letters at the top
Writing and research

AccessAbility 2: A Practical Handbook on Accessible Graphic Design work showcase

Our work and research is on page 25 of AccessAbility 2: A Practical Handbook on Accessible Graphic Design produced by RGD (Association of Registered Graphic Designers) in partnership with the Government of Ontario (Canada). This guide is a good starter into good practice graphic communication design, accessibility and usability. Thanks to all the team at RGD. May 2019.

Front cover of the guide in bright yellow with the title in large black capital letters RGD logo, shows the letters 'RGD' on red background with white text, and then to the right the black Ontario logo with a triangle icon to the right
Writing and research

Updates to our Letter and Symbol Misrecognition [...] paper on the Typography.Guru website

Our paper Letter and Symbol Misrecognition in Highly Legible Typefaces for General, Children, Dyslexic, Visually Impaired and Ageing Readers [2019 4th Edition] has been updated with new information and editorially corrected. Thanks again to Ralf. May 2019.

A car number plate, Letter and symbol misrecognition in highly legible typefaces for general, children, dyslexic, visually impaired and ageing readers Typography.Guru logo, on the left shows a large red raised capital 'G' letter, then on the right in light grey the text 'Typography.Guru'
Writing and research

Typographic Style Handbook book review

We have done an extensive book review of the Typographic Style Handbook by Michael Mitchell and Susan Wightman in the Information Design Journal, 24(2), 2018. April 2019.

Journal cover of Information Design Journal 24:2, 2018 shows a white cover side-on, with a technical step-by-step bright orange diagrams on the front, and the text 'idj' in large white bold letters at the top

Writing and research

No More New Similar Typefaces for Extended Reading, Please! paper

For a 2nd time we have partnered with Ralf Herrmann from the Typography.Guru website, to publish our paper No More New Similar Typefaces for Extended Reading, Please! This paper seeks to briefly explore the issues of typeface design similarity and usefulness, in contemporary typeface design and development. November 2018.

An illustration of the world showing various multi-script characters and diverse symbols Typography.Guru logo, on the left shows a large red raised capital 'G' letter, then on the right in light grey the text 'Typography.Guru'
Competition award

Longlisted in the Kantar Information is Beautiful Awards 2018

We have made it onto the longlist (step 1 of a possible 3, to the final awards) in the Kantar Information is Beautiful Awards 2018, with our infographic that we did for our paper titled Information on Different Categories of People for Graphic Communication, Website and Information Designers published on Usability Geek. The judges moved our submission from the People, Language and Identity category to Visualisation and Information Design. You can view our submission here. Wish us luck. September 2018.

Yellow quare background, with a black line pictogram of person with vision impairments using a vision impairment stick to find their way forward Kantar Information is Beautiful Awards 2018 logo, shows a purple circle on the left with the text 'KANTAR' to the right on the 1st line, then 'Information is Beautiful' on the line below, then 'Awards 2019' below that
Writing and research

New chapter in Citizen Designer (2nd Edition) book

We have written a chapter titled Accessibility and Usability in Communication Design on pages 140–157 in a new book title Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility (2nd Edition) by Steven Heller and Veronique Vienne. The chapter involved quite a bit of work and includes 46 references. We read the book all the way through and what would we say about it?:

‘The most amazing book, the content is relevant, thought‑provoking and insightful. Almost every page raises many valid points. It is really a treasure trove of issues. This book is a great read for every graphic communication designer. Find out about your responsibilities as a graphic communication designer’.

Buy the book direct from Skyhorse Publishing/Allworth Press website. Many thanks to Steven. August 2018.

Book cover image of the book: Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility (Second Edition), shows a pink and light blue thick paint brush swipe, with 'Citizen Designer in a medium size white text, at the top left' On the left, the letters ‘S P’ overlapping each other on a green rectangle, then the words ‘Skyhorse Publishing’ split on the 2 lines, in large dark grey capital text
Writing and research

What Do Graphic Communication Designers Do? [...] paper

We have published a paper called What Do Graphic Communication Designers Do? Some Thoughts and a List of Disciplines and Specialisms on our Medium, to show what graphic designers do, the areas they have to know about, and also for people choosing a career in this field. February 2018.

