May, 2014
This information design project entitled “Infected” explores communicable diseases; their primary characteristics and their frequency. The piece analyzes 40 contagious diseases and the number of cases of each reported in New York State throughout 2012. It provides a detailed look at the symptoms each disease carries, as well as their methods of prevention, transmission, diagnosis and treatment. The data comprising this project is derived from the source “ny.heath.gov.”
When conceptualizing this project it was important to provide both a broad and detailed picture of these diseases. Diseases affect individual people on an intimate case by case basis as well as larger communities through epidemics. As well, application was considered when first conceptualizing and designing the project. Many diseases are misdiagnosed throughout the health care system, so providing a tool for both doctors and patients to cross check symptoms, preventions and transmissions across a substantial amount of contagious diseases could aid accurate diagnosis and, later on, treatment. The project is able to serve as a comparative tool to analyze and cross-check multiple diseases by color codes, labeling and symbols.
This piece is executed in two mediums; a poster and an interactive website. The poster provides a broad view of these diseases, their reported cases in New York and their characteristics, most effectively conveying information through color and symbols. The interactive tool provides a more in depth, detailed and customizable experience in understanding the information.
Through color, typography, symbols and structure “Infected” aims to visualize the types of diseases that are highly reported and what epidemics New York is facing, as well as the symptoms that are most common, the methods of diagnosis that eliminate which types diseases, ways to prevent most diseases, kinds of treatments to seek and transmissions to avoid.
40x40" Poster
Printed Book
