Black Bears of Big Bend

Project Details

Fall 2024 Infographic and Social Media Posts

Deliverables:

Infographic Poster
Social Media Carousel
Pamphlet
Postcard

Summary

This project began as an open-ended prompt to create an infographic poster, and I initially wasn’t sure what the topic would be. After exploring a range of ideas, I landed on black bears in Big Bend National Park. I conducted research, created illustrations, and designed the poster, then reworked the layout to communicate the same content across platforms.

Mood Boards

These three mood boards show the initial directions I explored: bears, national parks, and bats. I ultimately focused on black bears in Big Bend National Park, combining two of the concepts and pulling the color palette from the third.

Challenge and Discovery

The goal was to simplify complex information and guide the viewer through it clearly, using a structured approach that moves from broad context to more focused questions.

Sketches

These sketches explore initial ideas for both data points and poster layouts. I paired each data point with a simple illustration, with the goal of bringing them together into a cohesive final poster.

Digital Rough Drafts

With these digital drafts, I focused on exploring layout options for the final poster. I tried both vertical and horizontal formats and different ways of breaking up the information to see what felt the most clear and organized. Color and type choices also began to take shape during this stage.

Final Design

In this round, I combined layouts, graphics, and colors from the last round and pushed them to the next level. Illustrations and data points came together into a cohesive design, supported by a defined type system and color palette. I chose two expressive display fonts that felt natural and rugged and paired them with a legible condensed font to fit a lot of information in a small space. The colors are inspired by the rich, glowing sunsets of Big Bend.

I also adapted the content for a social media carousel, an informational pamphlet, and a postcard by reworking the arrangement of information and illustrations.

Reflection

This project challenged me to balance a strong visual direction with a large amount of information. Once I had a clear style in mind, translating that vision while incorporating all of the data required thoughtful organization and iteration. It pushed me to refine hierarchy and layout so that the design could feel both cohesive and engaging without losing clarity.