Man and woman looking through a long telescope into the sky Medium.com logo, shows a thick serif font and says 'Medium' in black
Writing and research

Information on Different Categories of People […] paper and infographic

(Note: this paper was originally published on the Usability Geek website in February 2018. In May 2020, we moved it to our Medium so we can update it more easily.)

Our paper Information on Different Categories of People for Graphic Communication, Website and Information Designers Including Free Reusable Infographic has been published on the Usability Geek website. This is the 2nd time we have collaborated with Usability Geek. There is also a freely reusable and copyright free infographic at the end of the paper that accompanies the paper. You can download the infographic as a PDF (good for printing), PNG (good for email), or HTML (online webpage). Thanks again to Justin.

Susan Weinschenk (PhD in psychology) and CEO at The Team W showcased this paper in her April 2018 email newsletter. And in 2015 we reviewed her book 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People in the Information Design Journal 21(1), 2014.

The A11Y Project that provide a great accessibility checklist for website designers, have linked to the paper and infographic on their Resources section.

The Public Library Accessibility Resource Centre (PLARC) and its website Accessible Libraries, is a collaborative project between the National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS) and the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) in Canada, they have linked to our paper on their website. February 2018.

Blue duotone coloured photograph of a crossing/sidewalk in America, with people walking left and right. The sun is shining bright in the background Usability Geek logo, shows the text 'Usability' on the left in capital black letters, then 'GEEK' in capital orange letters to the right, and the letters 'E' and 'E' in 'GEEK' have been made into a face sign The Team W logo, shows in a thin grey border box, the text 'THE TEAM' in capital black letters on the left, with a black circle on the right, with a white letter 'W' inside it The A11Y Project logo, shows a black circle on the left with a pictogram person with there arms and legs open, then the text 'A11Y Project' to the right in a thin black sans-serif font 5 triangles, from left to right, blue, red, green, red and yellow slightly overlapping themselves, then the words ‘Library Accessibility Resource Centre’ below in thin black lowercase text
Writing and research

10 Tips For Better Book Designs paper republished on UXPlanet.org

Our paper 10 Tips For Better Book Designs has been republished on the UXPlanet.org website. (This is the 4th time this paper has been requested to be republished.) Thanks to Nick. October 2017.

UX Planet logo, shows a red dot on the left with the text 'UX' within it, then the text 'UX Planet' on the right in a bold grey sans-serif font
Shows a cartoon woman, laying inside an open book, holding onto the end, flying over a drawing of the top of the world
Writing and research

Small Print In Graphic Communication and Information Design: A Discussion of Issues and Interactions paper

(Note: this paper was originally published on the Usability Geek website in January 2017. In April 2023, we moved it to our Medium so we can update it more easily.)

Our paper Small Print In Graphic Communication and Information Design: A Discussion of Issues and Interactions has been published on the Usability Geek website. Thanks to Justin. January 2017.

Photo of a magnifying glass over the top of a terms and conditions default A4 document Usability Geek logo, shows the text 'Usability' on the left in capital black letters, then 'GEEK' in capital orange letters to the right, and the letters 'E' and 'E' in 'GEEK' have been made into a face sign
Writing and research

Letter and Symbol Misrecognition […] paper updated on the Typography.Guru website, and interview with Steven Heller

Our paper Letter and Symbol Misrecognition in Highly Legible Typefaces for General, Children, Dyslexic, Visually Impaired and Ageing Readers [2016 2nd Edition] has been updated and republished on the Typography.Guru website, as a 2016 2nd edition. (Updates and corrections were done to the text, figures and references.)

Thanks once again to Ralf from Typography.Guru, and also Steven Heller the renowned graphic design writer, who interviewed us about the paper in his Daily Heller: Type for Impaired Eyes, Print Magazine, 24th October 2016.

A car number plate, Letter and symbol misrecognition in highly legible typefaces for general, children, dyslexic, visually impaired and ageing readers Typography.Guru logo, on the left shows a large red raised capital 'G' letter, then on the right in light grey the text 'Typography.Guru' Steven Heller logo, shows 'STEVEN' in black large capital letters on the 1st line, the 'HELLER' in large red capital letters on the line below, stacked on top of each other Print magazine logo
Writing and research

Snapshots III book

Our paper 10 Tips for Better Book Designs has been republished in a book called Snapshots III (ISBN: 978-1-909362-03-1) produced by Book Machine and Kingston University Press. It contains short papers from a range of people in the publishing industry. More information about the book can be found here. August 2016.

