The Nerdy Designer

09/23/2020

When you’re trying to communicate complex information, choosing the most appropriate organization method for the information is a really important part of how well your users/readers will understand it. There is a large variety of information out there in the world, but ultimately, there are only five ways to organize it: Location, Alphabetical, Time, Category, and Hierarchy (LATCH).

As an example, let’s use a fun subject: North Carolina Craft Breweries.

Location: You could put all of the breweries on a map (if you Google “NC Beer Map,” you’ll find that several of these already exist)

Alphabetical: This one is pretty self-explanatory.

Time: You could list all of the breweries in the order that they opened, starting with the first and ending with the most recent (or the other way around, depending on your goals).

Category: You could group all of the breweries into categories based on the types of beer they brew, the types of buildings they are located in, the size of their brewing systems, etc.

Hierarchy: You could rank the breweries from smallest to largest (or vice versa) based on the size of their brewing system or the number of beers they brew. Or you could rank them based on customer reviews of their beers.

Often, a combination of these methods can be useful. For example: a list of the best-rated breweries in each part of the state would be an effective use of location + hierarchy.

That’s your “design nerd” lesson for today… anyone want a beer?

(FYI: The concept of LATCH was created by architect & graphic designer Richard Saul Wurman, in his 1989 book “Information Anxiety.”)

08/26/2020

According to the all-knowing internet, today is International Dog Day! (Though most dog owners I know would argue that EVERY day is Dog Day) In honor of this, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you to my “co-workers.”

Piper: Director of Human Resources
Piper has been with the Nerdy Designer since the beginning. She still isn’t very helpful when it comes to information design projects, but she is great at “directing” her Human Resources to throw toys for her entertainment. Her energetic, happy attitude is great for employee morale, but she will definitely steal your snacks from the break room if you aren’t paying attention.

Maddie: Office Manager
Maddie is our newest employee and is still in training. So far, she has managed to chew up several parts of our office. Maddie was hired at the beginning of quarantine, so we are still working on her “people skills,” but her goofy personality is a great fit for our company culture. She definitely enjoys our generous remote work policy, and the fact that we encourage napping in the workplace.

Happy Dog Day from Piper, Maddie, and me to all the furry, four-legged co-workers out there!

02/18/2020

I have a confession: I've been operating my business for the last few years without an actual website. (I know, I'm a designer - I should know better!) It's been hanging out at the top of my to-do list for a long time, and today, I'm finally crossing it off! You can now find me online at www.thenerdydesigner.net

The Nerdy Designer, LLC is a freelance graphic design service specializing in book design and informational materials such as reports, workbooks, forms, manuals, publications, white papers, and infographics. The business is based in Mooresville, NC (Lake Norman) and serves authors, small businesses,...

08/21/2013

Website construction is underway! Since I'm used to working in print, it's a pretty slow process. Thankfully, Adobe Muse is user-friendly and fairly easy to learn.