Good graphic design – Opinion

Zoï puts a lot of time and energy into the design of visual communication products. As a Zoï graphic designer since Zoï’s inception in 2009, I understand why good design is important in conveying our messages, and I appreciate what it takes to make a difference by adding a special Zoï touch.

My main orientation at Zoï is towards information design – communicating complex concepts to an interested audience as clearly as possible. Graphic designers sometimes need to deconstruct technical material to make it accessible to their readers while at the same time embracing the spirit of synthesis to develop visual depictions that explain what it all means. I create visuals to inform our readers and to help them understand environmental topics through graphics, maps or conceptual illustrations – also known as data visualization – even when I am explaining concepts as opposed to displaying factual information.

Information or communication design has a certain complexity because it is necessary to know how to balance aesthetics against ease of understanding, to reveal the complexity of the subject matter to a general audience. Finding the right balance is a considerable challenge. People who privilege the form over the message too often take into account only the aesthetic component.

In my idyllic world, projects would arrive without technical restrictions or financial limitations where the budget is already spent before I have started to think. In my actual world, some clients are not particularly open to creativity or are otherwise too conservative or conventional, not to mention all these committees where everyone gives contradictory opinions that I am supposed to reconcile.

My favourite Zoï projects –the most creative ones – are those that we control from the beginning, where we have carte blanche to create a strong identity, to start from a good base and to apply our concept to the layout, to the graphics, and to the illustrations.To cite a couple of recent ones, the large-scale Adaptation at Altitude project allowed us to develop the concept from A to Z and to maintain a consistent design elegance and standardization in all the related products. On a smaller scale, our annual report is always a great project for creativity, with no one to satisfy but ourselves.

In my 15 years of experience in the field, 13 of which I have spent at Zoï, I have realized that the most beautiful projects and those I am proud of are often the ones where we have the fewest design guidelines and where all the team members just do their jobs. Thank you for leaving the design to the designer, and I promise not to touch your text!

For me a good design is ultimately a timeless design, one that finds and keeps its place over the years. It doesn't depend on a fashion or a specific artistic movement. It is unique and stands alone, without a general outline or need for any additional explanation. And when I am successful at arranging the contributions of the writers, the photographers, the illustrators, and the data scientists, I think of myself as an orchestra conductor creating music in a great collaboration.

Carolyne Daniel

‍