Editing Information design (section)

==History==
The term 'information design' emerged as a [[interdisciplinary|multidisciplinary]] area of study in the 1970s. Use of the term is said to have started with graphic designers and it was solidified with the publication of the ''Information Design Journal'' in 1979. Later, the related International Institute for Information Design (IIID) was set up in 1987 and [[Information Design Association]] (IDA) established in 1991.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.robwaller.org/IDA_origins_RW.pdf |title=The Origins of the Information Design Association |publisher=University of Reading |year=2008 |access-date=2013-01-30 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214532/http://www.robwaller.org/IDA_origins_RW.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 1982, [[Edward Tufte]] produced a book on information design called ''The Visual Display of Quantitative Information''.
The term [[information graphics]] tends to be used by those primarily concerned with diagramming and display of quantitative information, such as technical communicators and graphic designers. 


In [[technical communication]], information design refers to creating an information structure for a set of information aimed at specified audiences. It can be practised on different scales.
* On a large scale, it implies choosing relevant content and dividing it into separate manuals by audience and purpose.
* On a medium scale, it means organizing the content in each manual and making sure that overviews, concepts, examples, references, and definitions are included and that topics follow an organizing principle.
* On a small or detailed scale, it includes logical development of topics, emphasis on what's important, clear writing, navigational clues, and even page design, choice of font, and use of white space.

There are many similarities between information design and information architecture. The title of information designer is sometimes used by graphic designers who specialize in creating websites. The skillset of the information designer, as the title is applied more globally, is closer to that of the [[information architecture|information architect]] in the U.S. Similar skills for organization and structure are brought to bear in designing web sites and digital media, with additional constraints and functions that earn a designer the title information architect.

In [[computer science]] and [[information technology]], 'information design' is sometimes a rough synonym for (but is not necessarily the same discipline as) [[information architecture]], the design of [[information system]]s, [[database]]s, or [[data structure]]s. This sense includes [[data modeling]] and [[process analysis]].