DATA VISUALISATION AND VISUAL DESIGN FOR INFORMATION EXTRACTION IN TRADITIONAL PRINT PUBLICATION AND DIGITAL CULTURE

Abstract

The subject of this study is on information design and data visualisation. The aim of research is to understand perspectives of visual design in improving critical visual literacy. The objective of study is to identify various perspectives towards critical visual literacy among audiences who have access to print publications, but who are increasingly migrating to digital media platforms. In the overview of literature, this paper will be reviewing a wide range of scholarly works from authors who have effectively identified the role of data visualisation in audiences’ use of print and digital media to extract information. A mixed-methods approach is utilised for research methodology. The first method is a case study of a century-old natural science publication. German biologist Ernst Haeckel’s 1904 double volume of lithographic prints, Art Forms in Nature, will be critically discussed. The second method presents the results of a survey of Malaysian audiences’ attitudes and perceptions towards visual information, and the key factors that foster and hinder information extraction and medium use, specifically aspects of convenience and layout design. Respondents were also queried on the functionality and importance of digital media for the purpose of knowledge, research and information gathering. Analysis of survey findings show that there is still a limited scope of understanding audiences’ challenges with both lexical (reading) and visual literacies. This dilemma is essential for visual designers to acknowledge, in the context of mapping the functions of data visualisation for designing information in publications. Among commercial publishers, particularly those in digital publication sectors, the current impact of digital visual culture on traditional print publication suggests that this dilemma must be further studied to understand future implications of data visualisation and visual design on audiences seeking knowledge and information. Some recommendations will be provided.