By Larisa Epp
Data is all around us, and as designers, this may not seem important. But it is. All graphic designers should pay attention to data, as it can be a useful tool when conducting research for a project or even when designing the project itself. There is a whole field centered on designing data, known as data visualization, which includes infographics. This series of blog posts, Data Designers, will showcase successful graphic designers who design with data at the forefront of their minds.
In fact, Franchi is best known for his push to reinvent the design of the newspaper through the introduction of data visualization and stunning and informative infographics in order to bring in younger audiences. While at Politecnico di Milano, his Master’s thesis in Industrial Design “focused on newspaper design, and suggested a new design paradigm for the redesign of a newspaper” (Franchi, 2018). He has introduced a lot of his ideas while working on IL through his infographics.
Data is all around us, and as designers, this may not seem important. But it is. All graphic designers should pay attention to data, as it can be a useful tool when conducting research for a project or even when designing the project itself. There is a whole field centered on designing data, known as data visualization, which includes infographics. This series of blog posts, Data Designers, will showcase successful graphic designers who design with data at the forefront of their minds.
Francesco Franchi is an incredible information and
data designer. He is an Italian graphic designer as well as a journalist, specializing
in designs for magazines and newspapers. He was the creative director of IL – Intelligence in Lifestyle (Il Sole 24 ORE), an Italian
Magazine/Newspaper. Additionally, Franchi wrote Designing News: Changing the World of Editorial Design and InformationGraphics, which delves into the direction he believes the news industry
should take in the future.
In fact, Franchi is best known for his push to reinvent the design of the newspaper through the introduction of data visualization and stunning and informative infographics in order to bring in younger audiences. While at Politecnico di Milano, his Master’s thesis in Industrial Design “focused on newspaper design, and suggested a new design paradigm for the redesign of a newspaper” (Franchi, 2018). He has introduced a lot of his ideas while working on IL through his infographics.
He does both analytical graphics (above) and literature-based, synoptic graphics. Franchi’s analytical graphics are the most based in data, as he notes
“the effort of [the] Analisi Grafica spread is to combine and organize data,
select and choose how to display it in order to tell a story that can be an
alternative to writing an article of ten thousand words or more” (Franchi,
2018). Through these he unifies his backgrounds of graphic design and
journalism, utilizing design and visual representation to convey reality in the
form of information, data, and narratives.
Franchi even leads workshops on designing infographics. But
what are his criteria for creating a great infographic? In an interview with
Madeleine Morley (2017), he was asked just this and replied:
“I try to judge an information graphic first by whether it is functional or not. Sometimes a work is beautiful, but difficult to read and understand. Sometimes it’s better to have something simple: have it less designed and more clear. Sometimes it needs to be immediate. That’s important. For example, when I’m designing an infographic, I always ask myself whether it’s something that everyone will understand. Simplicity and immediacy: These are the things I most often think about.”
–Francesco Franchi
These thoughts on infographics are important to keep in mind for any data
designer. When creating information-based designs, it does not always matter if
it’s beautiful, but it always matters if it is understandable. Franchi's designs speak to this.
More of Franchi's information graphics and other designs can be found on his website.
Other Data Designer Series Posts
Sources:
Franchi, F. (2018) Francesco Franchi. Retrieved from http://www.francescofranchi.com/
Morley, M. (2017, October 26). Francesco Franchi: On the luxury of newspaper. Retrieved from https://99u.adobe.com/articles/56222/francesco-franchi-on-the-luxury-of-newspaper
Photo Credit:
Morley, M. (2017, October 26). Francesco Franchi: On the luxury of newspaper. Retrieved from https://99u.adobe.com/articles/56222/francesco-franchi-on-the-luxury-of-newspaper
Photo Credit:
All ima
Photography of Franchi by Andrea Massari from https://99u.adobe.com/articles/56222/francesco-franchi-on-the-luxury-of-newspaper
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