Image of Snapshots III book cover, shows an orange bar across the top of the cover, then a dark red/brown bar on the lower twothirds, with the text 'Publishing the next 5 years' with the letters and pictograms of books stacked on top of each other Book Machine logo, shows a large brown dark red circle with the words 'Book Machine' in large capital letters diagonally and the 2 letter ow's in book, are mechanical gear cogs
Event

Graphic Design Educators’ Network Pedagogic Research Symposium

We attended the symposium at the Design School, Loughborough University, Epinal Way, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, U.K. on Wednesday 20th April 2016, 1pm–5pm.

It was very pleasant, interesting and in a nice modern building. The highlight presentation was by Karel van der Waarde Communication Design Education: Could 9 Reflections be Sufficient? For more information visit the Graphic Design Educators’ Network website. April 2016.


Photo of the Design School, shows a grey and cool green front made out of a lot of glass, which very light grey concrete panels, then the glass revolver door at the front Photo of the conference centre, shows people sitting at small conference desks looking at the front where the lecturer is giving a presentation
General news

Our business name

In 2015, we have updated our name from User Design to User Design, Illustration and Typesetting. Our business remains the same with no changes. February 2016.

Writing and research

Letter and Symbol Misrecognition […] paper published on the Typography.Guru website

Our paper Letter and Symbol Misrecognition in Highly Legible Typefaces for General, Children, Dyslexic, Visually Impaired and Ageing Readers has been published on the Typography.Guru website. Thanks also to Design Week, ilovetypography.com, Smashing Magazine, The Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) and Typostrate for taking an interest in the paper. December 2015.

i love typography logo, shows a rectangle light green box with the text 'I Love Typography' in thin white letters Typostrate logo, shows a black rectangle box and in the bottom left, the text 'typostrate' in white sans serif letters, then an underscrore symbol underneath the letters 't' and 'y'
A car number plate, Letter and symbol misrecognition in highly legible typefaces for general, children, dyslexic, visually impaired and ageing readers Typography.Guru logo, on the left shows a large red raised capital 'G' letter, then on the right in light grey the text 'Typography.Guru' Smashing Magazine logo, a red rectangle box, on the left in a small white diaginal box is a white letter 's', then to the right on the 1st line is 'Smashing Magazine' and below that 'Magazine' both in white capital letters Design Week logo, shows the ord 'design' in large tightly letterspaced green letters, then the word 'week' vertically turned to the right of the letter 'n' in the word 'design' The Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) logo, shows the letters 'RGD' on red background with white text,
Writing and research

Letter and Symbol Misrecognition […] paper and book review in the Information Design Journal

Our paper Letter and Symbol Misrecognition in Highly Legible Typefaces for General, Children, Dyslexic, Visually Impaired and Ageing Readers has been published in the Information Design Journal, 21(1), 2014. We also reviewed Susan Weinschenk’s great book 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People at the end. June 2015.

Photo of the Information Design Journal, 20(1) 2014 shows a white cover side-on, with a technical oval triangle diagram on the front, and the text 'idj' in large white bold letters at the top
Writing and research

10 Tips for Better Book Designs paper

Our paper has been republished for a 3rd time in a near original form, on the Book Machine website. March 2015.

Book Machine logo, shows a large brown dark red circle with the words 'Book Machine' in large capital letters diagonally and the 2 letter ow's in book, are mechanical gear cogs
Writing and research

When Information Design is a Matter of Life or Death paper

Our double peer-reviewed paper When Information Design is a Matter of Life or Death has been published on the Boxes and Arrows website. November 2014.

Boxes and Arrows logo, shows a 3D box made out of arrows in orange thick lines, the 'boxes' on the 1st line, then 'and' on the 2nd line, then 'arrows' on the 3rd line
Work showcase

1 of our illustrations published in a new book

We have an illustration featured in a new book 1000 Dog Portraits published by Rockport Publishers. April 2014.

Photo of the book cover 1,000 dog portraits, shows a sad grey dog's head
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