Visual Design/Infographic
Element 1: Visual Design/Infographic
This project is about public history and how we commemorate the past, so you will create a visual piece or infographic of some kind. This will be your visual depiction of how you would design a commemoration of the topic area you chose. It can be a museum exhibit, a monument, a statue, a mural, a historical site tour, or another type of historical commemoration. Using “Google Drawing,” “Canva,” markers and paper, Prezi, a PowerPoint, or other programs, please include the following in your visual design/infographic:
1. A clear title of your Visual Design/Infographic;
2. A contemporary design that connects what you want to emphasize about this history of your chosen topic;
3. At least three specific examples of the history of your topic area represented visually. Consider how you would visually commemorate specific aspects of history. Depending on what you’re designing, this could be actual historical materials in a museum exhibit (documents, tools, clothing, etc.) or it could be the posture and setting for a monument/statue or it could be the elements you would choose to include in a mural or historical site tour. Feel free to include photographs, charts, art work, etc. If you are working on a statue or monument, you will have to include sketches and plans for the statue or monument.
4. A descriiptive caption for each of the examples; and
5. Artistic flair and design elements.
Grading Criteria for the Written Memo:
Write a memo to give context and detail for your Visual Design. This memo should be about 800 to 1,000 words (three or four double-spaced pages in a word doc program). Make sure to include the following in your memo:
1. A clear one-to-three-sentence thesis that argues why your topic/subject should be part of a public history display;
2. The broader historical context for your topic. This is why you did the research, so explain what your research reveals about this historical topic;
3. The rationale for your design in particular. “Sell” your design to your reader by explaining what your design does that is new and contemporary;
4. Evidence to back up your thesis. Give examples of why your topic mattered in history. Examine why your topic is important enough to commemorate and learn about today. Connect this evidence to what you have proposed in your design or redesign. This should include paraphrased material, statistics, and direct quotes from different sources; and
5. In-text citations (MLA format) in the paper or footnotes (Chicago Style) and a “Works Cited” page at the end of the memo that includes at least five sources. The Works Cited page should use either MLA or Chicago Style format.